24 Facts About Johan Museeuw

Johan Museeuw was born on 13 October 1965 and is a retired Belgian professional road racing cyclist who was a professional from 1988 until 2004.

Johan Museeuw started his professional career in 1988 with ADR.

Johan Museeuw won the uphill-sprint stage to Mont Saint-Michel and the final stage of the Tour in Paris, both in a mass sprint.

Johan Museeuw won E3 Harelbeke, his first cobbled semi-classic race win, and the Belgian national road race title in Peer.

Johan Museeuw was second in the final points classification of the 1992 Tour de France behind Frenchman Laurent Jalabert for the second time.

Johan Museeuw did not win a stage, despite having won every peloton sprint behind a group of escapees that year.

Johan Museeuw won the Tour of Flanders in a two-man sprint with Frans Maassen, taking his first win in a monument classic.

Johan Museeuw ended his spring campaign with a victory in the Amstel Gold Race after a two-man sprint with Italian Bruno Cenghialta, his fourth World Cup win.

Johan Museeuw ended the year in sixth position of the UCI Road World Rankings.

Johan Museeuw won the 1995 Tour of Flanders, earning him the nickname The Lion of Flanders in the Flemish media.

Johan Museeuw changed his mind and started the next week in the world championship road race, where he was not considered a favourite because of the mountainous course in Lugano.

Johan Museeuw abandoned in the 18th stage of the Tour de France, in the rainbow jersey, after several unsuccessful attempts to win a stage in a breakaway.

Johan Museeuw went on to defend his world title in San Sebastian, but missed the winning breakaway and finished eighth.

Johan Museeuw suffered severe head trauma and spent several days in a coma.

Johan Museeuw's powerful riding style won him legions of fans all over the world and made him all the more popular in his native Flanders.

Johan Museeuw started a last time in the Tour de France, but abandoned in the Pyrenees stages.

Johan Museeuw won the Omloop Het Volk early in the season, but an illness obstructed his preparation for the classics.

Johan Museeuw ended his career in the spring of 2004 after 17 years as a professional and 59 professional victories.

Johan Museeuw finished in tears, in fifth place, together with his long-time rival Peter Van Petegem.

Police authorities claimed that Johan Museeuw had purchased banned substances in 2003.

On 24 January 2007, Johan Museeuw confessed to the charges in a press conference, revealing that he had "not been completely honest in his last year as a professional, as he wanted to end his career in style", and announcing his resignation from his Quick Step team.

In December 2008 Johan Museeuw was convicted for doping offences by a Belgian Court, together with former cyclists Jo Planckaert and Chris Peers who were involved in the same affair.

In September 2012 Johan Museeuw gave an interview for Flemish newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen, stating that "nearly every rider of his generation doped", thereby implicitly confessing to the true extent of his doping use.

Johan Museeuw stated that he is convinced the current generation of riders is "the cleanest cycling has ever seen".