70’s Rider Interview: Wilfried Wesemael was out of the powerful Belgian faculty of motorbike riders who labored had for his staff leaders, with some success of his personal thrown in. Ed Hood caught up with the person from Aalst to chew over outdated instances.
In January we misplaced our good friend and colleague Ed Hood, two years after his devastating stroke. We are going to always remember Ed and his information, connections within the biking world, his writing fashion and love for the game. Ed wrote hundreds of gorgeous articles for PEZ, so we can pay homage the ‘King of the Blackberry’ with re-runs of his nice work.
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The 70’s and early 80’s – nice vehicles, nice music, nice bike riders and the Ti Raleigh staff. A person who was an integral a part of that mighty formation for 4 years was Wilfried Wesemael.
The Belgian from Aalst – well-known for the post-Tour criterium – had an excellent novice profession, rode within the 1972 Munich Olympics then was knowledgeable for a decade, driving for Hertekamp, varied incarnations of ‘Baron’ Jean de Gribaldy’s groups, Frisol, the mighty Raleigh staff and Safir throughout a stable skilled profession.
His greatest successes have been Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in 1974, a stage within the Vuelta in 1975 and the general within the Tour of Switzerland in 1979. Nevertheless, he was by no means actually the identical journey once more after a horror crash on Stage Three of the 1979 Tour de France – one of many hardest days the Tour has ever seen with a dozen riders abandoning on a savage day within the Pyrenees. Due to the nice workplaces of Scotsman, Laurence Morgan who retains the Ti Raleigh flame burning along with his ‘Ti Raleigh Classic Biking Membership GB’ we bought the possibility to place some inquiries to Wilfried.
Jan Raas, Aad v.d. Hoek, Piet van Katwijk, Bert Oosterbosch, Joop Zoetemelk, Paul Wellens, Bert Pronk, Leo van Vliet, Herrie Knetemann, Henk Lubberding, Frankie de Gendt and Wilfried Wesemael
PEZ: You have been an excellent monitor rider as an novice with nationwide titles to your identify – did you ever take into account a monitor profession?
Wilfried Wesemael: Sure, I used to be an excellent monitor rider as novice however as professional it was not simple to interrupt into the circuit for the winter six day races the place the cash was to be made, so I selected to go for the street.
PEZ: Which staff did you flip professional with and the way did you get the journey?
I turned professional with the Hertekamp staff in September ‘73 after an excellent good friend really useful me to the staff administration. Hertekamp, the sponsor is a well-known Belgian genever – that’s a juniper gin which is in style right here in Belgium.
PEZ: After Hertekamp you signed with the legendary determine of Jean de Gribaldy for season ‘74?
After the six days of Antwerp I obtained a suggestion from M.I.C. De Gribaldy Ludo and stayed with Jean de Gribaldy’s groups for 3 years. The staff grew to become Alsaver De Gribaldy in ‘75 then Miko De Gribaldy for ’76.
PEZ: You gained Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne in ’74 – a giant end result for a younger professional.
My first professional victory was Kuurne Brussels Kuurne, sure. That was an important day; to beat the sprinters for the victory – there have been some quick guys there – Cyrille Guimard, Walter Planckaert, Freddy Maertens. . . No person knew my identify earlier than that day however that journey gave me a spot on the staff for Paris Good two Days later.
PEZ: You rode the Tour de France in ’74.
Sure, that yr I additionally bought a spot in our squad for the Tour de France, it was all so new for me – it was the primary time I’d even seen a mountain! Nevertheless, I completed the race with 4 high 10 stage placings, so it wasn’t a nasty debut.
Tour TTT
PEZ: In ’75 you gained a Vuelta stage, one other massive end result.
Sure, ‘75 noticed me take victory within the Vuelta on Stage One; it was in dash, an important end result however as a result of Roger Swerts beat me by 21 seconds within the prologue, I didn’t take the chief’s jersey, he held on to it. I used to be additionally second to Marino Basso on Stage 10 and had seven different high 10 stage placings in that Vuelta, which was held within the spring again then.
PEZ: Season ’76 appeared quiet for you?
I used to be high 10 in Het Volk, seventh in Paris-Good and eleventh in Milan-Sanremo; then I crashed and broke my collar bone – that was my season completed albeit I rode just a few races late season, like GP Fourmies.
With Frisol
PEZ: The Frisol staff in ’77.
Sure, ‘77 within the Frisol staff with the likes of Don Allan, Fedor den Hertog and Jan Raas was an excellent expertise. I took second place total within the Tour Mediterranean and later third place in Milan-Sanremo with Jan Raas the victor, that was such an important day for the staff with two of us on the rostrum. And it was a brand new begin for me.
Tour’78: Jan Raas, Wilfried Wesemael, Klaus-Peter Thaler, Aad van der Hoek, Paul Wellens, Jose de Cauwer, Henk Lubberding, Gerrie Knetemann and Gerben Karstens
PEZ: The mighty Raleigh staff for ’78.
We had good bikes, good help; it was a really skilled, properly organised staff.
PEZ: You bought the yr off to an important begin with victory within the GP of Cannes?
That was a yr of nice performances for me and the staff. Victory in Cannes was satisfying however I did a lot good work as a domestique for the staff and Jan Raas specifically, that yr. We scored quite a lot of victories that yr and within the staff time trials we have been the perfect – a really sturdy staff.
Tour TTT
PEZ: Season ’79 noticed your greatest win, the Tour de Suisse.
Sure, that was my greatest victory; but in addition a victory of the staff – though I used to be in nice kind that yr. The mountains the place no downside to me and towards the watch; I used to be good with sixth and third locations within the race’s two time trails behind my staff mate, the late Gerrie Knetemann who gained them each.
PEZ: You gained a criterium in Nottingham, England in 1980; Raleigh’s residence city – that should have been a pleasant victory.
Sure, it was satisfying, I’d had bronchitis earlier that yr so it was good to return again and win on the sponsor’s doorstep. However I used to be in a giant crash the place I sustained a nasty again harm and broke my ankle within the Tour de France in 1979 on Stage Three, proper after my Suisse win. I had punctured and was chasing to get again to the peloton, on a descent within the mist I went over the sting and fell 5 metres. I used to be by no means actually the identical once more after that.
PEZ: Your final yr was with Safir in 1982. . .
Sure, however that wasn’t a contented expertise and I ended racing. I opened a snack bar which I ran proper up till final yr when Covid stopped the whole lot. However after I look again on my skilled biking profession, I’ve no regrets.
# With due to Wilfried and Laurence. #
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