Jules Vanhevel

Jules Vanhevel

Jules Vanhevel (born March 10, 1895 in Koekelare , † July 21, 1969 in Oostende ) was a Belgian cyclist .

Jules Vanhevel was one of the most versatile and successful racing cyclists of his time; he was a professional from 1919 to 1935. As an amateur and as a racing driver in the service of the military, he won numerous races. After the end of the First World War he became a professional racing driver.

In 1920 Vanhevel won the Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen and won the Tour of Flanders , 1922 the Ronde van West-Vlaanderen , 1923 and 1924 the Critérium des As , 1924 Paris – Roubaix , 1927 Berlin-Cottbus-Berlin , 1928 the Tour of Belgium and won many more victories. He was Belgian road champion twice - in 1920 and 1921. He also started in 26 six-day races, of which he was able to win two, 1923 in Brussels and 1925 in Ghent , each with César Debaets .

Vanhevel's 25th anniversary as a racing driver was the occasion for a festival in Bruges , and he was the first cyclist to be awarded a royal medal, the Order of the Leopold .

After retiring from cycling, Vanhevel became a tire dealer. He remained connected to cycling as a functionary of the Belgian Cycling Federation. He died in 1969, the day after Eddy Merckx won the Tour de France , 30 years after the last Belgian victory by Sylvère Maes .

In 2006, in Vanhevel's hometown of Ichtegem, a small private museum was opened in his honor in the Brasserie "Den Engel", which belongs to members of his family.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ belgiumview.com netherlands .

literature

• Herman Laitem, Jozef Hamels: De Tricolore Trui. 1882-2007. 125 Jaar Belgian Campaign Schappen. Pinguin Productions u. a., Balegem et al. a. 2008, ISBN 978-90-73322-21-9 , pp. 61f.

Web links

• Jules Vanhevel in the Radsportseiten.net database