Raymond Impanis

Raymond Impanis (19 October 1925 – 31 December 2010) was a Belgian professional cyclist from 1947 to 1963. He won Paris–Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, Gent–Wevelgem and three stages in Tour de France.

Career Impanis became a professional rider on 2 October 1946 in the Alcyon team. In 1947, he came second in Liège-Bastogne-Liège and fourth in Paris-Roubaix. In July, he took part in his first Tour de France with the Belgian team. He won the longest time trial stage in the history of the Tour, between Vannes and Saint-Brieuc, nearly five minutes ahead of second-placed Jean Robic. He finished sixth in the general classification. The following year, he won two more stages in the Tour, finishing tenth. He won Gent-Wevelgem in 1952 and 1953.

In 1954, Raymond Impanis joined the Mercier team led by Antonin Magne. He had his best year there. In March, he won Paris-Nice, after taking the lead in the general classification during the second stage, which he won in Saint-Étienne. At the beginning of April, he won the Tour of Flanders. The following week, he added Paris-Roubaix to his list of victories. Present in a group of 22 riders at the front of the race, he attacked with 1,500 m to go and crossed the finish line with a hundred meters advantage on the second rider, Stan Ockers. Ferdi Kübler, fourth, says after the finish: "Impanis? It's a plane. There was nothing we could do against him, he flew away... ".

Raymond Impanis finished third in the 1956 Tour of Spain and won the Flèche Wallonne in 1957. In 1960, he won Paris-Nice for the second time. His last season was in 1963. That year he rode his sixteenth Paris-Roubaix. This record was equalled in 2010 by Dutchman Servais Knaven and in 2011 by American George Hincapie and Frenchman Frédéric Guesdon, before the latter two brought the record for the most appearances in the Hell of the North to seventeen in 2012.

Impanis died on 31 December 2010, aged 85, following a long illness.

Honours From 1982, the race GP Raymond Impanis is organized in his honour. He was made an honorary citizen of Kampenhout in 1999. In 2012, a bust of him was erected in Berg, his birthplace.

Major results

Amateur 1946

1st Stages 3, 5 and 6 1st Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten Independents 1st Overall Tour of Limburg 1st Stage 5 1st Liège-Charleroi-Liège 2nd GP Stad Vilvoorde

3rd Bruxelles-Liège

Professional 1947 6th Overall Tour de France 1st Stage 19 1st Stage 5 Tour of Belgium 1st Overall Berg—Housse—Berg 1st Overall Omnium de la Route 2nd Liège-Bastogne-Liège 4th Paris-Roubaix

1948 10th Overall Tour de France: 1st Stages 9 and 10 1st Kampenhout—Charleroi—Kampenhout 1st Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen Ichtegem 2nd Liège-Bastogne-Liège 4th Tour of Flanders 10th UCI World Championships Road race

1949 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium 1st Stage 3 1st Dwars door Vlaanderen 1st Berg—Housse—Berg

2nd Liège-Saint-Hubert 3rd GP Stad Vilvoorde 5th Tour of Flanders

1950 1st Weekend ardennais 1st Stage 5 Tour of Belgium 1st Berg—Housse—Berg 1st Steenokkerzeel 2nd La Flèche Wallonne 2nd Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten Tour de France 8th Overall classification 9th Milan-San Remo

1951 1st Overall Dwars door Vlaanderen 1st Stage 1 3rd Overall Deutschland Tour 1st Stage 3 1st Kortenberg 2nd GP Stad Vilvoorde 3rd Omloop Het Volk 3rd Hoeilaart-Diest-Hoeilaart 5th Milan-San Remo 6th Paris–Roubaix 7th Tour of Flanders 9th Challenge Desgrange-Colombo 10th La Flèche Wallonne

1952 1st Gent–Wevelgem 1st Tour de Hesbaye 1st Ronde van Haspengouw 2nd Omloop Het Volk 3rd Overall Paris–Nice 1st Stage 3b 3rd La Flèche Wallonne 3rd Grand Prix de Belgique 3rd Weekend ardennais 3rd Overall Tour de Romandie 3rd Overall Deutschland Tour 5th Grand Prix des Nations 6th Paris-Brussels 9th Challenge Desgrange-Colombo

1953 1st Gent–Wevelgem 2nd Overall Tour d'Algérie 5th La Flèche Wallonne 5th Overall Tour of Belgium 6th Milan-San Remo 9th Challenge Desgrange-Colombo 10th Liège-Bastogne-Liège

1954 1st Paris–Roubaix 1st Tour of Flanders

1st Stage 2 2nd Liège-Bastogne-Liège 2nd Challenge Desgrange-Colombo 2nd Weekend ardennais 7th La Flèche Wallonne

1955 1st Boortmeerbeek 1st Hanret 1st Huy 1st La Hulpe 2nd Liège-Bastogne-Liège 3rd Gent–Wevelgem 4th Overall Tour de Luxembourg 5th Paris-Roubaix 7th Challenge Desgrange-Colombo

1956 1st Namur 3rd Overall Vuelta a España 2nd Driedaagse van Antwerpen 7th Omloop Het Volk 8th Gent–Wevelgem

1957 1st La Flèche Wallonne 1st GP Stan Ockers 1st Jadotville 1st Knokke 2nd Paris-Brussels 2nd Challenge Desgrange-Colombo 3rd Tour de Picardie 3rd Weekend ardennais 4th Tour de Wallonie 5th Giro di Lombardia 6th Paris–Roubaix 7th Overall Giro d'Italia 9th Trofeo Baracchi

1958 1st Braine-le-Comte 2nd Weekend ardennais 3rd Vijfbergenomloop 4th Tour de Romandie 5th Liège-Bastogne-Liège 6th La Flèche Wallonne 9th Paris–Roubaix 10th Milan-San Remo

1959 1st Londerzeel 3rd Halse Pijl 4rd Paris–Roubaix 9th Trofeo Baracchi

1960

1st Stage 2 (TTT) 3rd Giro di Sardegna 3rd Grand Prix de la Famenne 4th Paris-Brussels 6th Trofeo Fenaroli 8th Tour of Flanders 10th Paris–Roubaix

1961 1st Stage 4 Tour of Belgium (with Rik Van Looy and Louis Proost) 2nd Gent–Wevelgem 3rd Ronde van Limburg 3rd Antwerp-Wevelgem 3rd Cologne-Aachen-Cologne 4th Paris–Tours 4th Overall Deutschland Tour 1st Stage 2

1962 3rd Brabantse Pijl 6th Tour de Romandie 9th Paris–Roubaix

Track cycling 1955

1956

1957

1958

1959

1960 2nd Six Days of Madrid (with Edgard Sorgeloos) 1962

1963