Lucien Van Impe

**Lucien van Impe**, (born 20 October 1946) is a  Belgian cyclist, who raced between 1969 and 1987. He was mainly a climber in long races such as the Tour de France. He was the winner of the 1976 Tour de France. He won the polka dot jersey for best climber in the Tour de France six times.

## Biography

In 1968 van Impe was King of the Mountains in the Tour de l'Avenir. He says that Federico Bahamontes helped van Impe to get a contract with a cycling team. Bahamontes had previously won the Tour de France.

In 1969, Van Impe started his professional career with 12th place in the Tour de France.

In 1971, Van Impe won his first polka dot jersey. He would repeat that five more times, winning in 1972, 1975, 1977, 1981, and 1983. He shared the record for most wins in the polka dot jersey competition with Bahamontes. Richard Virenque broke this record when he won his seventh polka dot jersey in 2004.

He won the mountain classification in the Giro d'Italia twice.

He was not as good at one day races. It was a surprise that he won the national championship in 1983.

Van Impe started the Tour de France fifteen times. He reached the finish in Paris every time. Only Joop Zoetemelk finished more times.

He is now head of a cycling team of professional riders, called Wanty-Groupe Gobert.

Lucien Van Impe lives in Impe with his wife Rita. He has two grown up children, a son and a daughter. His house is called Alpe D'Huez. It is named after the French mountain where he took the yellow jersey of the Tour de France in 1976.

Van Impe has never tested positive for drugs, refused a doping test or confessed to doping.

## Most important successes

- 1968
- 1st Stage 8 Tour de l'Avenir
- 1969
- 1st Overall Vuelta Ciclista a Navarra
- 1st Stage 6 Tour of Belgium
- 1971
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
    - 1st Mountains classification
- 1972
- 4th Overall 1972 Tour de France
    - 1st Mountains classification
    - 1st Stage 12
- 1973
- 5th Overall Tour de France
    - 1st Stage 12b
- 2nd Overall Tour de Romandie
    - 1st Stage 3
- 1st Stage 3 GP du Midi-Libre
- 1975
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
    - 1st Mountains classification
    - 1st Stage 14
    - 1st Stage 18
- 1st Overall Tour de l'Aude
    - 1st Stage 1
    - 1st Stage 3
- 1976
- 1st  Overall Tour de France
    - 1st Stage 14
- 2nd Overall GP du Midi-Libre
    - 1st Stage 4b
- 1st Stage 2b Tour de l'Aude
- 1977
- 3rd Overall Tour de France
    - 1st Mountains classification
    - 1st Stage 15b
- 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné
    - 1st Stage 6
- 2nd Overall Tour de Suisse
    - 1st Stage 7
    - 1st Stage 8
- 1979
- 5th Overall Vuelta a España
    - 1st Stage 15
- 1st Stage 16 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 7b Volta Ciclista a Catalunya
- 1981
- 2nd Overall Tour de France
    - 1st Mountains classification
    - 1st Stage 5
- 1982
- 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
    - 1st  Mountains classification
- 1983
- 1st  National Road Race Champion
- 4th Overall Tour de France
    - 1st Mountains classification
    - 1st Stage 19
- 9th Overall Giro d'Italia
    - 1st  Mountains classification
    - 1st Stage 11
- 1986
- 1st Overall Vuelta a los Valles Mineros
    - 1st Stage 1

## Other websites

- Cycling hall of fame biography

## Infobox (cyclist)

- **name**: Lucien Van Impe
- **image**: Lucien van Impe, Acht van Chaam 1975 (cropped).jpg
- **caption**: Van Impe at the 1975 Acht van Chaam
- **fullname**: Lucien Van Impe
- **nickname**: de kleine van Mere
- **birth place**: Erpe-Mere, Mere, Belgium
- **currentteam**: Retired
- **discipline**: Road
- **role**: Rider
- **ridertype**: Climber
- **proyears1**: 1969–1974
- **proyears2**: 1975–1976
- **proyears3**: 1977
- **proteam3**: Lejeune–BP
- **proyears4**: 1978
- **proyears5**: 1979
- **proyears6**: 1980
- **proyears7**: 1981
- **proyears8**: 1982-1984
- **proteam8**: Metauro Mobil
- **proyears9**: 1985
- **proteam9**: Santini–Krups
- **proyears10**: 1986
- **proteam10**: Dormilon
- **proyears11**: 1987
- **majorwins**: **Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours**
:**Tour de France**
:General classification in the Tour de France, General classification
:: (1976 Tour de France, 1976)
:Mountains classification in the Tour de France, Mountains Classification
:: (1971 Tour de France, 1971, 1972 Tour de France, 1972, 1975 Tour de France, 1975, 1977 Tour de France, 1977, 1981 Tour de France, 1981, 1983 Tour de France, 1983)
::9 Individual Stages
:**Giro d'Italia**
:Mountains classification in the Giro d'Italia, Mountains Classification
:: (1982 Giro d'Italia, 1982, 1983 Giro d'Italia, 1983)
::1 Individual Stage
:**Vuelta a España**
::1 Individual Stage
**Classic cycle races, One-day races and Classics**
:Belgian National Road Race Championship, National Road Race Champion (1983)