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 Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

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 and finished second in the 1948 Tour, behind

Gino Bartali Gino Bartali (; 18 July 1914 – 5 May 2000), nicknamed Gino the Pious and (in Italy) Ginettaccio, was a champion road cyclist. He was the most renowned Italian cyclist before the Second World War, having won the Giro d'Italia twice, in 19 ...

. He twice won the

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and orga ...

(1942, 1948), Paris–Tours (1946, 1947) and

Paris–Brussels The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a semi classic European bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur eve ...

(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 A ''directeur sportif'' (French for sporting director, although the original French term is often used in English-language media; plural ''directeurs sportifs'') is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is se ...

for many years. Riders such as

Rik Van Looy Henri "Rik" Van Looy (born 20 December 1933 in Grobbendonk) is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post- war period, nicknamed the ''King of the Classics'' or ''Emperor of Herentals'' (after the small Belgian city where he lived). He ...

Herman Van Springel Herman Vanspringel (14 August 1943 – 25 August 2022), also spelled Herman Van Springel, was a Belgian road racing cyclist, from Grobbendonk, in the Flemish Campine or Kempen region. He achieved podium finishes in all three of the grand tour ...

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 Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...

, 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 Michel Pollentier (born 13 February 1951 in Diksmuide, West Flanders) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer. He became professional in 1973. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1977 Giro d'Italia. Pollentier is ...

Walter Godefroot Walter Godefroot (born 2 July 1943) is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer and former directeur sportif of , later known as T-Mobile Team. As amateur cyclist, he won the bronze medal in the individual road race of the 1964 Summer ...

and

Roger de Vlaeminck Roger De Vlaeminck (; born 24 August 1947) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist. He was described by Rik Van Looy as "The most talented and the only real classics rider of his generation". Nicknamed “The Gypsy” because he was bo ...

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

;1941 : 1st

Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen (Championship of Flanders) or Koolskamp Koerse is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Koolskamp (part-municipality of Ardooie), West Flanders, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a ...

: 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

: 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 Liège–Bastogne–Liège, also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five '' Monuments'' of the European professional ...

;1944 : 1st Wetteren : 2nd

: 2nd

La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week betw ...

;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 cr ...

: 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 competi ...

: 2nd Gullegem Koerse : 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 : 1st Paris–Tours : 1st Jersey yellow

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), th ...

::1st Stages 1 & 2 : 1st

: 1st

: 2nd Gullegem Koerse : 2nd

: 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 3rd

: 3rd Overall

::1st Stage 1 : 3rd

;1947 : 1st MaillotBélgica

Interclubs road race, National Road Championships : 1st Paris–Tours : 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

: 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd

: 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd Overall

;1949 : 1st

: 3rd

;1950 : 1st Jersey rainbow

Road race,

: 1st

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late March on the last Sunday before the To ...

: 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 Enec ...

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

: 2nd Gullegem Koerse : 3rd Omloop Het Volk ;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

: 2nd Paris–Tours : 3rd

;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 ...

: 1st Waregem : 2nd

: 2nd Overall

Tour of Belgium The Tour of Belgium ( nl, Ronde van België; french: Tour de Belgique) is a five-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium, and is part of the UCI ProSeries. It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Bet ...

;1954 : 1st

— Koolskamp : 1st Omloop der drie Provinciën : 1st Prix de Soignies : 1st Oedelem : 2nd Overall

: 2nd Overall Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde : 3rd GP Mesen ;1955 : 1st

: 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 : 2nd Omloop Het Volk : 3rd

Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne is an annual single-day road cycling race in Belgium. It is held one day after Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, on the last Sunday of February or the first of March, and completes the opening weekend of the Belgian cycling season ...

;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) Driedaagse van Antwerpen : 2nd

GP Roeselare The GP Roeselare (officially Grote Prijs van de Bank van Roeselare en West-Vlaanderen) was a post WW II-men's cycling race organized for the last time in 1976. The start and finish place was Roeselare (West Flanders, Belgium). The competition's ...

: 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: since 2004 * Monument and square in

Desselgem 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 ...

: 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