Alberic "Briek" Schotte (born

Kanegem Kanegem is a Belgian locality, part of the municipality of Tielt, in the eastern part of the province of West Flanders. This rural locality is known as the "Green Village". Sightseeing * St. Bavo's Church, a Baroque church, well known locally as ...

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

, 7 September 1919 – died

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; vls, Kortryk or ''Kortrik''; french: Courtrai ; la, Cortoriacum), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Regio ...

, 4 April 2004) was a Belgian professional

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

, one of the champions of the 1940s and 1950s. His stamina earned him the nickname "Iron Briek" (''IJzeren Briek''). He was

world champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in 1948 and 1950, won the last stage of the

1947 Tour de France The 1947 Tour de France was the 34th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 25 June to 20 July. The total race distance was 21 stages over . It was the first Tour since 1939, having been cancelled during World War II, although some Tour ...

and finished second in the

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

Tour, behind Gino Bartali. He twice won the Tour of Flanders (1942, 1948),

Paris–Tours Paris–Tours is a French one-day classic road cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours. It is a predominantly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200 m, ...

(1946, 1947) and Paris–Brussels (1946, 1952). He also won the inaugural ''

Challenge Desgrange-Colombo The Challenge Desgrange-Colombo was a season-long road bicycle racing competition between 1948 and 1958. There were two classifications, one for individual cyclists and another for nations. History The Challenge Desgrange-Colombo competition was ...

'', a season-long competition to identify the world's best road rider, in 1948. He holds the record with twenty consecutive participations in the Tour of Flanders and in addition to his two victories made the podium on six other occasions. Schotte corresponded to the archetype of the ''Flandrien'', the diligent farm boy who competes against better equipped and guided riders from France and Italy. Although he himself put that into perspective: "Because of my position on the bike, I gave the impression that I was suffering more than was actually the case". After retirement in 1959, he was a team coach for 30 years, mostly for Flandria where he also served as Directeur Sportif for many years. Riders such as Rik Van Looy, Herman Van Springel,

Freddy Maertens Freddy Maertens (born 13 February 1952) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist who was twice world road race champion. His career coincided with the best years of another Belgian rider, Eddy Merckx, and supporters and reporters were sp ...

, Eddy Merckx, Sean Kelly,

Joop Zoetemelk Hendrik Gerardus Joseph "Joop" Zoetemelk (; born 3 December 1946) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. He started and finished the Tour de France 16 times, which were both records when he retired. He also holds the distance record in T ...

, Michel Pollentier, Walter Godefroot and Roger de Vlaeminck rode for Schotte at various points during their respective careers. None of these riders would win the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

while riding for Flandria, however Zoetemelk would finish 2nd in

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

and

1971 * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

while riding under Schotte's direction. He died on the day of the

2004 Tour of Flanders The 88th Tour of Flanders bicycle race in Belgium was held on 4 April 2004. It was the second leg of the UCI Road World Cup. German Steffen Wesemann won the monument classic ahead of Belgians Leif Hoste and Dave Bruylandts. Race Overview America ...

. The commentators during the race said "God must have been one of Briek's greatest fans".

Major results

;1939 : 1st Overall

Tour de l'Ouest The Tour de l'Ouest (English: Tour of the West), also known as the Circuit de I'Ouest, was a road bicycle race Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular pr ...

: 1st GP de Bruxelles ;1940 : 1st Ransart–Beaumont–Ransart : 3rd Tour of Flanders ;1941 : 1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen : 1st Desselgem Koerse : 1st Merelbeke : 2nd

Grote 1-MeiPrijs The Grote 1-MeiPrijs (also named Ereprijs Victor De Bruyne) was a European single-day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders, around Hoboken. From 2005, the race was organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental C ...

: 3rd

GP Stad Zottegem Egmont Cycling Race is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in Zottegem, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competit ...

;1942 : 1st Tour of Flanders : 1st Desselgem Koerse : 1st Oostkamp : 3rd

Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten The Omloop der Vlaamse gewesten was a men's cycling race of which the original format was organized for the last time in 1972. The race was run in variating Flemish provinces or Brussels. The competition's roll of honor includes the successes o ...

;1943 : 1st Desselgem Koerse : 3rd La Flèche Française ( TTT) : 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège ;1944 : 1st Wetteren : 2nd Tour of Flanders : 2nd La Flèche Wallonne ;1945 : 1st

Nokere Koerse Nokere Koerse is a European semi classic single day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Starting in 2016 it was a 1.HC event. The Nokere Koerse was c ...

: 1st Tielt–Antwerpen–Tielt : 1st Olsene : 1st Waregem : 2nd

Dwars door België Dwars door Vlaanderen ''( en, Across Flanders)'' is a semi-classic road bicycle race in Belgium, held annually since 1945. The race starts in Roeselare and finishes in Waregem, both in West Flanders. Since 2017 the event is included in the UCI W ...

: 2nd

Halle–Ingooigem Halle–Ingooigem is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June in West Flanders, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competit ...

: 2nd

Gullegem Koerse The Gullegem Koerse is a single-day Road bicycle racing, road cycling race held annually in Wevelgem, Belgium over a course consisting of eitht 20-kilometer laps. The race was first organized in 1942 and is one of the most important criterium race ...

: 2nd Brussels–Everbeek : 2nd Circuit de Paris : 3rd Across Paris : 3rd Circuit de la Capitale : 3rd Brussels–Sint-Truiden ;1946 : 1st MaillotBélgica

Interclubs road race, National Road Championships : 1st

Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde is a cycling race held annually in Belgium. It is part of UCI Europe Tour in category 1.1 1.1 may refer to: * 1.1.1.1, a Domain Name System service * 1.1-inch/75-caliber gun * Falcon 9 v1.1 orbital launch vehicle * Trab ...

: 1st

Overall

Tour de Luxembourg The Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.Pro race, the highest rating below the World Tour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the ...

::1st Stages 1 & 2 : 1st

: 1st Paris–Brussels : 2nd

: 2nd

: 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 3rd Tour of Flanders : 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 1 : 3rd

;1947 : 1st MaillotBélgica

Interclubs road race, National Road Championships : 1st

: 1st Stage 21

: 1st Circuit de la Region Liniere : 1st Heule : 2nd GP Tielt : 3rd

GP Stad Vilvoorde The GP Stad Vilvoorde is a single-day cycle race held each year in and around the Belgian city of Vilvoorde. The race was first organized in 1931. The race was Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better ...

;1948 : 1st Jersey rainbow

Road race,

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

: 1st

: 1st Tour of Flanders : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd La Flèche Wallonne : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd Overall

;1949 : 1st

: 3rd Tour of Flanders ;1950 : 1st Jersey rainbow

Road race,

: 1st Gent–Wevelgem : 1st Stage 5

Tour of the Netherlands The Tour of the Netherlands ''(Dutch: Ronde van Nederland)'' was a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948. It's an annual race since 1975. Because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005, it was replaced by the Eneco To ...

: 1st Critérium Aalst : 1st Montenaken : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd Tour of Flanders : 2nd

: 3rd

Omloop Het Volk Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day Road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually in late February. It is the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Nort ...

;1951 : 1st Vijfbergenomloop : 3rd Brussels–Izegem ;1952 : 1st

Omloop der Zuid-West-Vlaamse Bergen The Omloop der Zuid-West-Vlaamse Bergen was a Belgian post-WW II cycling race organized for the last time in 1975. The course, between 140 and 200 km, was situated in West Flanders, against the French border. Poperinge was both start and f ...

: 1st Paris–Brussels : 2nd

: 3rd Tour of Flanders ;1953 : 1st Overall

::1st Stage 2b : 1st Grote Bevrijdingsprijs : 1st Antwerpen–Luik–Antwerpen : 1st

Antwerpse Havenpijl The Antwerpse Havenpijl is a European bicycle race held in Merksem, Belgium. Since 2006, the race has been organised as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were i ...

: 1st Waregem : 2nd Paris–Brussels : 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium ;1954 : 1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen — Koolskamp : 1st Omloop der drie Provinciën : 1st Prix de Soignies : 1st Oedelem : 2nd Overall

: 2nd Overall

: 3rd GP Mesen ;1955 : 1st Gent–Wevelgem : 1st Overall

::1st Stage 2b : 1st

Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen The Scheldeprijs is a cycling race in Flanders and the Netherlands which starts in Terneuzen, crosses the Scheldt River, and finishes in Schoten. Until 2018 it was held entirely in Belgium. The event, ranked as a 1.HC race on the UCI Europe Tour, ...

: 2nd

: 2nd Paris–Limoges ;1956 : 1st Overall GP Bali ::1st Stage 1 : 1st Lauwe : 1st Boulogne-sur-Mer : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

Driedaagse van Antwerpen The Driedaagse van Antwerpen was a short-lived Belgian stage cycling race organized for the last time in 1960. The course was situated in the Antwerp Province. It also included a team time trial, which was held in the city park (Stadspark) of ...

: 2nd

: 3rd Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne ;1957 : 1st MaillotBélgica

Interclubs road race, National Road Championships : 1st Wervik : 1st Langemark : 3rd Circuit des Régions Frontalières ;1958 : 1st MaillotBélgica

Interclubs road race, National Road Championships : 1st Wervik : 1st De Panne : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

: 2nd GP Roeselare : 3rd Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke ;1959 : 3rd

Awards and honours

Kanegem (Tielt) - Briek Schotte aan de kerk van Kanegem

: 1948 * Trophée Edmond Gentil: 1948 *

Belgian National Sports Merit Award The Belgian National Sports Merit Award is an annual award handed out to a Belgian sportsperson or -team for exceptional merit. Players can only win the award once during their career, making this trophy one of the most prestigious in Belgian sports ...

: 1950 * Swiss AIOCC Trophy: 1972 * Honorary Citizen of

Waregem Waregem (; vls, Woaregem), sometimes known as Waereghem, is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality lies in the valley of the river Leie, between Kortrijk and Ghent. It is part of the arrondiss ...

: 1987 * Statue in Kanegem: 1996 *

UCI Hall of Fame The UCI Hall of Fame, that not to be confused with Cycling Hall of Fame or the University of California, Irvine's Hall of Fame, was launched by the ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI) in 2002 to "honor all those who by their heroic deeds or th ...

: 2002 *

GP Briek Schotte The GP Briek Schotte is a criterium Road bicycle racing, road cycling race held annually around the village of Desselgem in West Flanders, Belgium. The race was first organized in 1941. In 1942 and 1947, two editions were organized, one in July an ...

: since 2004 * Monument and square in Desselgem: 2005 * Bust in Waregem: 2007 * Monument in

Moorslede Moorslede () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Dadizele, Slypskapelle and Moorslede proper. On 1 January 2006, Moorslede had a total population of 10,618. The total area is ...

: 2010 * 10 Euro Silver commemorative coin: 2019

Books

* ''20 jaren rennersloopbaan van Briek Schotte'' by Berten Lafosse in 1955, Atlas Kortrijk, 79 p. (Dutch) * ''IJzeren Briek: de wielersport zal niet sterven: het levensverhaal van Briek Schotte'' by André Blancke in 1987, Het Volk, 192 p. (Dutch) * ''Briek Schotte'' by Noël Truyers in 1998, De Eecloonaar, 48 p. (Dutch) * ''Briek Schotte: de laatste der Flandriens'' by Rik Vanwalleghem and Bo Decramer in 1999,

Lannoo Uitgeverij Lannoo Groep is a Belgian publishing group, based in Tielt, with assets in Belgium and the Netherlands. Its Belgian subsidiary is Uitgeverij Lannoo. Its Dutch subsidiary is LannooMeulenhoff. Over the years Lannoo evolved from Catholic ...

, 176 p. (Dutch) * ''Briek Schotte: De erfenis van Briek'' by Rik Vanwalleghem and Anna Luyten in 2011, Kannibaal, 187 p. (Dutch) * ''Briek! De laatste Flandrien'' by Herman Chevrolet in 2019, De Arbeiderspers, 248 p. (Dutch) * ''Flandrien'' by Stephan Vanfleteren in 2021, Kannibaal, 132 p. (Dutch)

References

External links

*
Official Tour de France results for Alberic Schotte
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schotte, Briek 1919 births 2004 deaths Belgian Tour de France stage winners Belgian male cyclists UCI Road World Champions (elite men) People from Tielt Sportspeople from West Flanders Challenge Desgrange-Colombo winners