Adrie van der Poel was a successful classics cyclist in the 1980s, who had a second career as a cyclo-cross racer. His list of victories includes wins in the Züri-Metzgete (1982), Clásica de San Sebastián (1985), Ronde van Vlaanderen (1986), Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1987) and Amstel Gold Race (1990). Van der Poel was also victorious in two Tour de France stages, and the 1987 Dutch road race championships. That same year, he won his first national title in cyclo-cross, and six more would follow until 1999. In the World Cyclo-Cross Championships he was known for “always” finishing in second place (he won a silver medal in 1985, and 1988-1991) until he finally took the rainbow jersey in 1996. Van der Poel had also won a World Championship medal on the road, in Switzerland in 1983. In 1999, the annual cyclo-cross World Cup in Hoogerheide (Van der Poel’s home town) was renamed Grand Prix Adri van der Poel in his honour. The first time the race bore his name, Van der Poel won the race himself.
Netherlands