In the history of professional bike racing few regions have produced as many remarkable characters as Flanders and the latest book in Chris Sidwells’ “Cycling Legends” series brings us the life stories of those who earned the name of “Flandrien,” a term that is applied to the hard men of cycling and proudly worn by them. Their exploits, particularly in the great One Day Races, are well-known but in this book we get a lot of the back stories, along with great period photos.
Belgium is a country of two parts—French-speaking Wallonie and Flanders, where a Dutch dialect is used. (Yes, I know, there is also a small part where German is the official language but it does not feature in this story). After Belgium was created as a nation in 1830, French was used for legal documents, by officers in the Army and by the upper class. Young working class Flemish cyclists found a way to make a mark in this divided environment as the new sport of bike racing offered both a potential escape from poverty but also a mark of cultural pride. In 1912 a Flemish racer, Odile deFraye, won the Tour de France as Flanders made waves in the sporting world.
“The qualities embodied in a Flandien are: work ethic, toughness, fortitude, resolve and physical strength” writes the author. And this is certainly exemplified by the rider whose career is the subject of the opening chapter, which begins with the origins of pro racing in the region before introducing Briek Schotte, who became known as “Iron Briek.” Born into family circumstances that required him to work in farm labour, he was launched into the world of racing thanks to his supporters’ club (a thing in Flanders even today) and the generosity of local linen merchants, who anted up enough money to allow Schotte’s father to hire a farm labourer so that Briek could train and race.
Race he certainly did. He participated in the Tour of Flanders no fewer than twenty times, winning twice, as well as becoming two-time Road World Champion and twice winner of Gent-Wevelgem and Paris-Tours. He even finished second in the 1948 Tour de France behind Gino Bartali. He then went on to a highly successfully career as a team manager.
The strength of the book is that author Sidwells actually interviewed all of the central personalities, including Schotte. One of the best stories is Schotte’s telling of how he won the 1948 Worlds, held in Valkenburg in the Netherlands, but using the cheers of the Dutch crowd to determine where their favoured racer was coming after him on the course. Schotte was a strong rider, noted for his ability to suffer, but he clearly was a racer of intelligence. Poignantly, he was to pass away in 2004 on the morning of that year’s edition of the Tour of Flanders.
Next up in the book is the Emperor of Herentals, Rik van Looy, and one of the Flemish giants of road racing in the 1950s and 1960s. One of only three riders to ever win all five Monuments (the others being Roger de Vlaeminck and Eddy Merckx, both of whom have chapters devoted to them here), Van Looy was also known as Rik II as he was competing with another slightly older superstar Rik van Steenbergen (hence Rik I). Van Looy had begun his cycling life delivering newspapers and went on to score 367 professional victories, behind only Merckx. His career placed him between Van Steenbergen, who was winding down, and Merckx, the coming talent. Although considered the “King of the Classics,” Van Looy won 37 stages in Grand Tours and Jacques Anquetil considered him a real threat in the Tour de France, where time he lost in the mountains he could make up on flatter stages. Van Looy died in December 2024, aged 90, a celebrated figure and another tough Flandrien.
The book continues with biographies of so many stars: Mr. Paris-Robaix, Roger de Vlaeminck, as well as his brother Eric, who was Cyclocross World Champion seven times (a feat matched only be Mathieu van der Poel); the incredible sprinting talent Freddy Maertens, who won 52 races in 1976 and 53 the following year, including 13 stages at the Vuelta; the tragic Jean-Pierre Monseré; Eric Vanderaeden, winner of Paris-Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders; the colourful Plankaert dynasty; and on to three “Masters of the Millenium:” Museeuw, Van Petegem and Boonen.
As noted, the interviews with the riders make this book very insightful. As a fan, I always wondered how it was that Peter van Petegem would nonchalantly sit at the back of the peloton in his favoured races (Flanders and Roubaix, of course), a recipe that would seem to preclude success, and yet somehow work his way up to a position where he could fight for a podium position. He told the author: “Something gets communicated to me at the crucial moments of a race I feel something, like something is about to happen in the peloton….I can sense something going on when the race changes from its build-up stage to its crucial stage, no matter what the moment is.” He also believed that not having to fight for position unlike his rivals allowed him extra energy at the decisive time.
The riders were very much rooted to their region, training in the cold and rain. While Museeuw and Van Petegem stayed true to Flanders, the charismatic Tom Boonen was for a brief time only resident in the tax haven of Monaco before returning to Belgium and the wet cobbles.
The book’s concluding chapter is an interview with the great Eddy Merckx, who might not be considered Flemish being from just outside Brussels, but certainly meets the qualifications of what makes a Flandrien so admired.
“Cycling matters in Flanders. It’s a sport the region identifies with for many reasons. Some historic, some to do with sociology and how Flemish people self-identify. Cycling has long represented the region’s proud character, and it still does today.” In this welcome book, the author shows, through the lives of these famous racers, just why this is so. “Flandrien,” with its thoughtful text and really superb collection of photos, belongs on the shelf of every fan of cycle sports.
Cycling Legends 04 “Flandriens”
by Chris Sidwells
150 pp., profusely illustrated, softcover
Cycling Legends, UK, 2025
ISBN 978-1-0369-1605-3
Price: GBP 20 (There is a discount available when buying more books in the “Cycling Legends” series)
- The book is available directly from the publisher. For further information and international pricing: cyclinglegends.co.uk.
The post Pez Bookshelf: Cycling Legends 04–”Flandriens” appeared first on PezCycling News.
