Willy Vannitsen
Willy Vannitsen (born February 8, 1935 in Sint-Truiden , † August 19, 2001 in Tienen ) was a Belgian cyclist .
Athletic career
Vannitsen was already successful as a youth driver, in 1951 he won the Belgian championship in this age group. As an amateur he won two stages of the Tour of Belgium and was runner-up in the sprint in 1953 behind Jos De Bakker .
In 1954 he became a professional driver in the Peugeot-Dunlop team . In his first year as a professional he won four stages of the Tour of Belgium and several other races. Vannitsen was a fast driver who won many races in the sprint. In addition to further stage wins in the Tour of Belgium, he was able to win two stages of the Tour de France ( 1962 ) in particular . More victories in major races he succeeded among others in Paris-Nice (stage wins in 1964 and 1965), the Dortmund Union Prize (1963), the Schelde Prize 1965. Even day successes in the Tour de Luxembourg and Holland Tour is among his successes .
He drove the Tour de France four times, his best overall result was 70th in 1962 (otherwise he was eliminated). He competed three times in the Giro d'Italia , but retired each time, but won the 1st stage in 1958 .
In 1966 he was convicted by a Belgian court for possessing stimulant drugs .
Web links
- Willy Vannitsen in the Radsportseiten.net database
- Willy Vannitsen in the ProCyclingStats.com database
Individual evidence
- ^ Association of German cyclists (ed.): Radsport . No. 38/1966 . Deutscher Sportverlag Kurt Stoof, Cologne 1966, p. 7 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Vannitsen, Willy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Belgian cyclist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 8, 1935 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Sint-Truiden |
| DATE OF DEATH | August 19, 2001 |
| Place of death | Tienen |