Making a name for yourself in the pro ranks during the heyday of Merckx, De Vlaeminck, and Maertens would have been tougher than making a name for yourself in the pro ranks during the heyday of Merckx, De Vlaeminck, and Maertens. Especially, I would think, if you also happened to be Belgian. But with somewhere around 145 victories in a career which spanned from 1965 to 1981, Herman Van Springel did just that. Well, as much as anybody was able to racing against the Hardmen of the day.
Van Springel’s palmares includes podium finishes in all three Grand Tours. He lost the ’68 edition of the Tour by 38 seconds in the final stage, an individual time trial, to Jan Janssen. Sound familiar? (Faux sneeze into arm, Fignon). He also won the Tour’s green jersey in 1973. He did so without winning a single stage. Also sound familiar? (Faux sneeze into arm again, Hushovd). Sprinkle in some podium finishes at Paris-Roubaix and the World Championship Road Race and you’ve got the makings of the top of the also-ran list.
Where Van Springel really shined was in the 560km, derny-paced, Bourdeaux-Paris. With seven wins in the former classic, he could have been aptly named “Mr. Bourdeaux-Paris”. No other rider comes close to his record at this race.
The proudest moment of Van Springel’s career probably came in the 1968 edition of the Giro di Lombardia. Coming into the day, Van Springel held the lead in that year’s Super Prestige for best ‘all-rounder’ with 194 points. Everybody who was anybody back then lined up at the start. Imagine looking around the peloton and seeing the likes of Merckx, Gimondi, Godefroot, Van Looy, Poulidor, and Janssen. By race’s end, Van Springel soloed to victory, exacted revenge on Janssen for that year’s Tour and collected the 60 points to secure the Super Prestige Pernod Trophy.
While no doubt celebrated in his day, Herman Van Springel seems to lack frequent mention in the cycling annals of today. So we at Velominati thought we’d give the old chap a bump and a chapeau. For winning the best ‘all-rounder’ in a time when the all-rounders out-classed, out-ranked, and out-numbered the ‘specialists’ of the time deserves praise.
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So do all of us have possible future careers as Fat Derny-men? Then we could be two years, not two months, from peaking!
Awesome write-up, Marko! As a historian I have been given my first lesson of the day. Never heard of Herman. Thanks for filling me in.
And yeah, I did spot the adidas sneakers on Derny-man Extraordinare.
If bibs keep feeling as if they are serving double-duty as a male girdle when I wear them, I know I do!
Btw Oli, nice gravatar.
@Marko
You may be a little confused. No snakes or crocs where Oli and Brett live.
It's all sun and sand here in NEW ZEALAND, Marko. Terrible about all the flooding in AUSTRALIA though.
mcsqueak - ugh, I fucking hate the man-girdle feeling. After a few weeks of holiday eating and not enough riding, my bibs definitely feel like a man-girdle. The shitty thing is that the only way to get the weight off is to pull on the man-girdle and put in some saddle time. But it sucks feeling like a fat p.o.s. the whole time. I vow not to become tubby this winter and avoid putting on winter pounds.
@Ron
No doubt, I feel like I'm in the same boat. Between work and family stuff, there has been an extreme lack of cycling. My scale says I haven't gained more than a lb or two, but I certainly feel like I'm becoming too fat to climb.
On the other hand, it's only about 10 weeks until spring!
@mcsqueak
Congrats on your Gray Order status; must have happened while I was away. Nice work.
I'm fully aware of Oli and Brett's locale. Just knowing that Brett hales from the land of AUS and both being in the general vicinity, I figured they'd have some blokes over there that needed help. It'd be like me going to help Steampunk or NVvelominati out of a natural disaster jam.
@mcsqueak
@Ron
@Dave Harding
Be afraid gentlemen, be very afraid. Push through the man-girdle feeling, step away from the dessert tray, and go out for a 60k ride minimum ASAP.