.jpg) Impanis in 1949 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 19 October 1925 |
| Died | 31 December 2010 (aged 85) |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Professional teams | |
| 1947–1951 | Alcyon–Dunlop |
| 1952–1953 | Garin–Wolber |
| 1954 | Mercier–Hutchinson |
| 1955–1959 | Elvé–Peugeot |
| 1960–1962 | Faema |
| 1963 | Peugeot–BP |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
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.[1]
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.[2]
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... ".[3]
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.[4]
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.[5]
Tour of Belgium Independents
Belgian National Road Race Championships Independents
Belgian National Road Race Championships
Paris–Nice
Paris–Nice
Belgian middle-distance track championship Belgian middle-distance track championship Belgian middle-distance track championship Belgian middle-distance track championship Belgian middle-distance track championship Belgian middle-distance track championship Belgian middle-distance track championship