On Monday, 22 July 1974, the 39th Aalst Criterium was won by Belgian cyclist Eddy Peelman, who sprinted to victory in a bunch finish. Peelman completed the 97-kilometre race in 2 hours and 12 minutes. Held on the day after the Tour de France, the Aalst Criterium is the oldest criterium in Belgium, having been organised annually since 1934.
Eddy Peelman
The race lost much of its appeal halfway through when Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx was forced to retire after suffering a mechanical failure to his gear mechanism. With no major breakaways succeeding, the race remained together until the finish and was ultimately decided in a bunch sprint. Peelman claimed victory ahead of Freddy Maertens, while the ever-surprising Wilfried Wezemael finished third, narrowly beating Roger De Vlaeminck to the line.
Freddy Maertens
Ranking:
01 Eddy Peelman
02 Freddy Maertens
03 Wilfried Wezemael
04 Roger De Vlaeminck
05 Herman Vrijders
06 Willy Teirlinck
07 Maurice Dury
08 Ronny Van Marcke
09 Herman Van der Slagmolen
10 Vic Van Schil
11 Lucien Van Impe, Marc De Meyer, Frans Van Looy, Georges Pintens, Frans Verbeeck, Herman Van Springel, Ludo Delcroix, Jos Huysmans, Willy Abbeloos, Frans Mintjens
The 61st edition of the Tour of Flanders was held on 3 April 1977,
covering a distance of 260 km. For the first time, the race started
in Sint-Niklaas, having previously begun in Ghent until 1976. The
finish was in Meerbeke. The winner's average speed was 39.207 km/h.
Of the 167 riders who started, only 26 reached the finish line.
Freddy Maertens and Roger De Vlaeminck
Eddy Merckx, aiming
for a third victory in his home classic, attacked early in the race
and tackled the first climbs at the head of the field. Freddy
Maertens suffered a puncture on the Koppenberg and received a bike
from a spectator, who pushed him all the way up the climb. Race
officials instructed Maertens to abandon, but he ignored the order on
the advice of his team manager, Lomme Driessens. Roger De Vlaeminck
launched a pursuit of Merckx on the Koppenberg but punctured shortly
afterwards and was caught by the returning Maertens. After the
Taaienberg, a leading trio formed—De Vlaeminck, Maertens, and
Merckx—holding a gap over the peloton. On the Varent climb, 70 km
from the finish, a struggling Merckx was dropped by his companions
and would ultimately abandon the race. In the end, De Vlaeminck
outsprinted Maertens to take the victory.
Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens and Roger De Vlaeminck
Maertens was
disqualified for making an illegal bike change and for doping
(amphetamine Stimul). Walter Planckaert, who had finished third, was
also disqualified for doping (amphetamine Stimul). Guy Sibille, who
placed 12th, was disqualified for failing to report to the
anti-doping control.
The 75th edition of the Paris-Roubaix cycling race took place on April 17, 1977, and was won by the Belgian Roger De Vlaeminck. With this fourth victory, he remains the most successful rider in the history of the event, tied with Tom Boonen since 2012.
Roger De Vlaeminck and Freddy Maertens
This edition is the first to start from Compiègne. The start, which had been in Chantilly since 1966, was moved to bring it closer to the North. The gained kilometers allow for detours to find new cobbled sectors, replacing those that had disappeared, particularly around Templeuve. The finish takes place at the André-Pétrieux Velodrome in Roubaix since 1943.
Roger De Vlaeminck, Eddy Merckx and Freddy Maertens
149 riders line up for the race. The main favorites are the Belgians Roger De Vlaeminck, a three-time winner of Paris-Roubaix and already victorious in the early season in Tirreno-Adriatico and the Tour of Flanders, and Freddy Maertens, the reigning world champion and at the "peak" of his career. The third prominent rider at the start of the season is the Dutchman Jan Raas, winner of the Amstel Gold Race and Milan-San Remo. Eddy Merckx, also a three-time Paris-Roubaix winner, is also participating, for the last time. The main outsiders are André Dierickx, Walter Godefroot, Francesco Moser, Roger Rosiers, and Marc Demeyer.
Roger De Vlaeminck, Dietrich Thurau, Freddy Maertens and Marc Demeyer
The Belgian cyclist
Lucien Van Impe wins the Tour de France on July 18, 1976. It was the
last Belgian victory to this day (2017). The revelation of the 1976
Tour was another Belgian, Freddy Maertens, in his first Tour he won
eight stages and the points classification. Martens led the general
classification for ten days. Eddy Merckx was not present due to an
injury.
Stage victories by
country:
Belgium: 12 (Freddy
Maertens (8), Willy Teirlinck (1), Lucien Van Impe (1), Michel
Pollentier (1), Ferdinand Bracke (1))
