August Verhaegen

August Verhaegen (born August 5, 1941 in Pulle , Belgium ) is a former Belgian cyclist .

Athletic career

Verhaegen began his cycling career as an amateur with road riders and remained loyal to road racing throughout his career. As a 22-year-old, he achieved his first notable victories. In March 1963 he won the amateur edition of the one-day race Tour of Flanders . Then the Belgian cycling federation nominated him for the stage race International Peace Ride . There he was one of the most conspicuous players in May, won a stage and wore the yellow jersey of the front runner for five days. He finished the tour in second place in the individual standings.

Verhaegen then moved to the professional paddock , where he received a contract with the French cycling team Mercier-BP-Hutchinson. One of his first professional races was Brussels-Liège in June 1963, where he only achieved 36th place out of 38 participants. He then drove in the Tour de France in 1963 and again only came third from the bottom. In 1964 Verhaegen drove mainly smaller races in Belgium, in which he was four times winner. His only listing in a 1964 classic he reached Paris-Roubaix , among 81 places he was 36. At the Tour de France 1965 Verhaegen reappeared in the results lists. Now driving for the Belgian racing team Wiel's - Groene Leeuw, he reached 3rd place in two stages and finished the tour as 45th out of 96 listed. Before that he was 35th in the Tour of Spain , and in 1965 he won five regional races. In 1966, Verhaegen was only listed in the results lists at regional races, in which he appeared three times as the winner. In his last professional year he belonged to the Belgian racing team Mann-Grundig, but did not achieve any significant placements.

Web links

• Portrait at www.radsportseiten.net
• Results at www.museociclismo.it