Claude Criquielion

Claude Criquielion (11 January 1957 – 18 February 2015) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who raced between 1979 and 1990. In 1984, Criquielion became the world road race champion in Barcelona, Spain on a gruelling course. He had five top-ten finishes in the Tour de France.

Criquielion was well placed to win a medal in the 1988 world road race championship in Belgium. However, he crashed in sight of the line when another competitor, Steve Bauer of Canada, pushed him into the safety barriers and was disqualified for this reason. The third rider, Maurizio Fondriest, went on to win. Bauer was disqualified and Criquielion sued Bauer for assault, asking for $1.5 million in damages in a case that lasted more than three years before the judge unexpectedly ruled in Bauer's favor.

At the national championship race in 1985, he tested positive for Pervitin, but received no repercussions. The head of the laboratory at Ghent University, which had administered the analysis, subsequently resigned his post in the Medical Commission of the Belgian Cycling Association (KBWB) in protest.

Criquielion was directeur sportif of the team from 2000 to 2004. His son, Mathieu Criquielion, turned professional for the Landbouwkrediet-Colnago team in 2005; Claude Criquielion became the team's manager.

From 2006 until his death Criquielion was an alderman for the liberal MR in Lessines.

During the night of 15–16 February 2015, Criquielion suffered a cerebrovascular accident and he was hospitalized in critical condition. Criquelion died at 9:00 AM on 18 February 2015 in a hospital in Aalst.

Claude Criquielion monument is at Mur de Huy on the route of La Flèche Wallonne in Huy, Belgium.

Since 1991 the Grand Prix Criquielion in organized in his honour.

Career achievements Major results

1979

1st Escalada a Montjuïc 9th Overall Tour de France 1980 Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Stage 4 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 1st Stage 3b 3rd Overall Vuelta a España 1981 9th Overall Tour de France 1982 1st Brabantse Pijl 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 5th Overall Paris–Nice 9th Giro di Lombardia 1983 1st Clásica de San Sebastián 8th Tour du Haut Var 1984

1st Grand Prix Eddy Merckx

Tour de Luxembourg 1st Stage 1 1st Escalada a Montjuïc 2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie 3rd Critérium des As 7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 7th Giro di Lombardia 9th Overall Tour de France 1985 1st La Flèche Wallonne 1st Polynormande 2nd Road race 2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2nd Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen 3rd Grand Prix de Wallonie 3rd Critérium des As 6th Tour of Flanders 8th Amstel Gold Race 1986

1st Mountains classification 1st Combined classification

1st Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1st Stage 2 and 4 Points classification 3rd La Flèche Wallonne 3rd Super Prestige Pernod 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 5th Overall Tour de France 8th Tour of Flanders 9th Amstel Gold Race 1987 1st Grand Prix José Samyn 1st Tour of Flanders 1st GP de Fayt-le-Franc Tour de Luxembourg 1st Stage 4 2nd La Flèche Wallonne 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège 3rd Super Prestige Pernod 7th Giro di Lombardia 10th Overall Paris–Nice 1988 1st Critérium des As 1st Grand Prix de Wallonie 1st GP de Purnode 1st Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1st Stage 2 2nd Tour du Vaucluse 3rd Amstel Gold Race 5th Gent–Wevelgem 8th Züri–Metzgete 1989 1st La Flèche Wallonne 1st GP Michel Goffin à Huppaye 2nd Amstel Gold Race 5th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen 7th Overall Giro d'Italia 1990

2nd Tour du Haut Var 8th Tour of Flanders 6th Giro di Lombardia 9th Overall Tour de France 1991 2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège 2nd La Flèche Wallonne 7th Overall Paris–Nice Source

Grand Tour general classification results timeline