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Historic Overview Fons de Wolf

Rider

Overall Rank212
NameFons DE WOLF
Country
  Belgium
Date of birth22-Jun-1956 - Willebroek (Antwerpen)
ContemporiesView Contemporary Ranking

Biography

Fons de Wolf

Alfons ("Fons") De Wolf (born 22 June 1956 in Willebroek) is a retired Belgian road race cyclist, a professional from 1979 to 1990. He represented his country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada.

He was forecast, with Daniel Willems, to be the successor to Eddy Merckx. De Wolf seemed to fulfill that promise by having an absolutely dominant 1979 Vuelta a España winning 5 stages including an individual time trial as well as the Points Classification, securing a top 10 place in the General Classification and then following it up by winning the 1980 Giro di Lombardia and the 1981 Milan–San Remo, the last and first classic of the season. He almost won the 1982 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, but he finally lost it to the Italian Silvano Contini in the final sprint due to a shifting error.

After winning a stage in the 1984 Tour de France, his career faded, however the stage win he claimed was an impressive individual effort in which he was able to beat the group of favorites including Bernard Hinault and eventual winner Laurent Fignon by a stunning margin of almost eighteen minutes. He helped his teammate Eddy Planckaert win the green jersey in the 1988 Tour de France. He ended his career in 1990.

He now helps his wife in her funeral parlour in Dworp, in the south of Brussels.

Although he won the Omloop Het Volk two times, De Wolf was an atypical Flemish cyclist, preferring Italian races such as Milan–San Remo to Paris–Roubaix, Gent–Wevelgem and the Tour of Flanders. He was at ease in hilly races, though he was not an impressive climber. He complained that he was seen as a 'new Eddy Merckx', that the public had expected too much.

source - Wikipedia

Badges

3 6 2 4 2 26

Major Victories

Giro di Lombardia 1980
Omloop Het Volk / Het Nieuwsblad 1982, 1983
Milano - Sanremo 1981
Giro di Toscana 1983
Sassari - Cagliari 1982
Giro di Romagna 1983
Druivenkoers - Overijse 1980
Coppa Agostoni 1983
Trofeo Baracchi 1980
Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta del Sol - stages 1984 (1)
Tour de Romandie - stages 1984 (1)
Tour de Suisse - stages 1981 (1)
Driedaagse De Panne - stages 1980 (1), 1982 (1)
Giro del Trentino/Tour of the Alps - stages 1983 (1)
Tour of Norway - stages 1984 (1)
Tour de France - stages 1984 (1)
Setmana Catalana - stages 1983 (1)
4 Jours de Dunkerque - stages 1982 (1)
Vuelta a España - stages 1979 (5), 1985 (1)
More results

Seasons

Fons de Wolf - Scores by Season

Year Team Score Rank
1. 1976 Individual 162 247
2. 1977 Individual 83 319
3. 1978 IJsboerke - Gios 22 520
4. 1979 Lano - Boule d'Or 1610 20
5. 1980 Boule d'Or - Studio Casa 2122 12
6. 1981 Vermeer-Thijs 3403 2
7. 1982 Vermeer-Thijs 1844 13
8. 1983 Bianchi - Piaggio 1339 26
9. 1984 Europ Decor - Boule d'Or 468 118
10. 1985 Fagor 349 172
11. 1986 Skala - Skil 427 144
12. 1987 ADR- - Fangio - IOC - MBK 71 484
13. 1988 ADR - Mini-Flat - Enerday 513 119
14. 1989 ADR - W-Cup - Bottecchia - Coors Light 58 526
15. 1990 IOC - Tulip Computers 15 774
Overall: 12486 212