Niko Eeckhout Explained

Niko Eeckhout
Fullname:	Niko Eeckhout
Nickname:	Rambo
Birth Date:	1970 12, df=yes
Birth Place:	Izegem, Belgium
Height:	1.730NaN0
Weight:	73kg (161lb)
Discipline:	Road
Ridertype:	Classics specialist, sprinter
Proyears1:	1992–1996
Proyears2:	1997–1998
Proyears3:	1999–2000
Proyears4:	2001–2004
Proyears5:	2005–2008
Proyears6:	2009–2013
Majorwins:	UCI Europe Tour (2005–2006) National Road Race Championships (2006) Dwars door Vlaanderen (2001, 2005) Championship of Flanders (1996, 1998, 2000, 2006) GP Isbergues

Niko Eeckhout (born 16 December 1970) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 1992 and 2013. He was the 2005–2006 UCI Europe Tour series and the 2006 Belgian National Cycling Championship Road Race champion, and currently works for the Team as a coach.^[1]

Career

Born in Izegem, Eeckhout started his career in 1993 riding for the small Collstrop-team. He immediately started winning minor Belgian races like the Championship of Flanders and the Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde. In 1997 and 1998 he rode for, and then rode two years for Palmans. Eeckhout had a breakthrough season when he transferred to Lotto-Adecco in 2001, winning 11 races, including Dwars door Vlaanderen and the GP van Steenbergen.

Eeckhout struggled through the next two seasons and at the end of 2004 his contract with Lotto-Adecco ended and he needed to find a new team. He signed with the Belgian squad Chocolade Jacques and found his second youth. He started the 2005 season by winning Dwars door Vlaanderen, and went on to win major races including the Grand Prix d'Isbergues and a stage of the Three Days of De Panne.In 2006 he continued his winning form, taking the Three Days of West-Flanders. In June 2006 he won the biggest race in his career, the Belgian National Road Championship in Antwerp by beating Tom Boonen and Philippe Gilbert. Eeckhout had another great season in 2006, winning 12 races, including the 2005-2006 UCI Europe Tour.In the peloton he earned the nickname "Rambo" for being particularly tough during hard races in severe conditions.

Major achievements

1992

1st Stage 3 Tour de Liège

3rd Nationale Sluitingprijs

1993

1st Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen Ichtegem

1st Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden

1st Stages 2 & 3 Tour du Poitou-Charentes

2nd GP Rik Van Steenbergen

1994

4th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

1995

2nd GP Stad Zottegem

1996

1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

1st Omloop van het Waasland

1st Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers

3rd A Travers le Morbihan

4th Paris–Bourges

5th Veenendaal–Veenendaal

6th GP Rik Van Steenbergen

8th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

1997

1st Omloop van het Waasland

1st Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers

4th Nokere Koerse

6th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

9th Cholet-Pays de Loire

1998

1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

1999

1st Omloop van de Westhoek

2nd De Kustpijl

2nd Omloop van het Waasland

2nd Leeuwse Pijl

3rd Grand Prix de Denain

4th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

2000

1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

1st Grand Prix Rudy Dhaenens

1st Omloop van het Houtland

1st Omloop van de Westhoek

2nd Ronde van Midden-Zeeland

2nd Veenendaal–Veenendaal

3rd Sparkassen Giro Bochum

3rd Grand Prix Midtbank

4th Grand Prix Pino Cerami

4th Nokere Koerse

5th Paris–Brussels

2001

1st Overall Étoile de Bessèges

1st Points classification

1st Stage 1

1st Dwars door Vlaanderen

1st Ronde van Midden-Zeeland

1st Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

1st Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

1st Stage 3 Circuit Franco-Belge

2nd Paris–Brussels

3rd Schaal Sels

3rd Cholet-Pays de Loire

3rd Nokere Koerse

9th Overall Danmark Rundt

1st Stage 2

9th Overall Three Days of De Panne

1st Points classification

9th Paris–Tours

2002

4th Overall Three Days of De Panne

6th Dwars door Vlaanderen

8th Nokere Koerse

9th GP Rik Van Steenbergen

9th Schaal Sels

2003

1st Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

1st Stage 1 Tour de Wallonie

2nd Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden

3rd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

2004

1st Ronde van Midden-Zeeland

1st Stage 4 Ster Elektrotoer

2nd Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

6th Dwars door Vlaanderen

7th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge

10th Paris–Brussels

2005

1st Dwars door Vlaanderen

1st Grand Prix d'Isbergues

1st Grote Prijs Beeckman-De Caluwé

1st Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden

1st Stage 2 Three Days of De Panne

4th Paris–Brussels

4th Omloop Het Volk

4th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

5th Overall Tour of Belgium

5th Scheldeprijs

6th Nationale Sluitingprijs

8th Veenendaal–Veenendaal

8th Omloop van het Waasland

2006

1st Overall UCI Europe Tour

1st Road race, National Road Championships

1st Overall Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen

1st Stage 3

1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

1st Omloop van het Waasland

1st Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

Circuit Franco-Belge

1st Points classification

1st Stage 3

2nd Omloop van het Houtland

2nd Cholet-Pays de Loire

4th Ronde van Midden-Zeeland

4th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

4th Scheldeprijs

4th Dwars door Vlaanderen

6th Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden

7th Overall Tour of Belgium

8th Halle–Ingooigem

2007

1st Omloop van het Waasland

2nd Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

3rd Omloop van het Houtland

4th Overall Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen

6th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

2008

1st Omloop van het Waasland

2nd Overall Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen

3rd Road race, National Road Championships

3rd Dutch Food Valley Classic

3rd Dwars door Vlaanderen

4th Ronde van het Groene Hart

5th Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden

5th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

6th Overall Tour de Picardie

7th Nokere Koerse

10th Omloop van het Houtland

2009

1st Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem

1st Memorial Briek Schotte-Desselgem

1st Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

FBD Insurance Ras

1st Points classification

1st Stage 1

1st Stages 4 & 5 Vuelta a Extremadura

2nd Dwars door Vlaanderen

3rd Omloop van het Houtland

6th Omloop van het Waasland

7th Sparkassen Giro

10th Nokere Koerse

2010

1st Stage 5 Étoile de Bessèges

1st Stage 3 Ronde de l'Oise

2nd Ronde van het Groene Hart

7th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad

2011

3rd Handzame Classic

4th Omloop van het Waasland

8th Overall Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen

1st Stage 2

2012

1st Wanzeel Koerse

1st Omloop der Kempen

1st Schaal Sels

3rd Dwars door het Hageland

5th Ronde van Noord-Holland

7th Overall Ronde de l'Oise

8th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

2013

2nd Omloop van het Waasland

2nd Zuid Oost Drenthe Classic I

5th Grote Prijs Wase Polders

6th Arno Wallaard Memorial

Notes and References

Web site: An Post Chainreaction to register as Irish; targets pro-continental status and more sponsors. stickybottle.com. 9 December 2013.