Career
De Vlaeminck missed 1967 only because his bike was damaged during the race. He also performed creditably in road races, including the Tour de France. De Vlaeminck never failed a drugs test in his racing career but was treated after it for amphetamine addiction.
Many stories circulate about his supposed wild behaviour after races and after his career was over.
When he returned to racing, the Belgian federation would offer him a licence for only a day at a time until it saw how his life would progress. De Vlaeminck subsequently refused to speak about this period of his life.
His re-establishment was complete, however, because he became the national cyclo-cross coach and led Belgium to a dominating period of international success. He always complained, however, that while cyclo-cross brought Belgium its world championship medals, it was to road racing that the bulk of the funds were given.