View source for Rik Van Steenbergen

{{Short description|Belgian cyclist (1924–2003)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2020}}
{{Infobox cyclist
| name = Rik Van Steenbergen
| image = Rik van Steenbergen (1967).jpg
| caption = Van Steenbergen in 1967
| full_name = Rik Van Steenbergen
| nickname = Rik I (Rik II is [[Rik Van Looy]])<br />The Boss
| birth_name = Constant Hendrik Van Steenbergen
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1924|09|09|df=y}}
| death_date = {{death date and age|2003|05|15|1924|09|09|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Arendonk]], Belgium
| death_place = [[Antwerp]], Belgium
| height = 
| weight = 
| currentteam = 
| discipline = Road/Track
| role = Rider
| ridertype = Classics specialist, [[Sprinter (cycling)|sprinter]]
| amateuryears1 = 
| amateurteam1 = 
| proyears1 = 1943
| proteam1 = [[Alcyon (cycling team)|Alcyon]] / Europe-Dunlop
| proyears2 = 1944
| proteam2 = Trialoux-Wolber
| proyears3 = 1945-47
| proteam3 = [[Mercier (cycling team)|Mercier]]
| proyears4 = 1948
| proteam4 = Mercier / Bristol
| proyears5 = 1950-51
| proteam5 = Mercier / Girardengo-Ursus
| proyears6 = 1952
| proteam6 = Mercier / Girardengo-Clement
| proyears7 = 1953
| proteam7 = Mercier / Girardengo-Hutchinson
| proyears8 = 1954
| proteam8 = Mercier / Girardengo-Eldorado
| proyears9 = 1955
| proteam9 = Girardengo-Eldorado / Elvé-Peugeot
| proyears10 = 1956
| proteam10 = Girardengo-Icep / Elvé-Peugeot
| proyears11 = 1957
| proteam11 = [[Peugeot (cycling team)|Peugeot-BP-Dunlop]] / Cora-Elvé
| proyears12 = 1958
| proteam12 = [[Peugeot (cycling team)|Elvé-Peugeot-Marvan]]
| proyears13 = 1959-60
| proteam13 = [[Peugeot (cycling team)|Peugeot-BP-Dunlop]]
| proyears14 = 1961-62
| proteam14 = [[Solo–Superia|Solo-Van Steenbergen]]
| proyears15 = 1963
| proteam15 = [[Solo–Superia|Solo-Terrot-Van Steenbergen]]
| proyears16 = 1964-66
| proteam16 = [[Solo–Superia]]
| majorwins = '''[[Grand Tour (cycling)|Grand Tours]]'''
:'''[[Tour de France]]'''
::4 individual stages ([[1949 Tour de France|1949]], [[1952 Tour de France|1952]], [[1955 Tour de France|1955]])
:'''[[Giro d'Italia]]'''
:: Sprints classification ([[1954 Giro d'Italia|1954]], [[1957 Giro d'Italia|1957]])
::15 individual stages ([[1951 Giro d'Italia|1951]], [[1952 Giro d'Italia|1952]], [[1953 Giro d'Italia|1953]], [[1954 Giro d'Italia|1954]], [[1956 Giro d'Italia|1956]], [[1957 Giro d'Italia|1957]])
:'''[[Vuelta a España]]'''
::[[Points classification in the Vuelta a España|Points classification]] ([[1956 Vuelta a España|1956]])
::6 individual stages ([[1956 Vuelta a España|1956]])
'''[[Stage races]]'''
: [[Tour de l'Ouest]] (1951)
: [[Vuelta a la Argentina]] (1952)
'''[[Classic cycle races|One-day races and Classics]]'''
:[[UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|World Road Race Championships]] ([[1949 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|1949]], [[1956 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|1956]], [[1957 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|1957]])
:[[Belgian National Road Race Championships|National Road Race Championships]] (1943, 1945, 1954)
:[[Tour of Flanders (men's race)|Tour of Flanders]] ([[1944 Tour of Flanders|1944]], [[1946 Tour of Flanders|1946]]) 
:[[Dwars door België|Dwars door Vlaanderen]] (1945)
:[[Paris–Roubaix]] ([[1948 Paris–Roubaix|1948]], [[1952 Paris–Roubaix|1952]])
:[[La Flèche Wallonne]] ([[1949 La Flèche Wallonne|1949]], [[1958 La Flèche Wallonne|1958]])
:[[Paris–Brussels]] (1950)
:[[Milan–San Remo]] ([[1954 Milan–San Remo|1954]])
'''Other'''
:[[Ruban Jaune]] (1948->1955)
:[[Critérium des As]] (1948, 1952, 1955, 1957, 1958)
'''Track Championships'''
:[[Belgian National Track Championships|National Track Championships]]
::Madison (1955, 1961)
::Omnium (1944, 1955, 1961, 1963)
::Men's Individual Pursuit (1944)
::Derny (1961, 1962, 1963, 1964)
:[[European Track Championships]]
::[[UEC European Track Championships – Men's madison|Madison]] (1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963)
::[[UEC European Track Championships – Men's omnium|Omnium]] (1959)
| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates = {{MedalCountry | {{BEL}} }}
{{MedalSport | Men's [[road bicycle racing]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|World Championships}}
{{MedalGold |[[1949 UCI Road World Championships|1949 Copenhagen]]|[[1949 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|Professional Road Race]]}}
{{MedalGold |[[1956 UCI Road World Championships|1956 Copenhagen]]|[[1956 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|Professional Road Race]]}}
{{MedalGold |[[1957 UCI Road World Championships|1957 Waregem]]|[[1957 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|Professional Road Race]]}}
{{MedalBronze |[[1946 UCI Road World Championships|1946 Zürich]]|[[1946 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|Professional Road Race]]}}
{{MedalSport|Men's [[track cycling]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[European Track Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|1958 Kopenhagen|[[UEC European Track Championships – Men's madison|Madison]]}}
{{MedalGold|1959 Dortmund|[[UEC European Track Championships – Men's omnium|Omnium]]}}
{{MedalGold|1959 Zürich|Madison}}
{{MedalGold|1960 Antwerp|Madison}}
{{MedalGold|1961 Köln|Madison}}
{{MedalGold|1963 Brussels|Madison}}
{{MedalSilver|1962 Dortmund|Omnium}}
{{MedalSilver|1963 Antwerp|[[UEC European Track Championships – Derny|Derny]]}}
{{MedalSilver|1964 Antwerp|Derny}}
{{MedalSilver|1965 Bremen|Madison}}
{{MedalSilver|1966 Brussels|Madison}}
{{MedalSilver|1966 Köln|Omnium}}
{{MedalBronze|1956 Zürich|Omnium}}
{{MedalBronze|1961 Kopenhagen|Omnium}}
{{MedalBronze|1962 Zürich|Madison}}
{{MedalBronze|1963 Köln|Omnium}}
}}

'''Hendrik Van Steenbergen''' (9 September 1924&nbsp;– 15 May 2003) was a [[Belgium|Belgian]] [[racing cyclist]], considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.

==Early life==
Van Steenbergen was born in [[Arendonk]] into a poor family. As a fledgling teenager, he worked successively as cigar-roller in a factory, as errand boy and as bicycle mechanic.<ref>The Bicycle, UK, 31 May 1950, p. 4</ref> Dreaming of a cycling career like that of his idol [[Karel Kaers]], the tall youngster started his first street race in Morkhoven on April 4, 1939, and won it. He eventually became one of Belgium's best juniors from 1939 to 1942, winning 52 road races.<ref name=":0">{{cite news |last=Vanysacker |first=Dries |date=2011 |title=Kop 23 - Rik Van Steenbergen (1924-2003): Voor alles broodrenner |language=nl |pages=197–201 |work=Vlaamse Wielerkoppen |publisher=Davidsfonds |url= |isbn=9789058268181}}</ref>

==Career==
Van Steenbergen was considered a "medical marvel" due to the exceptional large heart he had.

He started cycling as a professional during [[World War II]] in 1942, after being an amateur since he was 14. Although the official age limit was 21, it was decided that he could enter the professional circuit directly at the age of 18.<ref>{{cite news |date=31 August 2022 |title="Op een oude fiets moet je het leren". Over de West-Vlaamse inwijdingsperiode van Rik Van Steenbergen |language=nl |publisher=servicekoers.be |url=https://servicekoers.be/verhalen/west-vlaamse-inwijdingsperiode-rik-van-steenbergen |access-date=}}</ref> The next year, he won his first important races, and became Belgian road cycling champion. In 1944, he won the [[Tour of Flanders (men's race)|Tour of Flanders]] [[Classic cycle races|classic]], which he won again two years later.
[[File:Rik Van Steenbergen spurt naar de eindmeet, Dwars Door België 1945, Waregem (collectie KOERS. Museum van de Wielersport).jpg|thumb|267px|Rik Van Steenbergen winning the inaugural [[Dwars door Vlaanderen|Dwars Door België]] in 1945]]
During his career, which lasted until 1966, Van Steenbergen won several more classics: [[Paris–Roubaix]], [[Paris–Brussels]] and [[Milan–San Remo]]. He also won the [[World Road Cycling Championships]] three times ([[1949 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|1949 Copenhagen]], [[1956 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|1956 Copenhagen]] and [[1957 Waregem]]), equaling the (still standing) record of [[Alfredo Binda]]. His last world title, a year after his second, was won in front of a home crowd. In addition, he placed third in the first post-war world championships in [[1946 UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race|1946]]. He held the [[Ruban Jaune]] for seven years for winning the 1948 Paris-Roubaix in a record average speed for a professional race, covering the 246&nbsp;km at an average of 43.612&nbsp;km per hour.
[[File:Rik Van Steenbergen-1953.JPG|thumb|367x367px|Van Steenbergen in an [[El Gráfico (Argentina)|El Gráfico]] edition of 1953]]
His sporting achievements, combined with his physical appearance and natural authority made him a rider who was looked up to in the peloton, with or without fear. It earned him nicknames like The Boss or El Rey (the king).
{{Quote box
| quote = "The biggest phenomenon I have encountered on my way."
| source = [[Fausto Coppi]] on Van Steenbergen <ref name="De bedrieger bedrogen">{{cite news |title=De bedrieger bedrogen |language=nl |publisher=[[De Volkskrant]] |publication-date=9 October 1999 |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/de-bedrieger-bedrogen~b9456df6/}}</ref>
| bgcolor = #CCDDFF
| align = right
| width = 29%
| quoted = 1
}}
Van Steenbergen also excelled on the track. He won 40 [[Six-day racing|Six-day events]], 276 [[Omnium]]s and improved two world records. His track capabilities made him an excellent road sprinter. However, due to his size, he usually had difficulty climbing, which prevented him from winning major stage races. He nevertheless placed 2nd in the [[1951 Giro d'Italia]]. 
Between 1949 and 1957 he won four stages in the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey for two days. In the same period he won fifteen stages in the Giro d'Italia and rode in the leader's pink jersey for nine days. In the Vuelta a España, he achieved six stage victories and the points classification and wore the amarillo jersey for one day. In 1951 he won the Tour of the West in France. The following year he won the Tour of Argentina.<ref name="De bedrieger bedrogen">{{cite news |title=De bedrieger bedrogen |language=nl |publisher=[[De Volkskrant]] |publication-date=9 October 1999 |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/de-bedrieger-bedrogen~b9456df6/}}</ref> It is widely believed that he could have competed for victory in Grand Tours and other stage races had he concentrated on them, instead of racing almost every race he could enter.

Remarkable is a 48-hour spell in 1957, when Van Steenbergen raced in the Belgian Congo, Copenhagen, Paris and Liège, winning all four events.

After his career, a newspaper calculated that Van Steenbergen rode more than 1 million kilometers on a bike, the equivalent of 25 tours around the world.

In total, he won no less than 1,645 races, of which 331 road races and 1,314 track races.<ref>{{cite web |title=Een wielercarrière van ongeveer één miljoen kilometers |url=https://www.volkskrant.nl/sport/een-wielercarriere-van-ongeveer-een-miljoen-kilometers~bf6ac8c4/ |access-date=16 May 2003 |work=[[De Volkskrant]] |language=Dutch}}</ref>

==Riding style==
The muscular Van Steenbergen was known for his sprints and final jumps at finishes.

Van Steenbergen did not allow himself to be forced into a straitjacket. Nor did he want to surround himself too much with helpers. That gave him too much responsibility to have to win.

He preferred to go his own way, like a free bird in the peloton. On the road, he single-handedly arranged what needed to be done. That usually depended on his fitness, because Van Steenbergen never knew whether he was going to ride well or not, it only became apparent in the race. In that respect, he thrived on impulses.<ref name=":02">{{cite news |last=Sys |first=Jacques |date=2020 |title=Rik Van Steenbergen - The Boss |language=nl |pages=167-1971 |work=Top 1000 van de Belgische wielrenners |publisher=[[Lanoo]] |url= |isbn=9789401467254}}</ref>

== Motivation ==
His big drive was his addiction to cycling. Van Steenbergen really enjoyed the atmosphere and competition in races and was noticed whistling on his bicycle on several occasions.
[[File:Rik van Steenbergen wordt gefeliciteerd door Miss Remington, Bestanddeelnr 909-6520.jpg|thumb|267px|Van Steenbergen after winning a stage in the 1958 [[Tour of the Netherlands]]]]
Another important aspect was the money that could be earned. His background as the child of a poor family, combined with the situation in post-war Belgium undoubtedly contributed to this.
After Van Steenbergen won a classic, he rode numerous other races. And only when the starting money started to decrease, he began aiming on another classic.

From 1960, he also focused more on track cycling. The bigger contracts in this sport and the stifling rivalry with [[Rik Van Looy]] were the main drivers of that conscious choice.

At the time he stopped cycling, Van Steenbergen owned several properties and flats in Belgium and Sardinia.<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=The Cash Machine- Rik Van Steenbergen |url=https://www.cyclinglegends.co.uk/index.php/features/big-reads/88-the-cash-machine-rik-van-steenbergen |website=cyclinglegends.co.uk |language=en}}</ref>

==Retirement==

At the age of 42, Van Steenbergen ended his career in a packed Brussels Sports Palace.

Unprepaired for the life without cycling, he entered a dark period afterwards.

''"It wasn't easy to get into mainstream society when they've been kissing your shoes for twenty years."'' Van Steenbergen later said.

He was named in connection with many unsavory practices. He had a gambling addiction and was suspected of drug trafficking, conspiracy and incitement to debauchery.<ref name="GVA">{{cite news| url=http://www.gva.be/nieuws/media-en-cultuur/aid970431/wielerlegende-rik-van-steenbergen-duikt-op-in-seksfilm.aspx| title= Wielerlegende Rik Van Steenbergen duikt op in seksfilm|trans-title=Cycling legend Rik Van Steenbergen appears in adult movie| newspaper= [[Gazet van Antwerpen]]| date= 8 September 2010| author= Piedfort, Dominique| language= Dutch}}</ref>
During this period, in 1968, he also starred in the Belgian adult movie ''Pandore'' as the character Dimitri. In the context of that era the film was a sensational, provocative, scandal movie,<ref name="GVA" /> although nowadays it wouldn't be labeled as an adult movie at all.<ref name="IMDB">{{cite web| url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0123213/| title= Pandore (1968)| website= [[Internet Movie Database]]}}</ref>

Van Steenbergen also ended up in jail for a while. He came close to prison for smuggling a suspect package over the Dutch border.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2003/may/24/guardianobituaries.sport|title=Obituary: Henri Van Steenbergen|last=Fotheringham|first=William|date=2003-05-24|work=The Guardian|access-date=2020-01-06|language=en-GB|issn=0261-3077}}</ref> But his marriage with the British Doreen Hewitt saved him from ruin and he got his life back on track.<ref name="DS">{{cite news |author=maj |date=8 September 2010 |title=Bioscoop speelt seksfilm met Rik Van Steenbergen |language=Dutch |trans-title=Cinema plays adult movie with Rik Van Steenbergen |newspaper=[[De Standaard]] |url=http://www.standaard.be/artikel/detail.aspx?artikelid=DMF20100908_063&subsection=7}}</ref>

Despite the many side issues, he maintained his popularity among the cycling public. Later in life he became a welcome guest at sports evenings, competitions and television debates.

==Death and commemoration==
Rik Van Steenbergen died in [[Antwerp]] after a prolonged sickness, at the age of 78. The funeral was in the ''Sint Pauluskerk'' of [[Westmalle]], attended by about 2000 people, including [[Eddy Merckx]], [[Rik Van Looy]], [[Roger De Vlaeminck]], [[Walter Godefroot]], [[Johan De Muynck]], [[Lucien Van Impe]], [[Freddy Maertens]] and [[Briek Schotte]]. The [[Union Cycliste Internationale|UCI]] president [[Hein Verbruggen]] and Belgian prime minister [[Guy Verhofstadt]] also attended.

The following year, a statue was erected in his honour on the Wampenberg in [[Arendonk]].

== Career achievements ==
{{Main|List of career achievements by Rik Van Steenbergen}}

=== Highlights ===
* 3 World Road Cycling Championships (1949, 1956, 1957)
* 8 major classics wins ([[Tour of Flanders (men's race)|Tour of Flanders]] x 2, [[Paris–Roubaix]] x 2, [[La Flèche Wallonne]] x 2, [[Paris–Brussels]], [[Milan–San Remo]])
* 7 Belgian Road Championships
* 4 Stage wins in the [[Tour de France]]
* 15 Stage wins in the [[Giro d'Italia]] (including second overall 1951)
* 6 Stage wins in the [[Vuelta a España]]
* 6 European Track Championships
* 40 Six Day wins
* 11 Belgian Track Championships

=== Records ===
* Record of [[UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race#Most successful riders|most successful World Cycling Champion]] (3x gold, 1x bronze), shared with [[Alfredo Binda]] & [[Óscar Freire]]<ref>{{cite web |date= |title=World Professional (Elite) Road Cycling Championship |url=https://www.bikeraceinfo.com/worlds/world-championships-index.html |access-date= |publisher= |language=en}}</ref>
* Most [[Critérium des As]] wins: 5 in 1948, 1952, 1955, 1957 & 1958
* Most [[Acht van Chaam]] wins: 3 in 1956, 1958, 1960 (shared record)
* Most [[Six Days of Brussels]] wins: 8 in 1948, 1949, 1951, 1955, 1956, 1958, 1960, 1962
* Most [[Six Days of Madrid]] wins: 3 in 1963, 1964, 1965
* Most track races won: 1,314 between 1939 and 1966

== Awards and honours ==
[[File:Buste Rik Van Steenbergen, Wampenberg, Arendonk.jpg|thumb|180px|Bust of Van Steenbergen]]
* [[File:Honor Medal Yellow Ribbon.jpg|40px]] [[Ruban Jaune]]: 1948->1955<ref name="Yashin Award2">{{cite web |title=Palmarès de Rik van Steenbergen |url=http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.eu/palmares/van_steenbergen_rik.php}}</ref>
* [[File:BEL Order of Leopold II - Officer BAR.png|40px]] Officer in the Belgian [[Order of Leopold II]]: 1957<ref name=":0" />
* Best foreign rider award: [[1951 Giro d'Italia]]
* ''Millionär auf Zwei Rädern'', a German movie about him: 1965
* Swiss [[:fr:Trophée de l'Association internationale des organisateurs de courses cyclistes|AIOCC Trophy (fr)]]: 1967<ref name="eurosport112">{{cite web |date= |title=2017 AIOCC TROPHY |url=https://www.aiocc.ch/en/aiocc-trophy/ |language=en}}</ref>
* Medal of honour of the [[City of Brussels]]: 1967
* Bust by the [[KBWB-RLVB|KBWB]]: 1967
* [[Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen|GP Rik Van Steenbergen]]: from 1991<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen start en komt aan in ‘zijn’ Arendonk: "Het moeten niet altijd de grootsteden zijn" |url=https://www.hln.be/arendonk/memorial-rik-van-steenbergen-start-en-komt-aan-in-zijn-arendonk-het-moeten-niet-altijd-de-grootsteden-zijn~ad102e2c/ |website= |publisher=[[Het Laatste Nieuws]] |language=nl |publication-date=29 September 2022}}</ref>
* Rik van Steenbergen Classic from 1999<ref>{{cite web |title=Top Ride: The Rik Van Steenbergen Classic |url=https://pezcyclingnews.com/travel/top-ride-the-rik-van-steenbergen-classic/ |access-date=12 March 2015 |work=pezcyclingnews.com}}</ref>
* [[Antwerp Province|Province of Antwerp]] sportsman of the 20th Century: 2000<ref>{{Cite web |date= |title=Achiel Bruneel en Rik Van Steenbergen |url=https://kempenskarakter.whirlihost.com/pawtucket/Detail/objects/DeMeyerHugo023 |website=kempenskarakter |language=nl}}</ref>
* Introduced in the [[UCI Hall of Fame]]: 2002
* Bust in Arendonk: 2004<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 October 2004 |title=Arendonk onthult standbeeld Rik Van Steenbergen |url=https://www.standaard.be/cnt/g0f98t26 |website=[[De Standaard]] |language=nl}}</ref>
* [[:es:Salón de la Fama del Ciclismo|UCI Top 100 of All Time]]: 4,900 points

== Books ==

* ''Rik Van Steenbergen: Het kind der goden'' by Peter Woeti in 1957. Hidawa, 80 p. (Dutch)
* ''Rik van Steenbergen'' by [[Fred De Bruyne]] in 1963. G. Kolff, 41 p. (Dutch)
* ''De Miljoenenfiets van Rik Van Steenbergen'' by Achille Van Den Broeck in 1966. De Brauwere, 391 p. (Dutch)
* ''Rik I van Steenbergen'' by René Vermeiren, Hugo De Meyer in 1999. De Eecloonaar, 272 p. {{ISBN|9789074128568}} (Dutch, French, English, Italian, Spanish)
* ''Rik I Memorial (1924 - 2003)'' by René Vermeiren in 2003. De Eecloonaar, 56 p. {{ISBN|9789074128957}} (Dutch)
* ''Rik Van Steenbergen. Das Ass der Asse'' by Walter Rottiers. Bielefeld in 2005, Covadonga-Verlag, 144 p. {{ISBN|9783936973150}} (German)

==See also==
* [[Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*[http://histo.letour.fr/HISTO/us/TDF/coureur/3129.html Official Tour de France results for Rik Van Steenbergen]
{{UEC European Track Champions – Men's omnium}}
{{UCI Road World Champions – Men's road race}}
{{Belgian National Road Race Championships (men)}}
{{Milan–San Remo winners}}
{{Tour of Flanders winners}}
{{Paris–Roubaix winners}}
{{UCI Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Van Steenbergen, Rik}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2003 deaths]]
[[Category:Belgian male cyclists]]
[[Category:Belgian Tour de France stage winners]]
[[Category:UCI Road World Champions (elite men)]]
[[Category:Belgian Giro d'Italia stage winners]]
[[Category:Belgian Vuelta a España stage winners]]
[[Category:Cyclists from Antwerp Province]]
[[Category:People from Arendonk]]
[[Category:20th-century Belgian sportsmen]]