Danny de Bie was a late-bloomer, who did not break through until he won the silver world championship medal in Mlada Boleslav as a professional rider in 1987. De Bie was already 27 years old at the time and as an amateur had seldom given the impression that he would be a highflier. He was the middle child of three cycling brothers Eddy, Danny and Rudi. As a road racer, Danny achieved many victories, but his heart was in the cross. After that unexpected success at the world championship, De Bie had acquired at taste for it. He started to live for his sport and during the winter he went to Switzerland almost every week, which at that time was the Mecca of cyclo-cross. That is where he learned the trade of cyclo-cross rider and gained the necessary toughness. Two years later this resulted in the world title. The track in the French Pont-Château was cut out for him and he took advantage of his technical skills. As the only cross-country racer he conquered the artificial obstacles while riding his bicycle. One of those beams was at the foot of a slope. His technical skills allowed him to continue to cycle on the long slope, while his competitor Adri van der Poel each time had to bridge the almost 100 metres long climb walking. Each lap, De Bie gained a small lead on the seemingly tireless Dutchman, but a few laps before the end Van der Poel had to acknowledge his defeat.
The rainbow jersey brought Danny de Bie the acknowledgement as a cyclo-cross rider that he had dreamt about for so long. During the next years he became one of the best cyclo-cross riders in the world. The victory in the Super Prestige cyclo-cross underlined his qualities. He was the new leader of the Belgian cyclo-cross.
In 1991, Danny de Bie became the talk of the town when after the SP cyclo-cross of Zillebeke he was suspected of committing fraud at the dope test. After a number of lawsuits he was not allowed to take part in the world championships in Gieten.
Danny de Bie was Belgian champion three years in a row and was unexpectedly dethroned in 1993 when Paul Herijgers beat him in the final sprint. Danny de Bie won ten Super Prestige races and conquered the Belgian title three times. After his career he started working as team manager of a team of cyclo-cross riders. Under his wing, Bart Wellens developed into a world-class rider.

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