# Raymond Impanis

Raymond Impanis (19 October 1925 – 31 December 2010) was a Belgian professional cyclist from 1947 to 1963. He won Paris–Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, Gent–Wevelgem and three stages in Tour de France.

## Career

Impanis became a professional rider on 2 October 1946 in the Alcyon team. In 1947, he came second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and fourth in Paris-Roubaix. In July, he took part in his first Tour de France with the Belgian team. He won the longest time trial stage in the history of the Tour, between Vannes and Saint-Brieuc, nearly five minutes ahead of second-placed Jean Robic. He finished sixth in the general classification. The following year, he won two more stages in the Tour, finishing tenth. He won Gent-Wevelgem in 1952 and 1953.
In 1954, Raymond Impanis joined the Mercier team led by Antonin Magne. He had his best year there. In March, he won Paris-Nice, after taking the lead in the general classification during the second stage, which he won in Saint-Étienne. At the beginning of April, he won the Tour of Flanders. The following week, he added Paris-Roubaix to his list of victories. Present in a group of 22 riders at the front of the race, he attacked with 1,500 m to go and crossed the finish line with a hundred meters advantage on the second rider, Stan Ockers. Ferdi Kübler, fourth, says after the finish: "Impanis? It's a plane. There was nothing we could do against him, he flew away... ".
Raymond Impanis finished third in the 1956 Tour of Spain and won the Flèche Wallonne in 1957. In 1960, he won Paris-Nice for the second time. His last season was in 1963. That year he rode his sixteenth Paris-Roubaix. This record was equalled in 2010 by Dutchman Servais Knaven and in 2011 by American George Hincapie and Frenchman Frédéric Guesdon, before the latter two brought the record for the most appearances in the Hell of the North to seventeen in 2012.
Impanis died on 31 December 2010, aged 85, following a long illness.

## Honours

From 1982, the race GP Raymond Impanis is organized in his honour. He was made an honorary citizen of Kampenhout in 1999. In 2012, a bust of him was erected in Berg, his birthplace.

## Major results
### Amateur
#### 1946

    1st Overall Tour of Belgium Independents
       1st Stages 3, 5 and 6
    1st Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten Independents
    1st Overall Tour of Limburg
       1st Stage 5
    1st Liège-Charleroi-Liège
    2nd GP Stad Vilvoorde
    3rd Belgian National Road Race Championships Independents
    3rd Bruxelles-Liège

### Professional
#### 1947

    6th Overall Tour de France
       1st Stage 19
    1st Stage 5 Tour of Belgium
    1st Overall Berg—Housse—Berg
    1st Overall Omnium de la Route
    2nd Liège-Bastogne-Liège
    4th Paris-Roubaix

#### 1948

    10th Overall Tour de France:
       1st Stages 9 and 10
    1st Kampenhout—Charleroi—Kampenhout
    1st Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen Ichtegem
    2nd Liège-Bastogne-Liège
    4th Tour of Flanders
    10th UCI World Championships Road race

#### 1949

    2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
       1st Stage 3
    1st Dwars door Vlaanderen
    1st Berg—Housse—Berg
    2nd Belgian National Road Race Championships
    2nd Liège-Saint-Hubert
    3rd GP Stad Vilvoorde
    5th Tour of Flanders

#### 1950

    1st Weekend ardennais
    1st Stage 5 Tour of Belgium
    1st Berg—Housse—Berg
    1st Steenokkerzeel
    2nd La Flèche Wallonne
    2nd Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten
    Tour de France
       8th Overall classification
    9th Milan-San Remo

#### 1951

    1st Overall Dwars door Vlaanderen
       1st Stage 1
    3rd Overall Deutschland Tour
       1st Stage 3
    1st Kortenberg
    2nd GP Stad Vilvoorde
    3rd Omloop Het Volk
    3rd Hoeilaart-Diest-Hoeilaart
    5th Milan-San Remo
    6th Paris–Roubaix
    7th Tour of Flanders
    9th Challenge Desgrange-Colombo
    10th La Flèche Wallonne

#### 1952

    1st Gent–Wevelgem
    1st Tour de Hesbaye
    1st Ronde van Haspengouw
    2nd Omloop Het Volk
    3rd Overall Paris–Nice
       1st Stage 3b
    3rd La Flèche Wallonne
    3rd Grand Prix de Belgique
    3rd Weekend ardennais
    3rd Overall Tour de Romandie
    3rd Overall Deutschland Tour
    5th Grand Prix des Nations
    6th Paris-Brussels
    9th Challenge Desgrange-Colombo

#### 1953

    1st Gent–Wevelgem
    2nd Overall Tour d'Algérie
    5th La Flèche Wallonne
    5th Overall Tour of Belgium
    6th Milan-San Remo
    9th Challenge Desgrange-Colombo
    10th Liège-Bastogne-Liège

#### 1954

    1st Paris–Roubaix
    1st Tour of Flanders
    1st Overall Paris–Nice
       1st Stage 2
    2nd Liège-Bastogne-Liège
    2nd Challenge Desgrange-Colombo
    2nd Weekend ardennais
    7th La Flèche Wallonne

#### 1955

    1st Boortmeerbeek
    1st Hanret
    1st Huy
    1st La Hulpe
    2nd Liège-Bastogne-Liège
    3rd Gent–Wevelgem
    4th Overall Tour de Luxembourg
    5th Paris-Roubaix
    7th Challenge Desgrange-Colombo

#### 1956

    1st Namur
    3rd Overall Vuelta a España
    2nd Driedaagse van Antwerpen
    7th Omloop Het Volk
    8th Gent–Wevelgem

#### 1957

    1st La Flèche Wallonne
    1st GP Stan Ockers
    1st Jadotville
    1st Knokke
    2nd Paris-Brussels
    2nd Challenge Desgrange-Colombo
    3rd Tour de Picardie
    3rd Weekend ardennais
    4th Tour de Wallonie
    5th Giro di Lombardia
    6th Paris–Roubaix
    7th Overall Giro d'Italia
    9th Trofeo Baracchi

#### 1958

    1st Braine-le-Comte
    2nd Weekend ardennais
    3rd Vijfbergenomloop
    4th Tour de Romandie
    5th Liège-Bastogne-Liège
    6th La Flèche Wallonne
    9th Paris–Roubaix
    10th Milan-San Remo

#### 1959

    1st Londerzeel
    3rd Halse Pijl
    4rd Paris–Roubaix
    9th Trofeo Baracchi

#### 1960

    1st Overall Paris–Nice
       1st Stage 2 (TTT)
    3rd Giro di Sardegna
    3rd Grand Prix de la Famenne
    4th Paris-Brussels
    6th Trofeo Fenaroli
    8th Tour of Flanders
    10th Paris–Roubaix

#### 1961

    1st Stage 4 Tour of Belgium (with Rik Van Looy and Louis Proost)
    2nd Gent–Wevelgem
    3rd Ronde van Limburg
    3rd Antwerp-Wevelgem
    3rd Cologne-Aachen-Cologne
    4th Paris–Tours
    4th Overall Deutschland Tour
       1st Stage 2

#### 1962

    3rd Brabantse Pijl
    6th Tour de Romandie
    9th Paris–Roubaix

### Track cycling
#### 1955

    2nd Belgian middle-distance track championship

#### 1956

    2nd Belgian middle-distance track championship

#### 1957

    2nd Belgian middle-distance track championship

#### 1958

    2nd Belgian middle-distance track championship

#### 1959

    3rd Belgian middle-distance track championship

#### 1960

    2nd Six Days of Madrid (with Edgard Sorgeloos)

#### 1962

    3rd Belgian middle-distance track championship

#### 1963

    3rd Belgian middle-distance track championship