Walter Godefroot

Walter Godefroot
	Godefroot in 1997
Personal information
Full name	Walter Godefroot
Nickname	The Bulldog of Flanders
Born	2 July 1943 (age 81); Ghent, Belgium
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Manager
Rider type	One-day 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, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975) Giro d'Italia 1 individual stage (1970 Vuelta a España 2 individual stages (1971 Stage Races Four Days of Dunkirk (1974) One-day races and Classics National Road Race Championship (1965, 1972) Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1967) Tour of Flanders (1968, 1978) Paris–Roubaix (1969) Bordeaux–Paris (1969, 1976) Dwars door Vlaanderen (1966, 1968) Gent–Wevelgem (1968) Championship of Zürich (1970, 1974) GP of Aargau Canton (1969) Scheldeprijs (1969) Rund um den Henninger Turm (1974)
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

1964

Olympic Games

3rd

Men's individual road race

1st Gent-Staden

3rd Tour de Tunisie

1st Stages 1, 4, 8

Tour de Berlin

1st Stage 2

1965

1st

Road race, National Road Championships

1st Omloop van het Zuidwesten

Tour du Nord

1st Stage 3 (TTT)

1st Critérium de Libramont

3rd Tielt–Antwerpen–Tielt

1966

Volta a Catalunya

1st Stages 1, 2, 4, 7, 10

Grand Prix du Midi Libre

1st Stage 1

1st GP Ninove

1st Dwars door België

Tour of Belgium

1st Stage 3

Four Days of Dunkirk

1st Points Classification

1st Maaslandse Pijl

1st Six Days of Madrid (with Emiel Severeyns)

2nd Omloop Het Volk

2nd Rund um den Henninger Turm

2nd Brussels–Meulebeke

2nd Elfstedenronde

2nd Grand Prix d'Isbergues

1967

Tour de France

1st Stage 1

Tour de Suisse

1st Stage 7

Tour de Romandie

1st Stage 1

1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège

1st Porto–Lisboa

1st Nokere Koerse

1st Circuit de l'Armorique à Ploudalmézeau

1st Circuit du Maasland

1st Maaslandse Pijl

1st Berlare

2nd Gullegem Koerse

2nd Brussels–Meulebeke

2nd Omloop van de Vlasstreek

1968

Tour de France

1st Stages 3b and 9

2nd, Points Classification

1st Tour of Flanders

1st Gent–Wevelgem

1st Dwars door België

Paris–Nice

1st Stages 2 and 6

Vuelta a Andalucía

1st Stages 3 and 8

Tour de Suisse

1st Stage 2

2nd Paris–Tours

2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

3rd Paris–Roubaix

3rd Omloop van de Vlasstreek

3rd Super Prestige Pernod

1969

1st Bordeaux–Paris

1st Paris–Roubaix

1st Scheldeprijs

1st Critérium des As

1st Grand Prix of Aargau Canton

Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

1st Stage 6b

1st Tour de Wallonie

1st GP d'Argovie

1st Omloop van de Fruitstreek

1st Heusden Koers

2nd

National Road Race Championships

2nd Köln-Aachen-Köln

2nd GP Flandria

3rd GP Union Dortmund

1970

Tour de France

Winner points classification

1st Stages 4 and 5a

Giro d'Italia

1st Stage 8

1st Züri-Metzgete

1st Boucles de l'Aulne

1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria

1st Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence

1st Critérium de Boulogne-sur-Mer

2nd Tour of Flanders

2nd overall Tour of Belgium

1st Stage 3a

3rd Gent–Wevelgem

1971

Tour de France

1st Stages 5a and 9

Vuelta a España

1st Stages 7 and 8

3rd Points Classification

Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme

1st Stage 1

1st Textielprijs Vichte

2nd Leeuwse Pijl

2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie

3rd Six Days of Antwerp

1972

1st

Road race, National Road Championships

Tour de France

1st Stage 5a

1st G.P d'Aalst

2nd Boucles de l'Aulne

3rd Nationale Sluitingsprijs

3rd Championship of Flanders

3rd Critérium des As

3rd Six Days of Ghent (with Graeme Gilmore)

1973

1st Stages 5 and 16a

1st Stage 4a

1st Stage 1

1st Stage 6

1st Omloop der drie Provinciën

1st Omloop van Oost-Vlaanderen

1st GP Impanis-Van Petegem

1st GP Desselgem

1st Circuit du Brabant Central

2nd Paris–Roubaix

2nd Flèche Halloise

3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

3rd Bordeaux–Paris

3rd Grand Prix de Wallonie

National Track Championships

2nd

Madison (with Norbert Seeuws)

3rd Six Days of Antwerp

1974

1st Rund um den Henninger Turm

1st Züri-Metzgete

1st

Four Days of Dunkirk

1st Stage 3a

3rd Amstel Gold Race

3rd Elfstedenronde

1975

1975 Tour de France

1st Stage 22 (Champs-Élysées) –

1st Critérium De Panne

2nd Omloop van de Westkust

3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

3rd Rund um den Henninger Turm

3rd Ronde van Limburg

3rd Grote Prijs Marcel Kint

National Track Championships

3rd

Madison (with Freddy Maertens)

1976

1st Bordeaux–Paris

Tour of Belgium

1st Stage 3

1st Omloop van Neeroeteren

Tour de Luxembourg

1st Stage 1 (TTT

2nd E3 Harelbeke

2nd Circuit des Genêts Verts

3rd Züri-Metzgete

3rd Tour du Condroz

1977

Four Days of Dunkirk

1st Stage 3

1st Hyon-Mons

1st Heusden Koers

2nd Tour of Flanders

2nd Bordeaux–Paris

2nd Milano–Torino

3rd Züri-Metzgete

1978

1st Tour of Flanders

2nd GP Stad Zottegem

2nd Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence

2nd GP St. Raphael

1979

1st Circuit des Frontières

Tour de Belgium

1st Stage 1 (TTT)

1st Ruddervoorde Koerse

2nd Boucles de l'Aulne

2nd Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde

3rd Berlare

Source ^[7]^[8]

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)