Rik van Looy (90) passes away - Belgian rider won all five monuments, won in all Grand Tours and was twice a World Champion
Cycling
The cycling world has suffered an irreplaceable lost today. At age 90, former rider Rik van Looy has passed away after a period of extended illness. We remember some of his biggest features as a rider and one of Belgium's best ever to get on a bike.
Van Looy was born in 1933 and turned pro in 1953. Over a 17-year long career, he became one of the very best in his generation and the truth is that he cemented his name in the sport's history. At the top of his palmarès are his two consecutive world titles in the 1960 and 1961 in Hohenstein-Ernstthal and Bern. He has raced 45 monuments over his career and won five: Milano-Sanremo in 1958; Tour of Flanders in 1959&1962; Il Lombardia in 1959, Paris-Roubaix in 1961&1962&1965 and Liège-Bastoge-Liège in 1961. He is one of the very few riders to ever win all monuments.
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Throughout his career he also won 7 stages at the Tour de France, 12 at the Giro d'Italia and 18 at the Vuelta a España. A rider whose quality surpassed a 'specialty', and its only a few of the wins he obtained throughout his career where he could count on over 160 triumphs.
CyclingUpToDate would like to extend it's condolences to family and friends of Rik.
🇧🇪 Rik Van Looy, winner of multiple Monuments and GT stages, passed away today. 🕊️
— Domestique (@Domestique___) December 18, 2024
R.I.P. Rik 💫 pic.twitter.com/aizxdbiwRz
Rúben SilvaEditor-in-Chief
A founding contributor to CyclingUpToDate since its launch in January 2022, Ruben Silva has played a central role in shaping the site’s editorial direction and long-term growth. Before joining the project, he built his experience through independent blogging at Echelons Hub and by producing race previews for Ciclismo Internacional, developing a strong analytical voice rooted in daily engagement with professional cycling.
Beyond editorial work, he has been closely involved in the expansion and coordination of CyclingUpToDate’s wider network, helping establish and support sister platforms across multiple languages. This includes ongoing collaboration with CiclismoAlDia (Spanish), CiclismoAtual (Portuguese), WielrennenUpToDate (Dutch), and RadsportAktuell (German), contributing to a shared editorial vision and consistent international coverage.
He also helps oversee editorial governance across the network, setting standards for accuracy and consistency and coordinating updates or corrections when needed.
Originally from the Porto metropolitan area in Portugal, he holds a bachelor’s degree in Geography. His path into cycling journalism was shaped not through formal media training, but through independent reporting, community engagement, and sustained on-the-ground involvement in the sport.
Over the course of his career, he has conducted approximately 100 interviews across road cycling and cyclocross, ranging from one-to-one conversations and online formats to press conferences and on-site pre- and post-race coverage. His interviews include leading riders, team managers, and prominent figures within cycling media: Tadej Pogacar, Jonas Vingegaard, Mathieu van der Poel, Primoz Roglic, Wout van Aert, Joao Almeida and Tom Pidcock; managers like Patrick Lefevere and Joxean Matxin; and YouTube personality Bryan Kennedy (BKXC)...
Within 18 months of launch, he helped grow CyclingUpToDate’s English-language platform into one of the most-read cycling news websites, built entirely from the ground up. As both a professional journalist and lifelong cycling enthusiast, his focus remains on delivering accurate, timely, and well-contextualized coverage.
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