Niko Eeckhout
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Niko Eeckhout |
| Nickname | Rambo |
| Born |
16 December 1970 Izegem, Belgium |
| Height | 1.73 m (5 ft 8 in) |
| Weight | 73 kg (161 lb) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | An Post–Chain Reaction |
| Discipline | Road |
| Rider type | Classics specialist, sprinter |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 1992–1993 | Collstrop |
| 1994 | Varta |
| 1995–1996 | Collstrop |
| 1997–1998 | Lotto–Mobistar–Isoglass |
| 1999–2000 | Palmans |
| 2001–2004 | Lotto–Adecco |
| 2005–2008 | Chocolade Jacques–T Interim |
| 2009–2013 | An Post–M.Donnelly–Grant Thornton–Sean Kelly |
| Major wins | |
|
UCI Europe Tour (2005–2006) | |
Niko Eeckhout (born 16 December 1970) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Belgium, racing between 1993 and 2013. He was the 2005–2006 UCI Europe Tour series and the 2006 Belgian National Cycling Championship Road Race champion, and currently works for the An Post–Chain Reaction Team as a coach.[1]
Career
Born in Izegem, Eeckhout started his career in 1993 riding for the small Collstrop-team. He immediately started winning minor Belgian races like the Championship of Flanders and the Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde. In 1997 and 1998 he rode for Lotto–Mobistar–Isoglass, and then rode two years for Palmans. Eeckhout had a breakthrough season when he transferred to Lotto-Adecco in 2001, winning 11 races, including Dwars door Vlaanderen and the GP van Steenbergen.
Eeckhout struggled through the next two seasons and at the end of 2004 his contract with Lotto-Adecco ended and he needed to find a new team. He signed with the Belgian squad Chocolade Jacques and found his second youth. He started the 2005 season by winning Dwars door Vlaanderen, and went on to win major races including the Grand Prix d'Isbergues and a stage of the Three Days of De Panne. In 2006 he continued his winning form, taking the Three Days of West-Flanders. In June 2006 he won the biggest race in his career, the Belgian National Road Championship in Antwerp by beating Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert. Eeckhout had another great season in 2006, winning 12 races, including the 2005-2006 UCI Europe Tour. In the peloton he earned the nickname "Rambo" for being particularly tough during hard races in severe conditions.
Major achievements
- 1992 – Collstrop
- 1993 – Collstrop
- Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen Ichtegem
- Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden
- 1994 – Varta
- 1995 – Collstrop
- 1996 – Collstrop
- Championship of Flanders
- 1997 – Lotto
- 1998 – Lotto
- Championship of Flanders
- 1999 – Palmans
- 2000 – Palmans
- Grand Prix Rudy Dhaenens
- 2001 – Lotto
- Ronde van Midden-Zeeland
- Étoile de Bessèges
- Stage win, Danmark Rundt
- Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen
- Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
- 2002 – Lotto
- 2003 – Lotto
- Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen
- Dwars door Vlaanderen
- 2004 – Lotto
- Stage win, Ster Elektrotoer
- Ronde van Midden-Zeeland
- 2005 – Chocolade Jacques-T Interim
- Stage win, Three Days of De Panne
- Dwars door Vlaanderen
- Grand Prix d'Isbergues
- Grote Prijs Beeckman-De Caluwé
- Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden
- 2006 – Chocolade Jacques-Topsport Vlaanderen
- UCI Europe Tour
- Omloop van het Waasland - Kemzeke
- 1st Overall and stage win, Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen
-
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Belgium National Cycling Championship Road Race - Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen
- Championship Of Flanders
- 2007 – Chocolade Jacques-Topsport Vlaanderen
- Omloop van het Waasland-Kemzeke
- 2009 – An Post–M.Donnelly–Grant Thornton–Sean Kelly
- 1st, Stage 4, Vuelta Ciclista Internacional a Extremadura (2.2)
- 1st, Stage 5, Vuelta Ciclista Internacional a Extremadura (2.2)
- 1st Stage 1, FBD Insurance Ras (2.2)
- 1st, Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem, (1.1)
- 1st, Memorial Briek Schotte-Desselgem
- 1st, Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen
- Points class winner, FBD Insurance Ras (2.2)
- 2nd, Dwars door Vlaanderen (1.1)
- 2010 – An Post–Sean Kelly
- 1st, Stage 5, Étoile de Bessèges (2.1)
- 1st, Stage 3, Ronde de l'Oise (2.2)
- 2011 – An Post–Sean Kelly
- 1st, Stage 2, Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen
- 2012 – An Post–Sean Kelly
- 1st, Wanzeel Koerse
- 1st, Omloop der Kempen
- 1st, Schaal Sels-Merksem
- 2013 – An Post–Chain Reaction
- 2nd, Omloop van het Waasland
- 2nd, Zuid Oost Drenthe Classic I
- 5th, Grote Prijs Wase Polders
- 6th, Arno Wallaard Memorial
References
- ↑ "An Post Chainreaction to register as Irish; targets pro-continental status and more sponsors". stickybottle.com. Retrieved 29 December. Check date values in:
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External links
- Official website (in Dutch)