René Vermandel

René Vermandel (born March 23, 1893 in Zelzate , † April 20, 1958 in Anderlecht ) was a Belgian cyclist .

Because of the First World War , René Vermandel did not become a professional racing driver until he was 27. He became one of the most successful Belgian road racers of the 1920s. In 1921 he became Belgian champion in the cyclo-cross race ; in the same year he won both the Tour of Belgium and the Tour of Flanders , and in 1922 again the Tour of Belgium. In 1923 and 1924 he won at Liège – Bastogne – Liège . In 1922 and 1924 he was Belgian road racing champion, the first time in the form of a one-day race in Spa , the second time after scoring several races. In 1922 he also won the Critérium des As . He was able to take first place in many other races. Once, in 1921 , he also took part in the Tour de France , but gave up during the third stage.

Towards the end of his career, Vermandel also contested eleven six-day races ; In 1927 he was able to win that in Dortmund together with Pierre Rielens . In 1929 he finished third with Jules Vanhevel at the six-day race in Dortmund; the publisher of the Belgian magazine Sportwereld , Karel Van Wijnendaele , had previously set up the two racing drivers as antagonists to increase the circulation.

After the end of his active cycling career, Vermandel set the pace in standing races by Willy Michaux and Raymond Impanis . He also ran a sports café in Kuregem, a district of Anderlecht , and was chairman of the “Kuregem Sportief” cycling club for many years.

René Vermandel was called "Le Frisé" because of his eye-catching hairstyle: a central parting with a pronounced curly mane, but also the "Belgian Lapize ".

literature

• Herman Laitem, Jozef Hamels: De Tricolore Trui. 1882-2007. 125 Jaar Belgian Campaign Schappen. Pinguin Productions et al., Balegem et al. 2008, ISBN 978-90-73322-21-9 , pp. 64f.

Web links

• René Vermandel in the Radsportseiten.net database