Daily Cycling Facts 04.11.2013

Dirk Demol

He may not have won Paris-Roubaix the most glorious way,
but win it he did - Dirk Demol's pavé

Dirk Demol, born in Kuurne, Belgium on this day in 1959, won Paris-Roubaix in 1988 after breaking away on the cobbles just outside Roubaix from a lead group made up of relatively unknown riders that had itself broken away from the peloton 27km into the race. He then stayed out in front all the way without challenge.

It was, however, not a glorious victory. When he left the lead group, Thomas Wegmuller of KAS-Canal 10 went with him but then got a plastic bag entangled in his gears just as arrived at Roubaix. The team car came to his aid and a mechanic was able to remove the bag, but his gears still didn't work. Knowing that if he stopped to change bikes Demol would sprint away to certain victory, Wegmuller decided to carry on; Demol took full advantage of this by wheel-sucking him all the way to the velodrome and then accelerated away to win.


Born in Kuldīga, Latvia on this day in 1939, Emīlija Sonka won the Road Race at the 1964 World Championships at Salanches in France. She beat Galina Yudina, also riding for the USSR, and Rosa Sels of Belgium.

Uwe Peschel, who was born in Berlin on this day in 1968, won the National Individual Time Trial Championship in 2002 and was second at the World Individual Time Trial Championship a year later.

Born in Oyannax on this day in 1960, Éric Barone is a French cyclist who has set a number of downhill speed records and, at the time of writing, holds the World Records on gravel (172kph; set on Cerro Negro volcana, Nicaragua in 2002 - Barone crashed shortly after reaching the record speed and was badly injured) and on snow (222kph; set at Les Arcs, France in 2000).

Other cyclists born on this day: Wesley Kreder (Netherlands, 1990); John Otto (USA, 1900, died 1966); Lal Bakhsh (Pakistan, 1943); Evgeniya Radanova (Bulgaria, 1977); Leo Karner (Austria, 1952); Luis Díaz (Colombia, 1945); Jamie Wong (Hong Kong, 1986); Vasileios Reppas (Greece, 1988); Róbert Nagy (Slovakia, 1972); Lauri Aus (Estonia, 1970, died 2003); Federico Ramírez (Costa Rica, 1975); Ken Caves (Australia, 1926, died 1974); Ferenc Pelvássy (Hungar

Daily Cycling Facts 03.09.2013

Zita Urbonaitė was born in Šiauliai, Lithuania on this day in 1973 and won the National Championships in 1999 and 2002; successes that made her a household name in her native country and encouraged many other Lithuanian women to take up the sport. She retired to start a family in 2006, but died on the 26th of May in 2008 after being hit by a train in Montebelluna, Italy. She had been suffering deep post-natal depression since giving borth to a daughter three months earlier.

Jacques Esclassan

Jacques Esclassan

Jacques Esclassan, born in Castres, France on this day in 1948, signed his first professional contract with Peugeot in 1972 and remained with them for the entirety of his eight-year career. He soon revealed himself to be a sprinter of considerable note, winning Stage 2a at Paris-Nice and 9b at the Vuelta a Espana in his second year - he didn't win anything at the Tour de France, but two second-place stage finishes and three others in the top ten marked him out as a man the other sprinters would need to watch in the coming years. He confirmed it the next year with three second-places and six top tens, enough to put him into fifth place in the Points competition at the end of the race.

In 1975, Esclassan won the Critérium International and then took his first Tour victory, winning Stage 4 though he was ultimately unable to finish. A year later, he won Stage 8 at the Tour and was third in the Points competition; then in 1977 he won Stage 5a and finished 14 stages in the top ten, sufficient to give him a 96-point advantage over second-place Giacinto Santambrogio for the green jersey. He returned to the Tour in 1978 and won Stages 2 and 12b, finishing second for Points


José Luis Laguía, born in Pedro Muñoz, Spain on this day in 1959, turned professional with Reynolds in 1980 and spent the first six years of his career riding for them. During that time, he won the King of the Mountains in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986 - a record five times. Among his many other victories are the Tour of the Basque Country in 1981 and again in 1982, when he also won the National Road Race Championship. Unusually for a climber, Laguia could hold his own in a sprint: in 1982, the year of his second Vuelta King of the Mountains, he was second overall in the Points competition with 57 fewer points than Freddy Maertens (but 62 more than General Classification winner Bernard Hinault). He tried again in 1979 but left the race after Stage 15 and retired at the end of the year.

Other cyclists born on this day: Blel Kadri (France, 1986); Sergey Kolesnikov (USSR, 1986); Cheung King Wai (Hong Kong, 1985); Jason McCartney (USA, 1973); Christophe Mengin (France, 1968); Phil Edwards (Great Britain, 1949); Bernard Mammes (USA, 1911); René Pijnen (Netherlands, 1946); Michaël D'Almeida (France, 1987); Fred Rodriguez (Colombia, 1973); Matsuyoshi Takahashi (Japan, 1955); Henning Petersen (Denmark, 1939); Ove Jensen (Denmark, 1947); Robert Šebenik (Yugoslavia, 1965); Rebecca Bailey (New Zealand, 1974); Jaime Nielsen (New Zealand, 1985); Hilton Clarke (Australia, 1944); Matthew Hamon (USA, 1968); André Cardoso (Portugal, 1984); Ray Robinson (South Africa, 1929); Kurt Schmied (Austria, 1965); Pat Gellineau (Trinidad and Tobago, 1951).

Daily Cycling Facts 04.11.2012

Dirk Demol

He may not have won Paris-Roubaix the most glorious way,
but win it he did - Dirk Demol's pavé

Dirk Demol, born in Kuurne, Belgium on this day in 1959, won Paris-Roubaix in 1988 after breaking away on the cobbles just outside Roubaix from a lead group made up of relatively unknown riders that had itself broken away from the peloton 27km into the race and then stayed out in front all the way without challenge.

It was, however, not a glorious victory. When he left the lead group, Thomas Wegmuller of KAS-Canal 10 went with him but then got a plastic bag entangled in his gears just as arrived at Roubaix. The team car came to his aid and a mechanic was able to remove the bag, but his gears still didn't work. Knowing that if he stopped to change bikes Demol would sprint away to certain victory, Wegmuller decided to carry on; Demol took full advantage of this by wheel-sucking him all the way to the velodrome and then accelerated away to win.


Born in Kuldīga, Latvia on this day in 1939, Emīlija Sonka won the Road Race at the 1964 World Championships at Salanches in France. She beat Galina Yudina, also riding for the USSR, and Rosa Sels of Belgium.

Uwe Peschel, who was born in Berlin on this day in 1968, won the National Individual Time Trial Championship in 2002 and was second at the World Individual Time Trial Championship a year later.

Born in Oyannax on this day in 1960, Éric Barone is a French cyclist who has set a number of downhill speed records and, at the time of writing, holds the World Records on gravel (172kph; set on Cerro Negro volcana, Nicaragua in 2002 - Barone crashed shortly after reaching the record speed and was badly injured) and on snow (222kph; set at Les Arcs, France in 2000).

Other cyclists born on this day: Wesley Kreder (Netherlands, 1990); John Otto (USA, 1900, died 1966); Lal Bakhsh (Pakistan, 1943); Evgeniya Radanova (Bulgaria, 1977); Leo Karner (Austria, 1952); Luis Díaz (Colombia, 1945); Jamie Wong (Hong Kong, 1986); Vasileios Reppas (Greece, 1988); Róbert Nagy (Slovakia, 1972); Lauri Aus (Estonia, 1970, died 2003); Federico Ramírez (Costa Rica, 1975); Ken Caves (Australia, 1926, died 1974); Ferenc Pelvássy (Hungary, 1910, died 1980); Joe Kopsky (USA, 1882, died 1974); Gary Thomson (Ireland, 1963); Palle Lykke Jensen (Denmark, 1936).

Daily Cycling Facts 03.09.12

Zita Urbonaitė was born in Šiauliai, Lithuania on this day in 1973 and won the National Championships in 1999 and 2002; successes that made her a household name in her native country and encouraged many other Lithuanian women to take up the sport. She retired to start a family in 2006, but died on the 26th of May in 2008 after being hit by a train in Montebelluna, Italy. She had been suffering deep post-natal depression since giving borth to a daughter three months earlier.

Jacques Esclassan

Jacques Esclassan

Jacques Esclassan, born in Castres, France on this day in 1948, signed his first professional contract with Peugeot in 1972 and remained with them for the entirety of his eight-year career. He soon revealed himself to be a sprinter of considerable note, winning Stage 2a at Paris-Nice and 9b at the Vuelta a Espana in his second year - he didn't win anything at the Tour de France, but two second-place stage finishes and three others in the top ten marked him out as a man the other sprinters would need to watch in the coming years. He confirmed it the next year with three second-places and six top tens, enough to put him into fifth place in the Points competition at the end of the race.

In 1975, Esclassan won the Critérium International and then took his first Tour victory, winning Stage 4 though he was ultimately unable to finish. A year later, he won Stage 8 at the Tour and was third in the Points competition; then in 1977 he won Stage 5a and finished 14 stages in the top ten, sufficient to give him a 96-point advantage over second-place Giacinto Santambrogio for the green jersey. He returned to the Tour in 1978 and won Stages 2 and 12b, finishing second for Points


José Luis Laguía, born in Pedro Muñoz, Spain on this day in 1959, turned professional with Reynolds in 1980 and spent the first six years of his career riding for them. During that time, he won the King of the Mountains in 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985 and 1986 - a record five times. Among his many other victories are the Tour of the Basque Country in 1981 and again in 1982, when he also won the National Road Race Championship. Unusually for a climber, Laguia could hold his own in a sprint: in 1982, the year of his second Vuelta King of the Mountains, he was second overall in the Points competition with 57 fewer points than Freddy Maertens (but 62 more than General Classification winner Bernard Hinault). He tried again in 1979 but left the race after Stage 15 and retired at the end of the year.

Other cyclists born on this day: Blel Kadri (France, 1986); Sergey Kolesnikov (USSR, 1986); Cheung King Wai (Hong Kong, 1985); Jason McCartney (USA, 1973); Christophe Mengin (France, 1968); Phil Edwards (Great Britain, 1949); Bernard Mammes (USA, 1911); René Pijnen (Netherlands, 1946); Michaël D'Almeida (France, 1987); Fred Rodriguez (Colombia, 1973); Matsuyoshi Takahashi (Japan, 1955); Henning Petersen (Denmark, 1939); Ove Jensen (Denmark, 1947); Robert Šebenik (Yugoslavia, 1965); Rebecca Bailey (New Zealand, 1974); Jaime Nielsen (New Zealand, 1985); Hilton Clarke (Australia, 1944); Matthew Hamon (USA, 1968); André Cardoso (Portugal, 1984); Ray Robinson (South Africa, 1929); Kurt Schmied (Austria, 1965); Pat Gellineau (Trinidad and Tobago, 1951).