http://www.rvv.be/eng/historiek/vanhooyd.html
A marriage of convenience (Edwig Van Hooydonck)
Edwig Van Hooydonck won the Tour of Flanders twice. In 1989 as a 22
years old boy he cried emotionally. In 1991 he was a self assured young
man as he stood on the stage.
Edwig won twice with bravura. Both times he left everybody behind at
the last slope : the Bosberg This gave him the nickname : Eddy Bosberg.
Especially his breakaway in 1991 was impressive. It was expected but
nobody could stand this power explosion of Edwig Van Hooydonck. Edwig
himself preferred his victory of 1991 : "In 1989 it was a total
surprise for everybody but in 1991 I was the favourite cyclist and even
the best ones could not keep up with me."
Van Hooydonck preferred Roubaix instead of the Tour of Flanders
because the first times in 1987 and 1988 it was a disappointment. He
did not like the nervous character of the course in the run up to the
mountain zone. On the contrary Paris-Roubaix is less pulling and
pushing and much more straight lined. He dreamed of winning
Paris-Roubaix. In 1987, 1989 and 1990 he became third each time. With a
little more luck and a little more perception he would have made it.
Everybody thought that Edwig would become one of the legendary racers
who won three times. In 1992 he came very near. An early escape with a
few unknown cyclists held on to the end. Jacky Durand had one minute on
the top of the Bosberg and despite the united forces of Van Hooydonck
and Fondriest, they could not reach Durand. From 1993 on, he was on the
downgrade, finished sixth and ninth the year after. He realised he
would never reach the top again. He doubted the new Italian training
methods. In 1991, he rode to the top of the Bosberg with a gear of
approximately 5 meters while Bartoli in 1996 rushed to the top with a
gear of 7 meters. In may of 1996 he stopped cycling. He was not yet
thirty years old. Now he is a successful dealer in aluminium windows
and doors.