Herman Van Springel was a Belgian road racing cyclist, from Grobbendonk, in the Flemish Campine or Kempen region.
He wore the Maillot Jaune during four stages of the 1968 Tour de France and for three stages in 1973. Van Springel was an accomplished time-trial rider, almost winning the Tour de France in 1968.
Herman Vanspringel obituary and funeral announcement
Belgian cyclist Herman Vanspringel, who lost the 1968 Tour de France on the final day and became famously known as Monsieur Bordeaux-Paris for winning the marathon classic 7 times, has died.
He was 79. Tour de France organizers confirmed the death Thursday in a tribute to the sweet-tempered rider known for his close finishes and victories.
In 1968, he entered the concluding Tour time trial with a 16-second lead over Jan Janssen only for the Dutchman to overtake him in the final kilometers to win the yellow jersey.
He also finished second in Italy’s Giro and third in Spain’s Vuelta during a hard-luck career spent all too often in the shadows of his great compatriot Eddy Merckx.
