Former cyclist and renowned Aalst chip-shop owner Wilfried Wesemael dies at 76

Wilfried Wesemael, the Belgian cyclist who surprised the field by winning Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne as a neo-professional, has died in Lebbeke at the age of 76.

Wesemael made his breakthrough in 1974, when spectators lining the race did not recognize the winner. “Nobody in the crowd knew who I was then: ‘Who is that?’ people shouted from the roadside,” he recalled several years ago. He said he was “not a real sprinter,” although he won a mass sprint in the Vuelta a España the following year.

In 1978, Wesemael joined the Dutch powerhouse TI-Raleigh, where he rode alongside José De Cauwer, Hennie Kuiper and Joop Zoetemelk. He won the Tour de Suisse in 1979 and finished fifth overall in Paris-Nice. But he preferred his role as a domestique. He also reached the Milan-San Remo podium, finishing third.

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Nobody in the crowd knew who I was then: ‘Who is that?’ people shouted from the roadside.

His professional career lasted nine years. A heavy crash on the descent of the Soulor during the Tour de France left him with herniated discs and lasting problems in his left leg.

After cycling, Wesemael and his wife opened a chip shop, first in Gijzegem and later in his hometown of Aalst. WilFrit became an iconic local business, and Wesemael handed it on at the age of 70.

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Not a real sprinter.