History

The Belgian rider Freddy Maertens had a strong start of his career, but later on he followed a bumpy path with heavy peaks and valleys. Maertens belonged to the real top-sprinters and he also excelled in time-trials. His many victories, including two World Championships, proved that he was a great rider! 

We all experienced that Kuiper was a born cyclist in his 22-year career from 1966 to 1988. His first great achievement was in 1972, when he became Olympic Champion in Munich among the amateurs with an impressive lead throughout the race. In 1973 his cycling career took off and he won two stages: the second stage of the Tour de l'Aude and the cyclocross in Enschede.

This year it will be 50 years since the great Eddy Merckx won the Road World Cycling Championship for the second time. That's why we look back at these great victories in this blog. Eddy Merckx already surprised everyone in 1967 by taking home the rainbow jersey, but a few years later (in 1974) he was able to win this jersey again. In 1964 he also became World Champion with the amateurs.

This week, La Vuelta comes to an end. The cycling race that started small and grew into a big classic race, also called the little brother of the Tour and Giro, was ridden for the first time in 1935. That year, the Belgian Gustaaf DeLoor brought home the title and in 1936 Gustaaf also finished first. Gustaaf's older brother Alfons DeLoor came in second, so it was a great year for the DeLoor family!

On the 14th of August, La Vuelta will start again. Of course, we cannot let this classic go by unnoticed, so let us first take a look at the history of this wonderful cycling race. 

Last week the 108th edition of the Tour de France came to an end. An exciting Tour and one of the most memorable moments was the performance of Mark Cavendish. "Cav' equalled Eddy Merckx's stage record! With a shared record of 34 stage victories at the Tour de France, this may well be the last year that Merckx can enjoy his title. That's why we think it's once again about time to reflect on the Tour victories of this cycling legend!