Herman Vanspringel

Herman Vanspringel (14 August 1943 – 25 August 2022), also spelled Herman Van Springel, was a Belgian road racing cyclist, from Grobbendonk, in the Flemish Campine or Kempen region. He achieved podium finishes in all three of the grand tours with second place in the 1968 Tour de France and 1971 Giro d'Italia, and third place in the 1970 Vuelta a España. He wore the maillot jaune during four stages of the 1968 Tour de France and for three stages in 1973.

Career
Vanspringel was an accomplished time-trial rider, almost winning the Tour de France in 1968. He was beaten in the last stage by Dutch rider Jan Janssen in a time-trial. This remains as one of the closest races in Tour de France history. In the autumn that year, he won the classic Giro di Lombardia.

He won a record seven editions of the marathon Bordeaux–Paris. He also won the Green Jersey in the 1973 Tour de France without winning a single stage. He finished in 6th place overall that year, the third time in his career he would finish in the top 10 of the Tour de France. He would finish in the top 10 one final time during the 1974 edition. He would win a total of five stages during his ten participations in the Tour.

He was not allowed to ride the 1972 Tour de France due to signing for rival team Rokado for the 1973 season.

Vanspringel cycled through the 1970s and ended his career at the end of the 1981 season. As a professional cyclist, he eventually won 136 road races. Flemish TV-maker and presenter, Mark Uytterhoeven, motivated by the 1968 Tour, founded a Herman Vanspringel fan club.

Major results
Sources:


 * 1963
 * 3rd Tour de Liège


 * 1964
 * 3rd Brussels-Opwijk


 * 1966
 * 1st Gent–Wevelgem
 * 1st Brussel–Ingooigem
 * 1st Flèche Hesbignonne
 * 1st Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
 * 1st Stage 2 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
 * 1st Prix de St. Amands
 * 3rd Milan–San Remo
 * 3rd Circuit des Frontières
 * 6th Overall Tour de France


 * 1967
 * 1st Stages 6 (TTT) & Stage 7 Tour de France
 * 1st Flèche Hesbignonne
 * 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
 * 1st Stage 2b
 * 2nd Bordeaux–Paris
 * 2nd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
 * 3rd Antwerpse Havenpijl


 * 1968
 * 1st Super Prestige Pernod International
 * 2nd Silver medal uci.svg Road race, UCI Road World Championships
 * 2nd Overall Tour de France
 * 1st Stages 3 (TTT) & 13
 * Held after stages 3a-3b and 19-22a
 * 1st Giro di Lombardia
 * 1st Omloop Het Volk
 * 1st Omloop van Midden-België
 * 1st Trefle a Quatre Feuilles
 * 2nd Paris–Roubaix
 * 2nd Grand Prix des Nations
 * 2nd Trofeo Baracchi (with Ole Ritter)
 * 2nd Wattrelos–Meulebeke
 * 3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm
 * 3rd Overall Tour de Suisse
 * 1st Stage 1
 * 3rd Overall Tour of Belgium
 * 1st Stage 1
 * 3rd E3 Harelbeke


 * 1969
 * 1st Stages 10 and 21 Tour de France
 * 1st Paris–Tours
 * 1st Stages 4, 7 and 10 Tour de Suisse
 * 1st Grand Prix des Nations
 * 1st Overall À travers Lausanne
 * 1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 2
 * 1st Stage 1 Four Days of Dunkirk
 * 1st Rund um den Henninger-Turm
 * 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Joaquim Agostinho)
 * 1st G.P de Baden-Baden (with Roger De Vlaeminck)
 * 1st Omloop van Midden-België
 * 1st GP van Malderen
 * 2nd Giro di Lombardia
 * 2nd Wattrelos–Meulebeke
 * 2nd Grand Prix Pino Cerami
 * 3rd Overall Tour of Belgium
 * 1st Stage 2b
 * 3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm
 * 3rd Gran Premio di Lugano


 * 1970
 * 1st Bordeaux–Paris
 * 1st Brabantse Pijl
 * 1st Grand Prix des Nations
 * 1st Schaal Sels
 * 1st Heistse Pijl
 * 1st Omloop Schelde-Durme
 * 1st Omloop van het Zuidwesten
 * 1st Stage 3 Tour of Belgium
 * 2nd Belgian National Road Race Championships
 * 2nd Critérium des As
 * 3rd Overall Vuelta a España
 * 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
 * 3rd Trofeo Baracchi with Willy In't Ven


 * 1971
 * 1st National Road race Championships
 * 1st Stages 1 (TTT) & 16b Tour de France
 * 1st Züri-Metzgete
 * 1st Nokere Koerse
 * 1st G.P de Baden-Baden (with Eddy Merckx)
 * 1st GP Union Dortmund
 * 1st Wattrelos–Meulebeke
 * 1st Cronostafetta
 * 1st Maaslandse Pijl
 * 2nd Overall Giro d'Italia
 * 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
 * 1st Stage 3
 * 2nd Paris–Roubaix
 * 2nd Boucles de l'Aulne
 * 3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
 * 3rd Gran Premio di Lugano


 * 1972
 * 1st Interclubs TTT, National Road Championships
 * 1st GP Stad Zottegem
 * 1st Cronostafetta
 * 1st Trofee Luc Van Biesen
 * 1st Kessel–Lier
 * 1st Brussels–Biévenne
 * 1st Wezenbeek–Oppem
 * 2nd Brabantse Pijl
 * 2nd Scheldeprijs
 * 2nd Overall Tour de la Nouvelle-France
 * 2nd Leeuwse Pijl
 * 2nd Giro del Mendrisio
 * 2nd Trefle a Quatre Feuilles
 * 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 3rd Tour du Condroz
 * 3rd Subida a Arrate
 * 3rd Omloop der Grensstreek


 * 1973
 * 1st Stage 9 Volta a Catalunya
 * 1st Stage 4 Tour de Suisse
 * 1st Stage 6 (TTT) Paris–Nice
 * 2nd Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
 * 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
 * 1st Stage 1 (TTT)
 * 2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna
 * 3rd Amstel Gold Race
 * 3rd Brabantse Pijl
 * 3rd Giro di Lombardia
 * 3rd Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
 * 6th Overall Tour de France
 * 1st points classification
 * Held after stages 1b-2b


 * 1974
 * 1st Brabantse Pijl
 * 1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
 * 1st Boucles de l'Aulne
 * 1st Bordeaux–Paris
 * 1st GP Betekom
 * 3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg
 * 3rd Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem


 * 1975
 * 1st Bordeaux–Paris
 * 1st GP Desselgem
 * 1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen
 * 2nd Critérium des As
 * 3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg
 * 3rd Omloop van Neeroeteren


 * 1976
 * 1st Nationale Sluitingsprijs
 * 1st Grand Prix de Wallonie
 * 2nd Bordeaux–Paris
 * 2nd Rebecq-Rognon
 * 2nd Omloop der Leievallei


 * 1977
 * 1st Bordeaux–Paris
 * 1st Stage 7 Paris–Nice
 * 1st Stage 2 Three Days of De Panne
 * 2nd Flèche Hesbignonne
 * 2nd Critérium des As
 * 3rd La Flèche Wallonne


 * 1978
 * 1st Bordeaux–Paris
 * 1st Le Samyn
 * 1st Omloop van het Houtland
 * 2nd Gullegem Koerse
 * 2nd Brabantse Pijl
 * 3rd Critérium des As


 * 1979
 * 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium
 * 1st Stage 5
 * 2nd Omloop der Grensstreek
 * 3rd Bordeaux–Paris
 * 1st Stage 4a
 * 3rd GP Stad Zottegem


 * 1980
 * 1st Bordeaux–Paris
 * 2nd Critérium des As
 * 3rd Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem
 * 3rd Omloop van Midden-Brabant


 * 1981
 * 1st Bordeaux–Paris
 * 2nd Critérium des As
 * 2nd Nokere Koerse
 * 2nd GP Beeckman

Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Source:

Honours

 * A cycling race, Herman Vanspringels Diamond: From 1988
 * Honorary Citizen of Grobbendonk
 * Honorary Citizen of Kalmthout
 * A bust in Grobbendonk: 2022

Books

 * Herman Vanspringel – De Winnende Verliezer (112p, ISBN 9789053121399) by Robert Janssens and Tom Willems: 1999
 * Herman Vanspringel (48p, ISBN 9789074128339 ) by Noël Truyers: 1999
 * Herman Vanspringel 68 (159p, ISBN 9789491376016 ) by Mark Uytterhoeven: 2011
 * Herman Vanspringels Diamonds For Ever (207p) by Luc Wuyts and Marc Uytterhoeven: 2020