Monday, July 1, 2024 at 3:05 PM
Biking-loving Belgium mourns the demise of Gilbert Desmet. The previous skilled bicycle owner handed away final evening on the age of 93. Desmet was the oldest residing yellow jersey wearer within the Tour de France.
Gilbert Desmet was identified in his youth as an excellent marathon runner, however jumped on a motorcycle on the age of sixteen. This turned out to be the start of a protracted and profitable biking profession. Desmet – ‘Smetje’ for brief – grew right into a rider to be reckoned with within the fifties and sixties of the final century. He managed to win a number of prestigious classics with Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne, the Walloon Arrow and Paris-Excursions.
Desmet additionally attracted consideration within the Tour de France. The Belgian was profitable in Paris-Good, the Tour of Switzerland and the Critérium du Dauphiné. Within the 1958 Vuelta a España he gained the seventh stage from Valencia to Cuenca, forward of huge names equivalent to Rik Van Looy and Wim van Est.
Eleven days in yellow
The honorary citizen from Lichtervelde – who was allowed to name himself knowledgeable bicycle owner from 1953 to 1967 – additionally made a reputation for himself within the Tour de France. Within the 1956 version he wore the yellow jersey for at some point (two levels) and in 1963 he was even allowed to trip round for ten days in The yellow jersey. He additionally completed within the prime ten of the ultimate classification twice. Within the 1962 Tour he was fourth, two years later he was eighth.
Throughout his profession, Desmet rode for and with nice champions such because the aforementioned Van Looy, Raphaël Géminiani, Charly Gaul, Federico Bahamontes, Jesus Loroño and Bernardo Ruiz.
