Henri “Rik” Van Looy has died aged 90. Van Looy is cycling’s best classics rider for the absolute reason that he won hundreds of races and among them every genuine classic and prime one-day race on the calendar at the time, a feat nobody has since matched.
In a land where champion cyclists are venerated, Van Looy went from hero to celebrity, with his family part of this too. In retirement he distanced himself from his imperial glory, avoiding the limelight and content to watch classics and grand tour stages from his sofa.