Alfons de Wolf

Alfons De Wolf

Alfons ("Fons") De Wolf (born 22 June 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 – San Remo, 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 – San Remo to Paris–Roubaix, Gent–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.