Tom Steels (born 2 September 1971) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, specialising in sprint finishes and one-day races. He was one of the top sprinters in the peloton.

Steels competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, in the Men's 1000 metres Time Trial, finishing 19th.

Steels began his professional cycling career in 1994 with the Vlaanderen 2002 team, winning eight times in his first two seasons. His breakthrough was after he signed with Mapei in 1996. That year he won Omloop Het Volk, and Gent–Wevelgem. In 1997, he rode in his first Tour de France, and looked capable of a stage win after coming second on Stage 2. However, during the sprint for the finish for the sixth stage he found himself blocked and boxed in by other sprinters and in frustration threw his water bottle at another rider, an offence for which he was disqualified from that year's Tour. As a result, he earned the nickname "Tom Bidon".

His best season was 1998 when he won the national championship for the second time and returned to the Tour de France to win four stages. The points jersey would also have been his, as the people in front of him all admitted to doping. Steels won five more stages in the 1999 and 2000 Tour de France. He was also national champion in 2002 and 2004 which made him the record holder of Belgian road championships. 2006 was his first year as a professional that he failed to win a race. Steels retired from racing at the end of the 2008 season, during which he raced for Landbouwkrediet – Tönissteiner. In October 2010 he started as a coach for Quick Step, a Protour team, during 2011.

He is the uncle of fellow racing cyclist Stijn Steels.

Major results

1. 1994

2. 1st Stage 10 Tour de l'Avenir

3. GP Zele

4. 3rd Grand Prix Rik Van Steenbergen

5. 1995

6. 1st Grote 1-MeiPrijs

7. 1st Grand Prix Rik Van Steenbergen

8. 1st Nationale Sluitingsprijs

9. 1st Dwars door ’t Pajottenland

10. 1st Stage 6 K-Mart West-Virginia Mountain Classic

11. 1st Stage 5 Tour of the Netherlands

12. 2nd Dwars door België

13. 2nd Belgian National Road Race Championships

14. 5th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

15. 6th Lancaster Classic

16. 8th Le Samyn

17. 9th Overall Tour de l'Oise

18. 10th Reading Classic

19. 10th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

20. 1996

21. 1st Omloop Het Volk

22. 1st Gent–Wevelgem

23. 1st De Kustpijl

24. Vuelta a España

    1. 1st Stages 4 & 22

    1st Stage 2 Tour Méditerranéen

25. 1st Stage 5 Volta a Galicia

26. 1st Criterium Aalst

27. 2nd Scheldeprijs

28. 2nd Rund um Köln

29. 2nd Paris–Tours

30. 3rd Binche-Tournai-Binche

31. 5th Belgian National Road Race Championships

32. 9th Grand Prix Cholet-Pays de la Loire

33. 1997

34. 1st Belgian National Road Race Championships

35. 1st Trofeo Calvià

36. 1st Schaal Sels

37. Paris–Nice

    1. 1st Points classification

    2. 1st Stages 1, 2, 4 & 7

    Tour de Wallonie

    1. 1st Stages 4 & 5

    1st Stage 2 Tour de Luxembourg

38. 1st Stage 7 Tour de Suisse

39. 2nd Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

40. 3rd Trofeo Manacor

41. 6th Trofeo Alcúdia

42. 10th Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem

43. 1998

44. 1st Belgian National Road Race Championships

45. 1st Trofeo Sóller

46. 1st Trofeo Calvià

47. 1st Dwars door België

48. Vuelta a Andalucía

    1. 1st Points classification

    2. 1st Stages 2 & 5

    Paris–Nice

    1. 1st Points classification

    2. 1st Stages 3 & 4

    Tour de France

    1. 1st Stages 1, 12, 18 & 21

    3rd Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden

49. 6th Omloop Mandel

50. 7th Trofeo Manacor

51. 10th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

52. 1999

53. 1st Gent–Wevelgem

54. Vuelta a Andalucía

    1. 1st Stages 1 & 5

    Tour de France

    1. 1st Stages 2, 3 & 17

    1st Stage 8 Paris–Nice

55. 1st Stage 1 Driedaagse van de Panne

56. 2nd Trofeo Palma de Mallorca

57. 3rd Trofeo Alcúdia

58. 3rd Omloop Het Volk

59. 3rd Paris–Roubaix

60. 4th Dwars door België

61. 4th Omloop Mandel

62. 5th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

63. 6th Trofeo Luis Puig

64. 6th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx (with Leif Hoste)

65. 2000

66. Tour de France

    1. 1st Stages 2 & 3

    Tour de Wallonie

    1. 1st Stages 2 & 6

    1st Stage 4 Tour Méditerranéen

67. 1st Stage 8 Paris–Nice

68. 1st Stage 2 Driedaagse van de Panne

69. 4th Belgian National Road Race Championships

70. 6th Omloop Het Volk

71. 9th Scheldeprijs

72. 2001

73. Tour of Sweden

    1. 1st Stages 2 & 3

    1st Stage 1 Deutschland Tour

74. 3rd Trofeo Palma de Mallorca

75. 7th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

76. 2002

77. 1st Belgian National Road Race Championships

78. 1st Stage 6 Four Days of Dunkirk

79. 1st Stage 6 Volta a Catalunya

80. 2nd Trofeo Alcúdia

81. 2nd Scheldeprijs

82. 4th Trofeo Cala Millor

83. 6th Trofeo Palma de Mallorca

84. 8th Schaal Sels

85. 2003

86. Tour of Belgium

    1. 1st Points classification

    2. 1st Stage 1

    1st Stage 3 Étoile de Bessèges

87. 1st Stage 7 Tour of Austria

88. 1st Heusden criterium

89. 9th Nokere Koerse

90. 2004

91. 1st Belgian National Road Race Championships

92. Tour of Austria

    1. 1st Points classification

    2. 1st Stages 1 & 3

    1st Stage 1 Étoile de Bessèges

93. 1st Stage 2 Tour de Luxembourg

94. 1st St Niklaas criterium

95. 6th Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

96. 9th Châteauroux Classic

97. 2005

98. Étoile de Bessèges

    1. 1st Stages 2 & 4

    1st Stage 2 Volta ao Algarve

99. 1st Stage 3a Driedaagse van de Panne

100. 2nd St Niklaas criterium

101. 7th Gent–Wevelgem

102. 2006

103. 9th Paris–Tours

104. 9th Nationale Sluitingsprijs

105. 2007

106. 9th Eindhoven Team Time Trial

107. 2008

108. 2nd St Niklaas criterium

References

External links