The (eventual) retirement of a great champion like Tom Boonen is a seminal event for Belgian cycling fans as well as fans of the Classics everywhere, for reasons connected to the man himself and how much his fans have enjoyed watching him race, as well as to what it means to watch a race like the Tour of Flanders without him. After next month, or perhaps as late as a year from next month, it's a reality we will all have to face, whether we like it or not.
This post examines what exactly is the vacuum the departure of a great champion leaves behind, and what it will take to fill it. Want another Lion of Flanders? Me too! So let's generate a job description based on what we can glean from past Lions, and see whether anyone answers our call.
Chris Fontecchio for the Podium Cafe
What, Where?
What makes a bona fide Lion of Flanders, or someone with a reasonable claim on the name? For starters, victory in the Tour of Flanders. Without that, the conversation is over. You might be a very good cyclist, revered in Belgium even for your qualities, but upon winning de Ronde van Vlaanderen you enter an exclusive club. Ah, but that club has an upper level. Someone must win de Ronde every year, whether there is a true champion racing that day or not. So no, not all Flanders victories are alike. To elevate yourself to a special place in the minds of Belgian fans, your resume had better run a little deeper than that.
A Paris-Roubaix win as well is a sure sign that you were no fluke, for that race rarely rewards flukes, and it is unreasonable to think a rider could feign his way into winning two races as special and selective as this. Those guys stuck down in the lobby of the club -- good for them, they did what they had to, and luck was on their side. But luck doesn't strike the same rider in such succession as this. So yes, the lifetime Double is a very good sign.
So too are multiple Ronde wins, it should go without saying. Any of the other revered Belgian races, that counts too, be it another cobbled semi-classic or the Belgian National Road Race Championships. A world championship, representing something of a trophy brought home from overseas, is a huge feather in a rider's cap. Some combination of the above definitely gets you upstairs, above the club's rabble.
And then there's the penthouse.
Who?
Do we have a definitive list of Lions of Flanders? That's a special designation given by the Belgian press, for feats that move them to... give the designation. Like most great titles, I guess you know it when you see it. Secondary to that, there are a small number of riders who are held up as the true "Flandriens," examples of the great qualities required to win these races, as well as riders who, by winning them, achieved a level of fame associated with the cobblestones. An element of myth is useful, or at least some sort of story that goes beyond mere success that captures the hearts and minds of Flemish fans. Johan Museeuw, flawed as he may have been, pointing to the leg he almost had amputated while crossing the line in the Roubaix velodrome -- that sort of thing. A quality that helps you rise above.
First on this list, chronologically, is Achiel Buysse, the first man to win three editions of de Ronde. Because nobody has yet to win a fourth, the three-winners club is a symbol of elite-ness that can't be denied. Because Buysse raced in the 1930s and 40s, the races available to him weren't what they are now, and his lone Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne win along with his Ronde successes make for a thin resume. But like I said, those three wins can't be denied.
[You could argue that Cyrille Van Hauwaert is truly first on this list. The original Lion of Flanders is so original that his best days occurred before de Ronde van Vlaanderen existed. But his record is unmistakably classical: in a five year period he took Paris-Roubaix once and finished on the podium three other times. Plus a Milano-Sanremo win.]
Peter De Voecht, Getty
Briek Schotte, the Iron Briek, is somewhat literally the poster child for the Cobbled Classics, his weathered face appearing on the cover of a comprehensive catalogue of his breed titled "Flandriens." Schotte bagged two world championships in 1948 and 1950, as well as two Flanders wins and six other podium places over his 19-year career. Longevity and regularity are two definite qualities worth noting. But yeah, the world titles help too.
Rik Van Steenbergen is next. Rik I won two Ronde titles right out of the gate, and by his third season had completed the Lifetime Double with a Paris-Roubaix win, his first of two. Add in three world championships and a variety of other wins, and you have a Flemish hero. Also notable was his success on the track -- the Six Day races are very much a part of the Belgian culture, so having a presence there too is maybe not something you put on top of your resume, but it's in there someplace.
Rik Van Looy -- Rik II -- was the first rider to win all five of cycling's one-day Monuments, in addition to two Rondes, three Roubaixs (including the 1962 Double), and back-to-back world championships in 1960-61. And track. The sheer breadth of his wins is what made him so notable.
AFP/Getty
Roger De Vlaeminck, the Gypsy, Mr. Paris-Roubaix... another unquestioned lifetime member of the classics penthouse. Four wins in the Hell of the North earned him an iconic nickname, not only for its style but for what it meant. Until Boonen, nobody had ever taken four titles in the Roubaix Velodrome (or wherever; the finish moved around some). Like Rik II, he swept the Monuments over the course of his career, though the one that eluded him longest was that pesky Tour of Flanders, which he finally secured in 1977. Absent that... who knows? But regardless, De Vlaeminck did everything, and added "iconic nickname" as a resume padder.
Eric Leman sneaks into this discussion because, like Buysse, he can point to three Ronde victories and drop the mic. His record thins out some from there -- K-B-K, Dwars, lots of stage sprints -- but when you take three Flanders wins, in the Age of Merckx, no less, you're in.
Walter Godefroot? Pushing it? He's got two Rondes and a Roubaix, plus a Belgian Championships win. And a string of doping offenses. Hmph.
Keystone images via Getty Images
Eddy Merckx barely needs discussion, but it's worth noting that he never did the Double in a single year, and doesn't hold a share of any of the "most wins" titles in either Flanders or Roubaix. But being unquestionably the best at every goddamn thing puts an end to any questions.
Edwig Van Hooydonck merits a mention, with two Flanders wins (plus a U23 version success as well) to go with four Brabantse Pijls, a K-B-K and a Dwars.
Lars Ronbog, Getty Images
Johan Museeuw is still the last official Lion of Flanders, which is the reserved corner booth in the penthouse above the top floor of the club of elite cobbles champions. Whatever you think of him today, his record is undeniably top-shelf: he won a total of 27 one-day races (along with sprint stages, criteriums, cyclocross races, and so on), including three each of Flanders and Roubaix -- though never in the same year. His iconic comeback from nearly losing his leg, depicted above, is a scene practically everyone in Belgium remembers. No getting around his legend.
Oh, and if these guys had anything in common, besides palmares, it was a sense that they cast a shadow over the classics year after year. They delivered a lot, or came close to it, but even when they weren't on the podium, everyone knew where they were. They had a presence, and you don't get that merely by striking gold once or twice. You earn it one year at a time. That's maybe the ultimate criterion, but of course it's one we won't be able to assign to up-and-coming riders in advance.
*****
OK, so to summarize, we have quite a list of characteristics to choose from in determining what makes a Classics great. For organizational purposes, I have borrowed a template from MS Word for compiling a quality checklist. See what you think... and if you like it, bring it with you wherever you may go to locate the Next Boonen.