Johan Museeuw

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Johan Museeuw
Personal information
Full name Johan Museeuw
Date of birth October 13, 1965 (age 41)
Country Flag of Belgium Belgium
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type Classics specialist
Professional team(s)
1988-1989
1990-1992
1993-1994
1994-2000
2001-2002
2003-2004
ADRenting
Lotto
GB-MG
Mapei
Farm Frites
Quick Step
Major wins
World Cycling Champion (1996)
UCI Road World Cup (1995, 1996)
Tour de France, 2 stages
Ronde van Vlaanderen (1993, 1995, 1998)
Paris-Roubaix (1996, 2000, 2002)
Amstel Gold Race (1994)
HEW Cyclassics (2002)
Paris-Tours (1993)
Züri-Metzgete (1991, 1995)
Infobox last updated on:
January 10, 2007

Johan Museeuw (born October 13, 1965) is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer. He was a pro from 1988 to 2004 and dominated world cycling in the nineties.

Johan Museeuw is the winner of 11 World Cup races, including six victories in "Monument" events:

He won the World Cup in 1995 & 1996. He was also the Belgian Champion in 1992 & 1996.

Museeuw won the World Cycling Championship in the road race in Lugano 1996. In that year, he also won the UCI Road World Cup, the only rider in history to accomplish both in the same year.

Museeuw also won the following classics and semi-classics:

[edit] Biography

Museeuw's father Eddy rode as a pro for two seasons without much success. Johan started his professional career in 1988 with ADR. In 1989 he was part of the ADR team in which Greg LeMond won his second Tour de France. In 1990 Museeuw went to the Lotto team for which he won two stages in the Tour de France that year. Later on he rode for the MG-GB, Mapei, Domo-Farm Frites and Quick-Step. He ended his career in the spring of 2004 and currently works as a public relations officer for the Quickstep Innergetic team.

Starting as a sprinter, Museeuw won the final stage of his first Tour de France in 1990. He subsequently traded his powerful sprint for more endurance and stamina that allowed him to win the spring classics such as Paris-Roubaix and the Ronde van Vlaanderen. While his attempt to set a new record by winning both races four times failed, he holds the record for the number of combined podium places in those races. He is often compared to other Flemish spring classics specialists such as Roger de Vlaeminck. He has a special friendship with current Quickstep team manager Patrick Lefevere (formerly of Mapei and Lotto-Domo) who admitted that he treats all his riders the same, but Museeuw has a special place in his heart.

One week after winning the 1998 Ronde van Vlaanderen, Museeuw had a terrible fall in Paris-Roubaix (Bois de Wallers)in which his knee was shattered. On top of this came a dangerous infection which almost caused him to lose the injured leg. He fought back and resumed cycling after a long healing process. A couple of years later, he was again injured in a motor cycle accident. His dogged determination and powerful riding style won him legions of fans all over the world, but he is especially popular in his native Flanders, and was nicknamed Lion of Flanders. Upon crossing the finish line in victory in the 2000 Paris-Roubaix, he lifted his left foot and pointed at his knee as a reminder of the injury that almost ended his career two years earlier.

Towards the end of his career, he acted as a mentor to Tom Boonen.

In 2003 a doping allegation surfaced in which Museeuw was implicated. On 24 January 2007 Museeuw confessed to these charges.[1] Reports insinuated his using human growth hormone which he obtained from a Belgian vet Jose Landuyt. The police authorities claimed that Museeuw purchased banned substances and recorded phone conversations that spoke of wasps a codeword for Aranesp, a synthetic drug which increases red blood cell levels. Despite the absence of direct evidence, it was ruled in 2004 that there was sufficient argument for his suspension and he faces criminal proceedings. In his last Classic race the 2004 Paris-Roubaix he punctured while riding in the winning break, losing his last chance of equaling the record of four wins. He finished in tears in fifth place with his long-time rival Peter Van Petegem sixth. Johan's last race was the Grote Scheldeprijs held in his native Flanders on 14 April 2004. It was won by his team mate Tom Boonen. He "won" a tribute race on 2 May in his home town Gistel. Following his retirement he was suspended and he is not, in theory, allowed to work in cycling. However he could often be seen with the Quickstep team, in a PR function. More recently, Johan has begun marketing his own brand of frames made from a combination of carbon fibre and flax.

In January 2007, Museeuw gave a press conference in Kortrijk, revealing that he had "not been completely honest in my last year as a pro, as I wanted to end my career in style", and announcing his resignation from Quickstep Innergetic.

[edit] Victories

1988
Grote Prijs Briek Schotte, Desselgem
1989
GP Deutsche Weinstrasse
Criterium Oostende
Criterium Deerlijk
5th stage Tour of Belgium
1990
3d stage Driedaagse van De Panne
1st stage Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
1st stage Tour de l'Oise
3d stage Tour of Ireland, Nissan Classic
4th stage Tour de France
21st stage Tour de France
Dwars door de Morbihan
Criterium Aalst
Criterium Dilsen
Criterium Valkenswaard
Criterium Lichtervelde
1991
2nd stage Ruta Del Sol
5th stage Ruta Del Sol
5th stage Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
3d stage Midi Libre
2nd stage Tour of Britain
3d stage Tour of Ireland, Nissan Classic
Züri-Metzgete
Championship of Flanders
Criterium De Haan
Criterium Deerlijk
Criterium Bavikhove
1992
5th stage Ruta del Sol
1st stage Tour of Valencia
2nd stage Tour of Valencia
E3-Prijs Harelbeke
Criterium Bellegem
1st stage Bicicleta Vasca
2nd stage Ronde van de Mijnvalleien
Criterium Peer
Road Championship of Belgium
1993
GP Wielerrevue
4th stage Paris-Nice
Dwars door België
4th stage Hofbrau Cup
Ronde van Vlaanderen
1st stage Tour of Switzerland
Paris-Tours
Criterium Hengeloo
Criterium Bavikhove
1994
Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
Amstel Gold Race
Criterium Made
Teleport Derny Amsterdam
Wielsbeke
8th stage Tour of Switzerland
Geraardsbergen
Druivenkoers Overijse
1995
Trofeo Laigueglia
Omloop de Vlaamse Ardennen, Ichtegem
Ronde van Vlaanderen
6th stage Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
Züri-Metzgete
Druivenkoers Overijse
Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
Championship of Flanders
Criterium Bavikhove
Criterium Graz
UCI Road World Cup
1996
Brabantse Pijl
Paris-Roubaix
Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde
1st stage Tour of Puglia
Road Championship of Belgium
World Cycling Championship, Lugano
UCI Road World Cup
1997
Time trial Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
2nd stage Ruta del Sol
4th stage Ruta del Sol
5th stage Ruta del Sol
Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne
Criterium Peer
Criterium Kortrijk
GP Breitling (with Camenzind)
Criterium Karlsruhe
Gala Tour de France
1998
E3-prijs Harelbeke
Brabantse Pijl
Ronde van Vlaanderen
1999
Dwars door België
Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde
Criterium Bavikhove
Grand Prix Briek Schotte, Desselgem
2000
Paris-Roubaix
Omloop "Het Volk"
Brabantse Pijl
2001
Dernycriterium Wilrijk
2002
1st stage Guldensporen Tweedaagse
Paris-Roubaix
Profronde van Made
3d stage Tour du Région wallonne
HEW Cyclassics Hamburg
Proftour Almelo
2003
Omloop "Het Volk"
3d stage Tour of Denmark

[edit] Footnote

  1. ^ Museeuw confesses to have used doping (in Dutch language)
Preceded by
Abraham Olano
UCI Road World Champion
1996
Succeeded by
Laurent Brochard
Preceded by
Gianluca Bortolami
UCI Road World Cup Champion
1995, 1996
Succeeded by
Michele Bartoli