# Claude Criquielion

Claude Criquielion (11 January 1957 – 18 February 2015) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who raced between 1979 and 1990. In 1984, Criquielion became the world road race champion in Barcelona, Spain on a gruelling course. He had five top-ten finishes in the Tour de France.
Criquielion was well placed to win a medal in the 1988 world road race championship in Belgium. However, he crashed in sight of the line when another competitor, Steve Bauer of Canada, clashed with him. The third rider, Maurizio Fondriest, went on to win. Bauer was disqualified and Criquielion sued Bauer for assault, asking for $1.5 million in damages in a case that lasted more than three years before the judge ruled in Bauer's favor.
At the national championship race in 1985, he tested positive for Pervitin, but received no repercussions. The head of the laboratory at Ghent University, which had administered the analysis, subsequently resigned his post in the Medical Commission of the Belgian Cycling Association (KBWB) in protest.
Criquielion was directeur sportif of the Lotto–Adecco team from 2000 to 2004. His son, Mathieu Criquielion, turned professional for the Landbouwkrediet-Colnago team in 2005; Claude Criquielion became the team's manager.
From 2006 until his death Criquielion was an alderman for the liberal MR in Lessines.
During the night of 15–16 February 2015, Criquielion suffered a cerebrovascular accident and he was hospitalized in critical condition. Criquelion died at 9:00 AM on 18 February 2015 in a hospital in Aalst.

## Career achievements
### Major results
#### 1979

    1st Escalada a Montjuïc
    1st Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
    1st Escalada a Montjuïc
    9th Overall Tour de France

#### 1980

    Tirreno–Adriatico
       1st Stage 4
    Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
       1st Stage 3b
    3rd Overall Vuelta a España

#### 1981

    9th Overall Tour de France

#### 1982

    1st Brabantse Pijl
    4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    5th Overall Paris–Nice
    9th Giro di Lombardia

#### 1983

    1st Clásica de San Sebastián
    8th Tour du Haut Var

#### 1984

    1st Road race, UCI Road World Championships
    1st Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
    1st Escalada a Montjuïc
    Tour de Luxembourg
       1st Stage 1
    1st Escalada a Montjuïc
    2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie
    3rd Critérium des As
    7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    7th Giro di Lombardia
    9th Overall Tour de France

#### 1985

    1st La Flèche Wallonne
    1st Polynormande
    2nd Road race
    2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    2nd Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
    3rd Grand Prix de Wallonie
    3rd Critérium des As
    6th Tour of Flanders
    8th Amstel Gold Race

#### 1986

    1st Overall Tour de Romandie
       1st Mountains classification
       1st Combined classification
    1st Overall Midi Libre
    1st Grand Prix du Midi Libre
       1st Stage 2 and 4
       Points classification
    3rd La Flèche Wallonne
    3rd Super Prestige Pernod
    4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    5th Overall Tour de France
    8th Tour of Flanders
    9th Amstel Gold Race

#### 1987

    1st Grand Prix José Samyn
    1st Tour of Flanders
    1st GP de Fayt-le-Franc
    Tour de Luxembourg
       1st Stage 4
    2nd La Flèche Wallonne
    3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    3rd Super Prestige Pernod
    7th Giro di Lombardia
    10th Overall Paris–Nice

#### 1988

    1st Critérium des As
    1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
    1st GP de Purnode
    1st Grand Prix du Midi Libre
       1st Stage 2
    2nd Tour du Vaucluse
    3rd Amstel Gold Race
    5th Gent–Wevelgem
    8th Züri–Metzgete

#### 1989

    1st La Flèche Wallonne
    1st GP Michel Goffin à Huppaye
    2nd Amstel Gold Race
    5th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
    7th Overall Giro d'Italia

#### 1990

    1st Road race, National Road Championships
    2nd Tour du Haut Var
    8th Tour of Flanders
    6th Giro di Lombardia
    9th Overall Tour de France

#### 1991

    2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    2nd La Flèche Wallonne
    7th Overall Paris–Nice
Source

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 |
| Vuelta a España | — | 3 | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Giro d'Italia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — |
| Tour de France | 9 | 13 | 9 | DNF | 18 | 9 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 36 | 9 |