Alfons De Wolf

Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Alfons De Wolf


fullname = Alfons De Wolf
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1956|6|22
country = Belgium
currentteam = Retired
discipline = Road
role = Rider
ridertype = Classics specialist
amateuryears =
amateurteams =
proyears =
proteams =
majorwins = Giro di Lombardia (1980)
Milan-Sanremo (1981)
Tour de France, 1 stage
Vuelta a España, 5 stages
:Points Competitoin (1979)
updated = October 5, 2007

Alfons ("Fons") De Wolf (born June 22, 1956 in Willebroek) is a retired Belgian road race cyclist, a professional from 1979 to 1990. He represented his country at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada.

He was forecast, with Daniel Willems, to be the successor to Eddy Merckx. De Wolf seemed to fulfill that promise by winning the 1980 Giro di Lombardia and the 1981 Milan-Sanremo, the last and first classic of the season . He almost won the 1982 Liège-Bastogne-Liège, beaten by Italian Silvano Contini in the final sprint.

After winning a stage in the 1984 Tour de France, his career faded. He helped his teammate Eddy Planckaert win the green jersey in the 1988 Tour de France. He ended his career in 1990.

He became a funeral director in his native Breendonk in the south of Antwerp (province).

Although he won the Omloop Het Volk two times, De Wolf was an atypical Flemish cyclist, preferring Italian races such as Milan-Sanremo to Paris-Roubaix, Ghent-Wevelgem and the Ronde van Vlaanderen. He was at ease in hilly races, though he wasn't an impressive climber.

He complained that he was seen as a 'new Eddy Merckx', that the public had expected too much.

Palmarès

;1976:Tour de Namur;1978:BEL National Amateur Road Championship;1979:Erembodegem-Terjoden:Malderen:Omloop Schelde-Durme:Sint-Kwintens-Lennik:Vuelta a España:::Winner stages 2, 7, 9, 16B and 19::Winner points classification:Dilsen:Sombreffe:Boom;1980:Druivenkoers Overijse:Nederbrakel:Strijpen:Willebroek:Giro di Lombardia:Trofeo Baracchi (with Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke);1981:Circuit des Frontières:Malderen:Peer:Polder-Kempen:Six Days of Antwerpen (with René Pijnen):Milan-Sanremo:Ottignies:Herselt:Eeklo;1982:Sassari - Cagliari:Omloop Het Volk;1983:Coppa Ugo Agostoni:Giro della Romagna:Giro di Toscana:Omloop Het Volk;1984:Malderen:Tour de France:::Winner stage 14;1985:Deerlijk:Vuelta a España:::Winner stage 9:Roeselare;1986:Reutlingen;1987:Strombeek-Bever;1989:Malderen

External links

*Cyclingwebsite|8811
* [http://www.letour.fr/HISTO/TDF/riders/us/4512.html Official Tour de France results for Alfons De Wolf]

Persondata
NAME= De Wolf, Alfons
ALTERNATIVE NAMES= De Wolf, Fons
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Road bicycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH=1956-6-22
PLACE OF BIRTH=Willebroek, Belgium
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=