Freddy Maertens

Freddy Maertens
Personal information
Full nameFreddy Maertens
Born (1952-02-13) 13 February 1952 (age 72)
Nieuwpoort, Belgium
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeAll-rounder
Professional teams
1973–1979Flandria–Carpenter–Shimano
1980San Giacomo–Benotto
1981–1982Boule d'Or–Sunair
1983Masta–Concorde
1984Splendor–Jacky Aernoudt Meubelen
1984AVP–Viditel
1985Nikon–Van Schilt
1985Eurosoap–Crack
1986Robland–La Claire Fontaine
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
Points classification (1976, 1978, 1981)
16 individual stages (1976, 1978, 1981)
Giro d'Italia
7 individual stages (1977)
Vuelta a España
General classification (1977)
Points classification (1977)
13 individual stages (1977)

Stage races

Four Days of Dunkirk (1973, 1975, 1976, 1978)
Paris–Nice (1977)
Volta a Catalunya (1977)

One-day races and Classics

World Road Race Championships (1976, 1981)
National Road Race Championships (1976)
Gent–Wevelgem (1975, 1976)
Amstel Gold Race (1976)
Scheldeprijs (1973)
Paris–Tours (1975)
Omloop Het Volk (1977, 1978)
E3 Prijs Vlaanderen (1978)

Other

Super Prestige Pernod International (1975–1976)
Ruban Jaune (1975–1997)
Medal record
Representing  Belgium
Men's road bicycle racing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1976 Ostuni Elite Men's Road Race
Gold medal – first place 1981 Prague Elite Men's Road Race
Silver medal – second place 1971 Mendrisio Amateur's Road Race
Silver medal – second place 1973 Barcelona Elite Men's Road Race

Freddy Maertens (born 13 February 1952) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist who was twice world road race champion.[1] His career coincided with the best years of another Belgian rider, Eddy Merckx, and supporters and reporters were split over who was better.[2] Maertens' career swung between winning more than 50 races in a season to winning almost none and then back again. His life has been marked by debt and alcoholism.[2] It took him more than two decades to pay a tax debt.[2] At one point early in his career, between the 1976 Tour and 1977 Giro, Maertens won 28 out of 60 Grand Tour stages that he entered before abandoning the Giro due to injury on stage 8b. Eight Tour stage wins, thirteen Vuelta stage wins and seven Giro stage wins in less than one calendar year.[3]

  1. ^ "Freddy Maertens". FirstCycling.com (in Dutch). 2022.
  2. ^ a b c Vanwalleghem, Rik; Freddy Maertens: een leven in wit en zwart, 2012 (ISBN 978-94-913-7604-7)
  3. ^ "Palmarès de Freddy Maertens (Bel)". Memoire-du-cyclisme.eu (in French). Retrieved 5 June 2023.