Briek Schotte facts for kids
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Briek Schotte after winning the first stage of Dwars door België 1946 (collection: KOERS Museum)
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Alberic Schotte | ||
| Nickname | Briek | ||
| Born | 7 September 1919 Kanegem, Belgium |
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| Died | 4 April 2004 (aged 84) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Alberic "Briek" Schotte (born in Kanegem, West Flanders, Belgium, on 7 September 1919 – died in Kortrijk, Belgium, on 4 April 2004) was a famous Belgian professional road racing cyclist. He was one of the top champions in cycling during the 1940s and 1950s. People called him "Iron Briek" (IJzeren Briek) because he was so strong and had amazing endurance.
Briek Schotte was a world champion twice, winning in 1948 and 1950. He also won a stage in the 1947 Tour de France and came in second overall in the 1948 Tour, right behind Gino Bartali. He was a two-time winner of the tough Tour of Flanders race (in 1942 and 1948). He also won Paris–Tours twice (1946, 1947) and Paris–Brussels (1946, 1952).
In 1948, he won the very first Challenge Desgrange-Colombo. This was a special competition that lasted all season to find the best road cyclist in the world. Briek Schotte holds a record for taking part in the Tour of Flanders twenty times in a row. Besides his two wins, he finished in the top three six other times! He was known as a "Flandrien," which means a tough, hardworking rider, often from a farming background, who competes against more well-equipped riders. Briek himself said that his riding style made it look like he was suffering more than he actually was.
Major Achievements
Briek Schotte had many important wins during his cycling career. Here are some of his biggest achievements:
- World Champion: He won the World Road Race Championships twice, in 1948 and 1950.
- Tour de France: He won one stage in the 1947 Tour de France and finished second overall in the 1948 Tour de France.
- Tour of Flanders: He won this famous race twice, in 1942 and 1948. He also made it to the podium (top three) six other times!
- Gent–Wevelgem: He won this race in 1950 and 1955.
- Paris–Tours: He was the winner in 1946 and 1947.
- Paris–Brussels: He won this race in 1946 and 1952.
- Dwars door België: He won this race overall in 1953 and 1955.
- Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen: He won this race in 1941 and 1954.
- Challenge Desgrange-Colombo: He won this important season-long competition in 1948.
Life After Racing
After he stopped racing in 1959, Briek Schotte became a cycling coach for 30 years. He mostly worked for the Flandria team, where he was also a sports director for many years. He coached many famous riders who later became legends in cycling.
Some of the great cyclists he coached include Rik Van Looy, Eddy Merckx, Freddy Maertens, Sean Kelly, and Joop Zoetemelk. Even though none of these riders won the Tour de France while riding for Flandria under Schotte's guidance, Zoetemelk did finish second in the Tour de France in both 1970 and 1971 with Schotte as his director.
Briek Schotte passed away on 4 April 2004, which was the same day as the 2004 Tour of Flanders race. The people commenting on the race said, "God must have been one of Briek's greatest fans," showing how much he was admired.
Awards and Recognition
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Briek Schotte received many awards and honours for his amazing career:
- Challenge Desgrange-Colombo: 1948
- Trophée Edmond Gentil: 1948
- Belgian National Sports Merit Award: 1950
- Swiss AIOCC Trophy: 1972
- Honorary Citizen of Waregem: 1987 (This means the city recognized him as a very important person.)
- Statue in Kanegem: 1996 (A statue was built to honor him in his hometown.)
- UCI Hall of Fame: 2002 (He was inducted into the Hall of Fame for cycling.)
- GP Briek Schotte: since 2004 (A cycling race was named after him.)
- Monument and square in Desselgem: 2005
- Bust in Waregem: 2007 (A sculpture of his head and shoulders was made.)
- Monument in Moorslede: 2010
- 10 Euro Silver commemorative coin: 2019 (A special coin was made to remember him.)
See also
In Spanish: Albéric Schotte para niños
