Former professional cyclist Jan Bogaert died on Tuesday at the age of 66 after a long illness. Bogaert was sometimes called the King of the Fair races, but his record among the pros also looks particularly good.
Feel free to call Jan Bogaert a born winner and not just of fair races. In 1990 he was even the international winner with 17 victories. He won a total of 247 races in his entire cycling career.
That does indeed include a lot of fairground races, but in his 15-year career as a professional he also achieved many prestigious victories. He triumphed, among others, in the E3 Prize (1982), the Scheldeprijs (1983) and Nokere Koerse (1984).
Bogaert was also a man for stage races, with many stage victories and overall victories, including in Circuit Franco-Belge and the Driedaagse van de Panne.
Bogaert achieved his best result in a spring classic in 1983, with a 2nd place in the Amstel Gold Race. A year earlier he had already finished 5th in the Tour of Flanders. He also crossed the line in 5th place twice in Gent-Wevelgem.
Bogaert had been battling a long illness for quite some time, and he passed away on Tuesday. The King of the Fair races had celebrated his 66th birthday last month.
