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.
_-_Grand_Prix_Criquielion%252C_17_mai_2014%252C_arriv%C3%A9e_(B12).JPG.webp) Criquielion in 2014 | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Claude Criquielion | |||||||||||||
| Born | 11 January 1957 Lessines, Belgium | |||||||||||||
| Died | 18 February 2015 (aged 58) Aalst, Belgium | |||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||
| Current team | Retired | |||||||||||||
| Discipline | Road | |||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | |||||||||||||
| Professional teams | ||||||||||||||
| 1979 | Kas–Campagnolo | |||||||||||||
| 1980–1989 | Splendor | |||||||||||||
| 1990–1991 | Lotto–Superclub | |||||||||||||
| Managerial teams | ||||||||||||||
| 2000–2004 | Lotto–Adecco | |||||||||||||
| 2005–2006 | Landbouwkrediet–Colnago | |||||||||||||
| Major wins | ||||||||||||||
| Stage races | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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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, clashed with him. 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 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.[1]
Criquielion was directeur sportif of the Lotto–Adecco 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.[2] Criquelion died at 9:00 AM on 18 February 2015 in a hospital in Aalst.[3][4]
Career achievements
Major results
- 1979
- 9th Overall Tour de France
- 1980
- 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
Road race, UCI Road World Championships - 1st Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
- 7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 7th Giro di Lombardia
- 9th Overall Tour de France
- 1985
- 1st La Flèche Wallonne
- 2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 6th Tour of Flanders
- 8th Amstel Gold Race
- 1986
- 1st
Overall Tour de Romandie
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Combined classification
- 1st
Overall Midi Libre - 3rd La Flèche Wallonne
- 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
- 2nd La Flèche Wallonne
- 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- 7th Giro di Lombardia
- 10th Overall Paris–Nice
- 1988
- 1st Critérium des As
- 5th Gent–Wevelgem
- 3rd Amstel Gold Race
- 8th Züri–Metzgete
- 1989
- 1st La Flèche Wallonne
- 2nd Amstel Gold Race
- 5th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
- 7th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1990
- 1st
Road race, National Road Championships - 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
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vuelta a España |
— | 3 | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
 Giro d'Italia |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 7 | — |
| Tour de France |
9 | 13 | 9 | DNF | 18 | 9 | 18 | 5 | 11 | 14 | 36 | 9 |
References
- "Affaire-Criquelion krijgt een staartje" [Affair Criquelion gets a tail]. De Volkskrant (in Dutch). 8 August 1985. p. 8. Retrieved 2 April 2020 – via Delpher.
- Ex-wereldkampioen wielrennen Criquielion kritiek na hersenberoerte
- Claude Criquielion overleden
- Claudy Criquielion: Cyclist whose many wins were overshadowed by a race he famously lost and the ensuing legal fall-out
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Claude Criquielion. |
- Claude Criquielion at Cycling Archives
- Official Tour de France results for Claude Criquielion
- Palmares on Cycling Base (in French)