# Rik Van Linden

Rik Van Linden (born 28 July 1949 in Wilrijk, Antwerp) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer. He won the points classification in the 1975 Tour de France, ahead of Eddy Merckx.
Van Linden also won several stages in all of the three Grand Tours, and the classic cycle race Paris–Tours twice (1971, 1973).
Through his career, he eventually won 359 races, of which 73 as junior cyclist in 1968.

## Major results
### Road
#### 1968

    1st Road race, National Junior Road Championships

#### 1969

    1st Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften

#### 1971

    1st Paris–Tours
    2nd Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
    2nd Omloop der Zennevallei
    3rd GP di Larciano
    8th Trofeo Matteotti
    9th Scheldeprijs

#### 1972

    Tour de France
       1st Stage 2
       2nd Points Classification
    1st Stage 5a Tirreno–Adriatico
    3rd GP van Malderen
    8th Paris–Tours
    9th Amstel Gold Race
    10th Brussel-Ingooigem

#### 1973

    1st Paris–Tours
    Giro d'Italia
       1st Stages 7 & 17
    Paris–Nice
       1st Stages 2, 3b (TTT), 5 & 7a
    Tour of Belgium
       1st Prologue (TTT)
    Giro di Sardegna
       1st Stages 1, 2 & 4b
    1st Puivelde Koerse
    2nd Grand Prix Pino Cerami
    3rd Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
       1st Prologue & Stages 1, 4 & 6
    3rd Paris–Brussels
    4th Milan–San Remo
    10th E3 Harelbeke

#### 1974

    1st Overall Giro di Sardegna
    Vuelta a España
       1st Stages 3 & 4
    10th Overall Paris–Nice
       1st Points Classification
       1st Stage 7a
    1st Omloop der Zuid-West-Vlaamse Bergen
    2nd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
    2nd Omloop Schelde-Durme
    3rd Omloop Het Volk
    3rd Grand Prix Pino Cerami
    3rd GP van Malderen
    5th Scheldeprijs
    6th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
    7th Tour of Flanders
    7th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
    8th Paris–Tours
    9th Road race, National Road Championships

#### 1975

    Tour de France
       1st Points classification
       1st Stages 1b, 19 & 21
    1st Milano–Vignola
    1st Stage 5 Giro d'Italia
    1st Stage 3a Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
    1st GP Union Dortmund
    2nd Grand Prix Pino Cerami
    3rd Gent–Wevelgem
    3rd Dwars door West-Vlaanderen
    5th Tour of Flanders
    7th Brabantse Pijl

#### 1976

    1st Milano–Vignola
    1st Giro di Campania
    1st Stage 5a Tirreno–Adriatico
    1st Stage 1 Giro di Puglia
    Giro d'Italia
       1st Stages 3 & 15
    1st GP Berlare
    2nd Gent–Wevelgem
    6th Milan–San Remo
    6th Rund um den Henninger Turm

#### 1977

    1st Milano–Torino
    1st Stage 2a Giro d'Italia
    1st Stage 4 Tirreno–Adriatico
    1st Circuit de Niel
    2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna
       1st Stage 4
    2nd Acht van Chaam
    2nd Ronde van Limburg
    2nd Maaslandse Pijl
    4th Milan–San Remo

#### 1978

    1st Milano–Vignola
    1st Stage 5a Tirreno–Adriatico
    10th Overall Giro d'Italia
       1st Stages 1, 5 & 6
    Giro di Puglia
       1st Stage 3
    5th Milan–San Remo
    7th Gent–Wevelgem

#### 1979

    3rd Grand Prix Pino Cerami
    7th Overall Giro di Puglia

#### 1980

    1st Stage 7a Paris–Nice
    2nd Grand Prix de Cannes
    3rd E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

#### 1981

    1st Ruddervoorde Koerse
    2nd Omloop van Neeroeteren
    10th Le Samyn

#### 1982

    3rd Milano–Torino

### Track
#### 1969

    3rd National Track Championships Juniors, Omnium

#### 1970

    1st National Track Championships Amateurs, Omnium

#### 1972

    2nd Six Days of Antwerp with (Patrick Sercu and Alain van Lancker)
    3rd National Track Championships, Madison (with Norbert Seeuws)

#### 1973

    2nd National Track Championships, Derny
    3rd European Track Championships – Madison (with Julien Stevens)

#### 1974

    2nd National Track Championships, Madison (with Julien Stevens)
    2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with René Pijnen)

#### 1975

    2nd National Track Championships, Madison (with Julien Stevens)

#### 1976

    National Track Championships
       2nd Madison (with Dirk Baert)
       3rd Omnium
       3rd Derny
    2nd Six Days of Milan (with Felice Gimondi)
    3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with Graeme Gilmore)

#### 1977

    2nd National Track Championships, Derny
    1st Six Days of Milan (with Felice Gimondi)
    3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with René Pijnen)

#### 1978

    National Track Championships
       1st Derny

#### 1979

    National Track Championships
       1st Derny
    2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with Patrick Sercu and Roger De Vlaeminck)