Rik Van Linden

Rik Van Linden (born 28 July 1949 in Wilrijk, Antwerp) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer. He won the points classification in the 1975 Tour de France, ahead of Eddy Merckx.

Van Linden also won several stages in all of the three Grand Tours, and the classic cycle race Paris–Tours twice (1971, 1973).

Through his career, he eventually won 359 races, of which 73 as junior cyclist in 1968.

Major results Road

1968

1969 1st Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften 1971 1st Paris–Tours 2nd Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen 2nd Omloop der Zennevallei 3rd GP di Larciano 8th Trofeo Matteotti 9th Scheldeprijs 1972 Tour de France 1st Stage 2 2nd Points Classification 1st Stage 5a Tirreno–Adriatico 3rd GP van Malderen 8th Paris–Tours 9th Amstel Gold Race 10th Brussel-Ingooigem 1973 1st Paris–Tours Giro d'Italia 1st Stages 7 & 17 Paris–Nice 1st Stages 2, 3b (TTT), 5 & 7a Tour of Belgium 1st Prologue (TTT) Giro di Sardegna 1st Stages 1, 2 & 4b 1st Puivelde Koerse 2nd Grand Prix Pino Cerami 3rd Overall Vuelta a Andalucía 1st Prologue & Stages 1, 4 & 6 3rd Paris–Brussels 4th Milan–San Remo 10th E3 Harelbeke 1974

Vuelta a España 1st Stages 3 & 4 10th Overall Paris–Nice

1st Stage 7a 1st Omloop der Zuid-West-Vlaamse Bergen 2nd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens 2nd Omloop Schelde-Durme 3rd Omloop Het Volk 3rd Grand Prix Pino Cerami 3rd GP van Malderen 5th Scheldeprijs 6th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton 7th Tour of Flanders 7th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen 8th Paris–Tours 9th Road race, National Road Championships 1975 Tour de France

1st Stages 1b, 19 & 21 1st Milano–Vignola 1st Stage 5 Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 3a Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 1st GP Union Dortmund 2nd Grand Prix Pino Cerami 3rd Gent–Wevelgem 3rd Dwars door West-Vlaanderen 5th Tour of Flanders 7th Brabantse Pijl 1976 1st Milano–Vignola 1st Giro di Campania 1st Stage 5a Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Stage 1 Giro di Puglia Giro d'Italia 1st Stages 3 & 15 1st GP Berlare 2nd Gent–Wevelgem 6th Milan–San Remo 6th Rund um den Henninger Turm 1977 1st Milano–Torino 1st Stage 2a Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 4 Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Circuit de Niel 2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna 1st Stage 4 2nd Acht van Chaam 2nd Ronde van Limburg 2nd Maaslandse Pijl 4th Milan–San Remo 1978 1st Milano–Vignola 1st Stage 5a Tirreno–Adriatico 10th Overall Giro d'Italia 1st Stages 1, 5 & 6 Giro di Puglia 1st Stage 3 5th Milan–San Remo 7th Gent–Wevelgem 1979 3rd Grand Prix Pino Cerami 7th Overall Giro di Puglia 1980 1st Stage 7a Paris–Nice 2nd Grand Prix de Cannes 3rd E3 Prijs Vlaanderen 1981 1st Ruddervoorde Koerse 2nd Omloop van Neeroeteren 10th Le Samyn 1982 3rd Milano–Torino

Track

1969 3rd National Track Championships Juniors, Omnium 1970

1972 2nd Six Days of Antwerp with (Patrick Sercu and Alain van Lancker)

1973

1974

2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with René Pijnen) 1975

1976 National Track Championships

2nd Six Days of Milan (with Felice Gimondi) 3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with Graeme Gilmore) 1977

1st Six Days of Milan (with Felice Gimondi) 3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with René Pijnen) 1978 National Track Championships

1979 National Track Championships

2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with Patrick Sercu and Roger De Vlaeminck)