Romain Maes facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
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| Born | 10 August 1913 Zerkegem, Belgium |
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| Died | 22 February 1983 (aged 69) Groot-Bijgaarden, Belgium |
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| Team information | |||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Romain Maes (born August 10, 1913 – died February 22, 1983) was a famous Belgian cyclist. He is best known for winning the 1935 Tour de France. What made his win special was that he wore the yellow jersey from the very first day to the last! The yellow jersey is worn by the leader of the race.
Romain was the 13th child in his family. He started racing bikes when he was 17 years old. In 1933, he became a professional cyclist. That same year, he won a race called the Omloop van het Westen (which means Tour of the West).
In 1934, he raced in the Tour de France for the first time. He finished second in two stages, which was a great start. However, he later crashed during a stage from Digne to Nice and had to leave the race.
His big win in the 1935 Tour de France was a huge deal. French riders had won the race for six years in a row before him. When Romain won, he became a national hero in Belgium!
Contents
Exciting Moments in His Career
Close Calls and Mistakes
Romain Maes had some exciting and sometimes tricky moments in his career.
In 1936, he raced in the 1936 Paris–Roubaix race, which is very famous. He thought he had won, but the judge decided that a French cyclist named Georges Speicher was the winner instead.
In 1938, he was very close to winning the Paris-Brussels race. He was leading by 100 meters with only 500 meters left to go! He rode into the velodrome (a special track for cycling) where the race ended. He crossed the finish line and stopped, thinking he had won. But the other riders remembered there was one more lap to go! They rode past him, and Romain realized his mistake too late. Another cyclist, Marcel Kint, won the race.
More Tour de France Races
Romain Maes also raced in the Tour de France in 1939. He won a stage from Caen to Vire, which was a time trial race over 63 kilometers. This win put him in the lead of the race. Sadly, he crashed again on the eighth stage and had to stop racing in that Tour.
Life After Racing
After his road cycling career, Romain Maes rode on the track for a few years. He often rode with another cyclist named Sylvère Maes, but they were not related.
Romain Maes stopped racing bikes completely in 1944. After that, he opened his own bar in Brussels. He named it "In de Gele Trui," which means "In The Yellow Jersey." This was a nice way to remember his big win in the Tour de France!
Career Achievements
Major Wins
Romain Maes had many important wins during his cycling career.
- 1933
- Stekene (a race in Belgium)
- 1934
- Wevelgem (another race in Belgium)
- 1935
- Paris - Lille (a race from Paris to Lille)
- Tour de France:
Winner of the overall race (he finished first in the whole Tour de France!)- Winner of stages 1, 11, and 21 (he won three individual days of racing)
- Tournai (a race in Belgium)
- 1936
- Circuit de Paris (a race around Paris)
- 1939
- Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten (a race in Belgium)
- Tour de France:
- Winner of stage 2A (he won one individual day of racing)
Images for kids
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Romain Maes, the Belgian cyclist.
See also
- In Spanish: Romain Maes para niños
