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.

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."

Major results

 * 1963
 * National Road Championships
 * 1st MaillotBélgica.PNG Amateur road race


 * 1965
 * Volta a Portugal
 * 1st stage 17
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Tour du Loir-et-Cher
 * 1st stage 3


 * 1966
 * 1st GP Lucien Van Impe
 * 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 Jersey red.svg 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