Walter Godefroot

Walter Godefroot
	Godefroot at the 1997 Paris–Nice
Personal information
Full name	Walter Godefroot
Nickname	The Bulldog of Flanders
Born	2 July 1943 (age 81); Ghent, Belgium
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Manager
Rider type	Classics specialist
Professional teams
1965–1966	Wiel's–Groene Leeuw
1967–1969	Flandria–De Clerck
1970	Salvarani
1971–1972	Peugeot–BP–Michelin
1973–1975	Flandria–Carpenter–Shimano
1976–1979	IJsboerke–Colnago
Managerial teams
1991–2005	Team Telekom
2006	Astana–Würth
2007	Astana
Major wins
	Grand Tours Tour de France Points classification (1970) 10 individual stages; (1967, 1968, 1970–1973, 1975) Giro d'Italia 1 individual stage (1970) Vuelta a España 2 individual stages (1971) One-day races and Classics National Road Race Championships (1965, 1972) Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1967) Tour of Flanders (1968, 1978) Paris–Roubaix (1969) Gent–Wevelgem (1968)
Medal record
Representing Belgium
Men's road bicycle racing
Olympic Games

Walter Godefroot (born 2 July 1943) is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer and former directeur sportif of Team Telekom, later known as T-Mobile Team.

As amateur cyclist, he won the bronze medal in the individual road race of the 1964 Summer Olympics after his young compatriot Eddy Merckx was caught in the final.^[1] Both men turned professional in 1965 and Walter Godefroot was presented as Merckx's bane in his early days, winning several races ahead of him: the Belgian championship in 1965, Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1967) and Paris–Roubaix (1969).^[2]

But Godefroot eventually didn't have Merckx's abilities in stage races and concentrated on the separate stages in the grand tours. He won ten stages in the Tour de France, including the stage on the Champs-Élysées in 1975 where the Tour finished for the first time, and the green jersey in the 1970 Tour de France, one stage in the 1970 Giro d'Italia and two stages in the 1971 Vuelta a España.^[3]

Being a specialist in one-day classic cycle races, he won another Belgian champion title in 1972, two Tours of Flanders at ten-year intervals in 1968 and 1978, two Bordeaux–Paris in 1969 and 1976 and had numerous runner-ups in other classics.

Remarkably, Godefroot informed the Tour de Flandres organization about the existence of the Koppenberg. From 1976, the hill was included in the course of the race.

At the end of his career, following the classics campaign in April 1977, he tested positive for a doping product along with several other top riders.

In 1981, Godefroot and his wife started a cycling shop in Deurle which still exists today.^[4]

He managed the Capri-Sonne-Koga Miyata, T-Mobile and Astana teams. He was notably the sports director of Bjarne Riis, Jan Ullrich and Erik Zabel during the victorious Tour de France editions in 1996 and 1997, although Riis and Zabel later admitted they used EPO in the 1996 Tour de France.^[5]

Godefroot stepped down as team manager before the 2006 season and was replaced by Olaf Ludwig. After the exclusion of Astana–Würth from the 2006 Tour de France, Godefroot returned to the peloton when he became manager of Astana. His contract was not renewed when it ran out in July 2007.^[6] He then withdrew from professional cycling.

In his racing days he was called 'The Bulldog of Flanders'.

Major results

Source ^[7]^[8]

Road

1964

1st Stage 2 Tour de Berlin

3rd

Road race, Olympic Games

3rd Overall Tour de Tunisie

1st Stages 1, 4, 8

1965

1st

Road race, National Road Championships

1st Omloop van het Zuidwesten

3rd Tielt–Antwerpen–Tielt

4th GP du Tournaisis

7th Grand Prix d'Isbergues

8th Overall Tour du Nord

10th Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen

1966

1st Dwars door België

1st Grote Prijs Beeckman-De Caluwé

1st Maaslandse Pijl

Volta a Catalunya

1st Stages 1a, 1b, 3, 6a & 8

1st Stage 3 Tour of Belgium

1st

Points classification, Four Days of Dunkirk

2nd Omloop Het Volk

2nd Rund um den Henninger Turm

2nd Grand Prix d'Isbergues

2nd Bruxelles–Meulebeke

2nd Circuit des Onze Villes

4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

4th Paris–Brussels

4th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

6th Gent–Wevelgem

7th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre

1st Stage 1

1967

1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège

1st Nokere Koerse

1st Maaslandse Pijl

1st Memorial Fred De Bruyne

1st Porto–Lisboa

Tour de France

1st Stage 1b

Held

after Stage 1b

1st Stage 7a Tour de Suisse

1st Stage 1 Tour de Romandie

2nd Gullegem Koerse

2nd Bruxelles–Meulebeke

2nd Omloop van de Vlasstreek

4th Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke

5th La Flèche Wallonne

6th Dwars door België

7th Milan–San Remo

8th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

9th Overall Paris–Nice

9th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

1968

1st Tour of Flanders

1st Gent–Wevelgem

1st Dwars door België

Tour de France

1st Stages 3b & 9

Held

after Stages 5a, 9 & 11–18

Paris–Nice

1st Stages 2 & 6

1st Stage 2 Tour de Suisse

2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

2nd Paris–Tours

3rd Paris–Roubaix

3rd Omloop van de Vlasstreek

4th Omloop Het Volk

4th Bruxelles–Meulebeke

4th Baden-Baden (with Herman Vanspringel)

6th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk

8th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía

1st Stages 3 & 8

9th Milan–San Remo

9th La Flèche Wallonne

1969

1st Paris–Roubaix

1st Scheldeprijs

1st Omloop van de Fruitstreek

1st Heusden Koers

1st GP du canton d'Argovie

1st Critérium des As

1st Bordeaux–Paris

1st Stage 6b Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

1st Stage 3a Tour de Suisse

2nd Road race, National Road Championships

3rd GP Union Dortmund

4th La Flèche Wallonne

5th Milan–San Remo

5th Dwars door België

5th Bruxelles–Meulebeke

10th Rund um den Henninger Turm

1970

1st Züri-Metzgete

1st Circuit de l'Aulne

1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria

1st Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence

Tour de France

1st

Points classification

1st Stages 4 & 5a

1st Stage 8 Giro d'Italia

2nd Overall Tour of Belgium

1st Stage 3a

2nd Tour of Flanders

3rd Gent–Wevelgem

4th Coppa Placci

4th Brussels–Ingooigem

5th Milan–San Remo

5th Paris–Roubaix

6th Road race, National Road Championships

7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

9th Rund um den Henninger Turm

10th GP du Tournaisis

1971

1st Textielprijs Vichte

Tour de France

1st Stage 9

Held

after Stages 1b & 9

Vuelta a España

1st Stages 7 & 8

1st Stage 1 Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme

2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie

4th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

4th Paris–Tours

5th La Flèche Wallonne

9th Circuit de l'Aulne

1972

1st

Road race, National Road Championships

1st Stage 5a Tour de France

2nd Circuit de l'Aulne

3rd E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

3rd Nationale Sluitingsprijs

3rd Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

3rd Critérium des As

5th Circuit des Onze Villes

6th Scheldeprijs

7th Omloop Het Volk

1973

1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen

1st Omloop der drie Provinciën

1st GP Briek Schotte

1st Circuit du Brabant central

Tour de France

1st Stages 5 & 16a

1st Stage 4a Paris–Nice

1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Andalucía

2nd Paris–Roubaix

2nd Flèche Halloise

3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

3rd Grand Prix de Wallonie

3rd Bordeaux–Paris

4th Gent–Wevelgem

5th Overall Tour of Belgium

1st Stage 1

5th Omloop Het Volk

6th Road race, National Road Championships

6th Tour of Flanders

7th La Flèche Wallonne

7th Paris–Tours

8th Rund um den Henninger Turm

9th Amstel Gold Race

10th Milan–San Remo

10th Circuit des Onze Villes

1974

1st

Overall Four Days of Dunkirk

1st Stage 3a

1st Rund um den Henninger Turm

1st Züri-Metzgete

~~3rd Tour of Flanders~~

3rd Amstel Gold Race

3rd Circuit des Onze Villes

4th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

7th Milan–San Remo

8th Gent–Wevelgem

10th Dwars door België

1975

1st Stage 22 Tour de France

2nd Omloop van de Westkust

3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm

3rd Ronde van Limburg

3rd Grote Prijs Marcel Kint

4th Dwars door België

8th Road race, National Road Championships

8th Paris–Roubaix

1976

1st Bordeaux–Paris

1st Prologue (TTT) Tour de Luxembourg

2nd E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

2nd Maël-Pestivien

3rd Züri-Metzgete

3rd Tour du Condroz

4th Rund um den Henninger Turm

5th Paris–Roubaix

5th La Flèche Wallonne

5th Grand Prix de Wallonie

6th Paris–Brussels

6th Omloop van het Leiedal

7th Circuit de l'Aulne

8th Overall Tour of Belgium

1st Stage 2

8th Tour of Flanders

8th Herinneringsprijs Dokter Tistaert – Prijs Groot-Zottegem

10th Milan–San Remo

10th Grand Prix Pino Cerami

10th Grand Prix de Monaco

1977

1st Heusden Koers

1st Stage 3 Four Days of Dunkirk

2nd Tour of Flanders

2nd Milano–Torino

2nd Bordeaux–Paris

3rd Züri-Metzgete

4th Gent–Wevelgem

5th Omloop van het Zuidwesten

6th Omloop Het Volk

6th Omloop der Beide Vlaanderen

6th Rund um den Henninger Turm

8th Amstel Gold Race

10th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

1978

1st Tour of Flanders

2nd Herinneringsprijs Dokter Tistaert – Prijs Groot-Zottegem

2nd Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence

8th Dwars door België

9th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

9th Critérium des As

10th Omloop Het Volk

1979

1st Circuit des Frontières

1st Ruddervoorde Koerse

1st Stage 1a (TTT) Tour de Belgium

2nd Circuit de l'Aulne

2nd Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde

3rd Memorial Fred De Bruyne

6th Rund um den Henninger Turm

8th Tour of Flanders

8th Dwars door België

9th Druivenkoers Overijse

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Vuelta a España	—	—	—	—	—	—	30	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	—	55	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de France	—	—	60	20	—	29	DNF	44	65	—	51	—	—	—	—

Classics results timeline

Monuments results timeline
Monument	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
Milan–San Remo	—	—	7	9	5	5	21	—	10	7	30	10	16	—	—
Tour of Flanders	—	27	15	1	13	2	19	—	6	3	14	8	2	1	8
Paris–Roubaix	—	20	34	3	1	5	13	—	2	18	8	5	15	11	13
Liège–Bastogne–Liège	—	4	1	2	18	—	—	—	3	14	3	12	—	—	30
Giro di Lombardia	—	—	—	14	—	—	—	—	—	22	—	—	—	—	—

Major championship results timeline

	1965	1966	1967	1968	1969	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979
World Championships	20	—	—	DNF	19	7	41	DNF	11	—	—	19	10	22	DNF
National Championships	1	13	27	17	2	6	—	1	6	—	8	11	11	16	—

Legend
—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish

Criterium

1965: 1st Critérium de Libramont
1967: 1st Circuit de l'Armorique à Ploudalmézeau; 1st Circuit du Maasland
1970: 1st Critérium de Boulogne-sur-Mer
1975: 1st Critérium De Panne

Track

1966: 1st Six Days of Madrid (with Emiel Severeyns)
1971: 3rd Six Days of Antwerp
1972: 3rd Six Days of Ghent (with Graeme Gilmore)
1973: 2nd Madison, National Track Championships (with Norbert Seeuws); 3rd Six Days of Antwerp
1975: 3rd Madison, National Track Championships (with Freddy Maertens)

References

^ "Walter Godefroot Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2014.
^ "Godefroot: "Mijn leven is mooi geweest, maar de zon heeft niet altijd geschenen"" (in Dutch). 18 June 2017.
^ "Walter Godefroot". dewielersite.be. Retrieved 16 May 2003.
^ "Fietsen Godefroot" (in Dutch).
^ "Former Tour de France winner Riis admits doping". 25 May 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2007.
^ "Astana und Godefroot gehen getrennte Wege". Der Spiegel (in German). Sport-Informations-Dienst. 2 July 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
^ "Palmarès de Walter Godefroot (Bel)". Mémoire du Cyclisme.
^ "Walter Godefroot – Victories". WVCycling.

[sports-reference-1] "Walter Godefroot Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 18 August 2014.

[2] "Godefroot: "Mijn leven is mooi geweest, maar de zon heeft niet altijd geschenen"" (in Dutch). 18 June 2017.

[3] "Walter Godefroot". dewielersite.be. Retrieved 16 May 2003.

[4] "Fietsen Godefroot" (in Dutch).

[5] "Former Tour de France winner Riis admits doping". 25 May 2007. Retrieved 26 May 2007.

[6] "Astana und Godefroot gehen getrennte Wege". Der Spiegel (in German). Sport-Informations-Dienst. 2 July 2007. Retrieved 16 May 2020.

[7] "Palmarès de Walter Godefroot (Bel)". Mémoire du Cyclisme.

[8] "Walter Godefroot – Victories". WVCycling.

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v t e Belgian National Road Race Champion (men)
1880–1899	Léon Houa (1894) Henri Luyten (1895–1896) Henri Bertrand (1897–1898) Jules Degeetere (1899)
1900–1919	Mathieu Quoidbach (1900) Paul Burger (1901) Jules Defrance (1902) Arthur Vanderstuyft (1903) Jules Sales (1904) Dieudonné Jamar (1905) Francois Verstraeten (1907–1908) Cyrille van Hauwaert (1909) Henri Hanlet (1910) Odile Defraye (1911) Omer Verschoore (1912) Joseph Van Daele (1913) Victor Dethier (1914) Jean Rossius (1919)
1920–1939	Jules Vanhevel (1920–1921) René Vermandel (1922) Félix Sellier (1923) René Vermandel (1924) Gerard Debaets (1925) Félix Sellier (1926) August Mortelmans (1927) Joseph Dervaes (1928) Joseph Wauters (1929–1930) Alphonse Schepers (1931) Georges Lemaire (1932) Louis Duerloo (1933) Louis Roels (1934) Gustave Danneels (1935) Jean Aerts (1936) Karel Kaers (1937) Petrus Van Theemsche (1938) Marcel Kint (1939)
1940–1959	Odiel Van Den Meersschaut (1940) André Defoort (1941) André Maelbrancke (1942) Rik Van Steenbergen (1943, 1945) Émile Masson Jr. (1946–1947) Achiel Buysse (1948) Valère Ollivier (1949) Albert Ramon (1950) Lode Anthonis (1951) Jozef Schils (1952) Alois Vansteenkiste (1953) Rik Van Steenbergen (1954) Emiel Van Cauter (1955) André Vlayen (1956–1957) Rik Van Looy (1958) Petrus Oellibrandt (1959)
1960–1979	Frans De Mulder (1960) Michel Van Aerde (1961) Jef Planckaert (1962) Rik Van Looy (1963) Edward Sels (1964) Walter Godefroot (1965) Guido Reybrouck (1966) Jozef Boons (1967) Julien Stevens (1968) Roger De Vlaeminck (1969) Eddy Merckx (1970) Herman Vanspringel (1971) Walter Godefroot (1972) Frans Verbeeck (1973) Roger Swerts (1974) Willy Teirlinck (1975) Freddy Maertens (1976) Michel Pollentier (1977–1978) Gery Verlinden (1979)
1980–1999	Jos Jacobs (1980) Roger De Vlaeminck (1981) Frank Hoste (1982) Lucien Van Impe (1983) Eric Vanderaerden (1984) Paul Haghedooren (1985) Marc Sergeant (1986) Ferdi Van Den Haute (1987) Etienne De Wilde (1988) Carlo Bomans (1989) Claude Criquielion (1990) Benjamin Van Itterbeeck (1991) Johan Museeuw (1992) Alain Van Den Bossche (1993) Wilfried Nelissen (1994–1995) Johan Museeuw (1996) Tom Steels (1997–1998) Ludo Dierckxsens (1999)
2000–2019	Axel Merckx (2000) Ludovic Capelle (2001) Tom Steels (2002) Geert Omloop (2003) Tom Steels (2004) Serge Baguet (2005) Niko Eeckhout (2006) Stijn Devolder (2007) Jürgen Roelandts (2008) Tom Boonen (2009) Stijn Devolder (2010) Philippe Gilbert (2011) Tom Boonen (2012) Stijn Devolder (2013) Jens Debusschere (2014) Preben Van Hecke (2015) Philippe Gilbert (2016) Oliver Naesen (2017) Yves Lampaert (2018) Tim Merlier (2019)
2020–2039	Dries De Bondt (2020) Wout van Aert (2021) Tim Merlier (2022) Remco Evenepoel (2023) Arnaud De Lie (2024)