History

This week, La Vuelta comes to an end. The cycling race that started small and grew into a big classic race, also called the little brother of the Tour and Giro, was ridden for the first time in 1935. That year, the Belgian Gustaaf DeLoor brought home the title and in 1936 Gustaaf also finished first. Gustaaf's older brother Alfons DeLoor came in second, so it was a great year for the DeLoor family!

On the 14th of August, La Vuelta will start again. Of course, we cannot let this classic go by unnoticed, so let us first take a look at the history of this wonderful cycling race. 

Last week the 108th edition of the Tour de France came to an end. An exciting Tour and one of the most memorable moments was the performance of Mark Cavendish. "Cav' equalled Eddy Merckx's stage record! With a shared record of 34 stage victories at the Tour de France, this may well be the last year that Merckx can enjoy his title. That's why we think it's once again about time to reflect on the Tour victories of this cycling legend!

Last Saturday, the Tour de France started again. And of course, many memories about this beautiful Tour emerge. And Gerben Karstens is a name that quickly comes to mind. He won six Tour stages in the 60s and 70s and wore the yellow jersey for two days. Karstens was a striking figure because of the funny pranks he pulled throughout his career... no wonder he had the nickname 'The Clown'! 🤡

Liège-Bastogne-Liège, known as La Doyenne among true cycling fans, is a cycling race that has been held since 1892. For a long time, this race has been considered the oldest cycling classic in Belgium. There have been many great victories at this race, such as 5 titles by the Cannibal. But still, one edition in particular remains very special...

This Sunday, it is finally time for the biggest Dutch cycling classic: the Amstel Gold Race. This one-day race was founded in 1966 by the two former team managers Ton Vissers and Herman Krott. The current record holder of this classic is, as many of you already know, Jan Raas, with no less than 5 victories. It is therefore not surprising that the Amstel Gold Race is often called the Amstel Gold Raas.