# Herman Vanspringel

Herman Vanspringel (14 August 1943 – 25 August 2022), also spelled Herman Van Springel, was a Belgian road racing cyclist, from Grobbendonk, in the Flemish Campine or Kempen region. He achieved podium finishes in all three of the grand tours with second place in the 1968 Tour de France and 1971 Giro d'Italia, and third place in the 1970 Vuelta a España. He wore the maillot jaune during four stages of the 1968 Tour de France and for three stages in 1973.

## Career

Vanspringel was an accomplished time-trial rider, almost winning the Tour de France in 1968. He was beaten in the last stage by Dutch rider Jan Janssen in a time-trial. This remains as one of the closest races in Tour de France history. In the autumn that year, he won the classic Giro di Lombardia.
He won a record seven editions of the marathon Bordeaux–Paris. He also won the Green Jersey in the 1973 Tour de France without winning a single stage. He finished in 6th place overall that year, the third time in his career he would finish in the top 10 of the Tour de France. He would finish in the top 10 one final time during the 1974 edition. He would win a total of five stages during his ten participations in the Tour.
He was not allowed to ride the 1972 Tour de France due to signing for rival team Rokado for the 1973 season.
Vanspringel cycled through the 1970s and ended his career at the end of the 1981 season. As a professional cyclist, he eventually won 136 road races.
Flemish TV-maker and presenter, Mark Uytterhoeven, motivated by the 1968 Tour, founded a Herman Vanspringel fan club.

## Major results

Sources:

### 1963

    3rd Tour de Liège

### 1964

    3rd Brussels-Opwijk

### 1966

    1st Gent–Wevelgem
    1st Brussel–Ingooigem
    1st Flèche Hesbignonne
    1st Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
    1st Stage 2 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
    1st Prix de St. Amands
    3rd Milan–San Remo
    3rd Circuit des Frontières
    6th Overall Tour de France

### 1967

    1st Stages 6 (TTT) & Stage 7 Tour de France
    1st Flèche Hesbignonne
    2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
       1st Stage 2b
    2nd Bordeaux–Paris
    2nd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
    3rd Antwerpse Havenpijl

### 1968

    1st Super Prestige Pernod International
    2nd Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    2nd Overall Tour de France
       1st Stages 3 (TTT) & 13
       Held after stages 3a-3b and 19-22a
    1st Giro di Lombardia
    1st Omloop Het Volk
    1st Omloop van Midden-België
    1st Trefle a Quatre Feuilles
    2nd Paris–Roubaix
    2nd Grand Prix des Nations
    2nd Trofeo Baracchi (with Ole Ritter)
    2nd Wattrelos–Meulebeke
    3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm
    3rd Overall Tour de Suisse
       1st Stage 1
    3rd Overall Tour of Belgium
       1st Stage 1
    3rd E3 Harelbeke

### 1969

    1st Stages 10 and 21 Tour de France
    1st Paris–Tours
    1st Stages 4, 7 and 10 Tour de Suisse
    1st Grand Prix des Nations
    1st Overall À travers Lausanne
       1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 2
    1st Stage 1 Four Days of Dunkirk
    1st Rund um den Henninger-Turm
    1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Joaquim Agostinho)
    1st G.P de Baden-Baden (with Roger De Vlaeminck)
    1st Omloop van Midden-België
    1st GP van Malderen
    2nd Giro di Lombardia
    2nd Wattrelos–Meulebeke
    2nd Grand Prix Pino Cerami
    3rd Overall Tour of Belgium
       1st Stage 2b
    3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm
    3rd Gran Premio di Lugano

### 1970

    1st Bordeaux–Paris
    1st Brabantse Pijl
    1st Grand Prix des Nations
    1st Schaal Sels
    1st Heistse Pijl
    1st Omloop Schelde-Durme
    1st Omloop van het Zuidwesten
    1st Stage 3 Tour of Belgium
    2nd Belgian National Road Race Championships
    2nd Critérium des As
    3rd Overall Vuelta a España
    3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
    3rd Trofeo Baracchi with Willy In't Ven

### 1971

    1st National Road race Championships
    1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 16b Tour de France
    1st Züri-Metzgete
    1st Nokere Koerse
    1st G.P de Baden-Baden (with Eddy Merckx)
    1st GP Union Dortmund
    1st Wattrelos–Meulebeke
    1st Cronostafetta
    1st Maaslandse Pijl
    2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
    2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
       1st Stage 3
    2nd Paris–Roubaix
    2nd Boucles de l'Aulne
    3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
    3rd Gran Premio di Lugano

### 1972

    1st Interclubs TTT, National Road Championships
    1st GP Stad Zottegem
    1st Cronostafetta
    1st Trofee Luc Van Biesen
    1st Kessel–Lier
    1st Brussels–Biévenne
    1st Wezenbeek–Oppem
    2nd Brabantse Pijl
    2nd Scheldeprijs
    2nd Overall Tour de la Nouvelle-France
    2nd Leeuwse Pijl
    2nd Giro del Mendrisio
    2nd Trefle a Quatre Feuilles
    3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    3rd Tour du Condroz
    3rd Subida a Arrate
    3rd Omloop der Grensstreek

### 1973

    1st Stage 9 Volta a Catalunya
    1st Stage 4 Tour de Suisse
    1st Stage 6 (TTT) Paris–Nice
    2nd Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
    2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
       1st Stage 1 (TTT)
    2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna
    3rd Amstel Gold Race
    3rd Brabantse Pijl
    3rd Giro di Lombardia
    3rd Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
    6th Overall Tour de France
       1st points classification
       Held after stages 1b-2b

### 1974

    1st Brabantse Pijl
    1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
    1st Boucles de l'Aulne
    1st Bordeaux–Paris
    1st GP Betekom
    3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg
    3rd Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem

### 1975

    1st Bordeaux–Paris
    1st GP Desselgem
    1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
    2nd Critérium des As
    3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg
    3rd Omloop van Neeroeteren

### 1976

    1st Nationale Sluitingsprijs
    1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
    2nd Bordeaux–Paris
    2nd Rebecq-Rognon
    2nd Omloop der Leievallei

### 1977

    1st Bordeaux–Paris
    1st Stage 7 Paris–Nice
    1st Stage 2 Three Days of De Panne
    2nd Flèche Hesbignonne
    2nd Critérium des As
    3rd La Flèche Wallonne

### 1978

    1st Bordeaux–Paris
    1st Le Samyn
    1st Omloop van het Houtland
    2nd Gullegem Koerse
    2nd Brabantse Pijl
    3rd Critérium des As

### 1979

    2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
       1st Stage 5
    2nd Omloop der Grensstreek
    3rd Bordeaux–Paris
       1st Stage 4a
    3rd GP Stad Zottegem

### 1980

    1st Bordeaux–Paris
    2nd Critérium des As
    3rd Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem
    3rd Omloop van Midden-Brabant

### 1981

    1st Bordeaux–Paris
    2nd Critérium des As
    2nd Nokere Koerse
    2nd GP Beeckman

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Source:
| Grand Tour | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 |
| Vuelta a España | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — | 11 | — | — | 29 |
| Giro d'Italia | — | — | — | — | — | 2 | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tour de France | 6 | 24 | 2 | 18 | DNF | 14 | — | 6 | 10 | 31 | DNF |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |

## Honours

* A cycling race, Herman Vanspringels Diamond: From 1988
* Honorary Citizen of Grobbendonk
* Honorary Citizen of Kalmthout
* A bust in Grobbendonk: 2022

## Books

* Herman Vanspringel – De Winnende Verliezer (112p, ISBN 9789053121399) by Robert Janssens and Tom Willems: 1999
* Herman Vanspringel (48p, ISBN 9789074128339) by Noël Truyers: 1999
* Herman Vanspringel 68 (159p, ISBN 9789491376016) by Mark Uytterhoeven: 2011
* Herman Vanspringels Diamonds For Ever (207p) by Luc Wuyts and Marc Uytterhoeven: 2020