Vanspringel was an accomplished time-trial rider, almost winning the Tour de France in 1968. He was beaten in the last stage by Dutch rider Jan Janssen in a time-trial.[4] This remains as one of the closest races in Tour de France history. In the autumn that year, he won the classic Giro di Lombardia.
He won a record seven editions of the marathon Bordeaux–Paris.[5] He also won the Green Jersey in the 1973 Tour de France without winning a single stage. He finished in 6th place overall that year, the third time in his career he would finish in the top 10 of the Tour de France. He would finish in the top 10 one final time during the 1974 edition.[6] He would win a total of five stages during his ten participations in the Tour.
Vanspringel cycled through the 1970s and ended his career at the end of the 1981 season. As a professional cyclist, he eventually won 136 road races.[8]
Flemish TV-maker and presenter, Mark Uytterhoeven, motivated by the 1968 Tour, founded a Herman Vanspringel fan club.[9][10]
^"Gosta Pettersson Gano El "Giro"" [Gosta Pettersson wins the "Tour"] (PDF). El Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 11 June 1971. p. 17. Archived(PDF) from the original on 26 January 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2012.