Albert Van Vlierberghe

Albert Van Vlierberghe (18 March 1942 – 20 December 1991) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Van Vlierberghe won three stages in the Tour de France, and three stages in the Giro d'Italia. He also competed in the team time trial and the team pursuit events at the 1964 Summer Olympics.[1]

Albert Van Vlierberghe
Albert Van Vlierberghe (1965)
Personal information
Full nameAlbert Van Vlierberghe
Born(1942-03-18)18 March 1942
Belsele, Belgium
Died20 December 1991(1991-12-20) (aged 49)
Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
Team information
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Major wins
3 stages Tour de France
3 stages Giro d'Italia

In his 1999 book, Breaking the Chain: Drugs and Cycling, the True Story, Belgian sports physiotherapist Willy Voet described an incident involving Van Vlierberghe that occurred during the 1979 Deutschland Tour. Voet, then the soigneur with Van Vlierberghe's team, Flandria, claims that Van Vlierberghe, "a decent Belgian racer but with no taste for the hills," asked Voet to drive him ahead of his fellow racers to avoid a six-mile stretch of hill in the course. Voet claims that Van Vlierberghe slipped back into the race without being detected and went on to place sixth on the stage. Voet used the incident to defend his assertion that for many professional riders at the time, cheating was "a way of life."[2]

Major results

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1963
National Road Championships
1st   Amateur road race
1965
Volta a Portugal
1st stage 17
1st   Tour du Loir-et-Cher
1st stage 3
1966
1st Mere [nl]
Tour de France:
1st stage 7
1st Westouter
1st Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten
1st Belsele - Puivelde
Tour de Romandie
1st prologue TTT
1st Strombeek-Bever
2nd Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde
3rd GP Stad Vilvoorde
1967
1st Kemzeke
1st Kortrijk
1st Malderen
Giro d'Italia:
1st stage 9
1968
1st Belsele - Puivelde
1st De Kustpijl
1st Stekene
1st Zwijnaarde
3rd Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
1969
1st GP Hannut
1st Oostakker
1st Sint-Martens-Lierde
Giro d'Italia:
1st stage 5
2nd stage 2
1st Giro delle Tre Province
Giro di Sardegna
1st stage 4
2nd Dwars door Vlaanderen
2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
2nd stage 4
2nd stage 5
2nd Poperinge - Harelbeke
3rd GP Cemab
1970
Tour de France
Winner stage 16
1st Flèche Rebecquoise
1st Harelbeke - Poperinge - Harelbeke
3rd De Pinte
1971
Tour de France:
1st stage 1c
1st Alassio
1st GP E5 Heverlee
1st Harelbeke - Poperinge - Harelbeke
1st Houthulst
Omloop van de Fruitstreek Alken
1st Sassari - Cagliari
1st Sint-Gillis-Waas
1st Waasmunster
1st GP Hannut
1st Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem
2nd Bruxelles–Meulebeke
1972
1st Bruxelles–Meulebeke
1st De Panne II
Giro d'Italia:
Winner stage 9
1st GP Hannut
1st Maria-Aalter
1st Ottignies
1st Sinaai
2nd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
5th Overall Giro di Sardegna
1973
1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
Paris-Nice
1st stage 6 TTT
1st Lokeren
1st Omloop Scheldeboorden
Tour of Belgium
1st prologue TTT
1st   points classification
3rd Omloop Het Volk
1974
1st GP Roeselare
1st Ninove
1st Oostakker
1st Sinaai
1st Zele
1975
1st Belsele - Puivelde
1st Bilzen
3rd Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem
1976
2nd Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
1st Zwevezele
1977
1st GP Gemeente Kortemark
1st Zele
3rd Grand Prix de Denain
3rd Stekene
1978
1st Baasrode
2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie
2nd Circuit de la Région Linière
1979
1st Sint-Martens-Lierde
1980
1st Baasrode
1st Belsele

References

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  1. ^ "Albert Van Vlierberghe Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  2. ^ Voet, Willy (2002) [1999 in original language]. Breaking the Chain: Drugs and Cycling, the True Story. London: Random House UK. p. 53. ISBN 978-0-224-06117-9. Archived from the original on 1 April 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2017.
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