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A Vist with Roger De Vlaeminck
Memories by Brett
A couple of months before Covid-19 turned the world on its head, I had the incredible opportunity to spend a couple of days with Roger De Vlaeminck at his home in Eeklo, Belgium, about 30 minutes outside Ghent. He lives on a farm in a picturesque part of Flanders, leading you to think little has changed in Eeklo over the past 100 years. De Vlaeminck’s surroundings certainly fit the personality of a man who 50 years ago ruled the foul-weathered spring classics of northern Europe. To this day, at 73, he remains incredibly fit, and his gaze speaks volumes. My guess is he can still rip the legs off riders 25 years his junior.
I had met Roger a few times over the years, but those encounters were so casual I doubt he ever remembered meeting me. To help bridge the meeting at his house to sign our latest lithographs, famed Dutch cycling photographer Tonny Strouken and his son Patrick paved the way by convincing Roger to tolerate me for a couple of days.
After being buzzed in through the front gate, I pulled into the driveway at Roger’s home an hour ahead of Patrick Strouken. Roger was a bit pensive, as he perceives his English is not very good. I assured him his English was much better than my Dutch, which is limited to asking for beer and the toilet.
After meeting his dog Snoopy and taking in the sights of his farm, we unpacked my car, set things up, then did what Belgians do best — we had a beer. For the next hour, we just sat there yapping the day away. I am beginning to feel like a broken record, but for me, the best part of these extended visits with legendary cyclists is getting a glimpse into the person behind the public image.
Our lively discussion continued for two days. Having Patrick, a family friend of the De Vlaemincks, in the room helped the conversation flow. At the time, Roger had just returned from an extended and well-publicized hospital stay. He was tired and still recovering, but as a commensurate professional, he did his best to plow through the task at hand and signed most of the lithos I had shipped to Belgium. A stack remains unfinished but will be signed once I travel to Europe in the post-Covid world.
Roger raced as a pro for 16 seasons, from 1969-1984, and was an absolute beast during the 1970s. Mention the name Roger De Vlaeminck and the race that first comes to mind is Paris-Roubaix. He won it a record four times. He also hit the victory punch card at all the monuments, one of only three riders to do so. The others were Eddy Merckx and Rik Van Looy. It must be something in the Belgian water. Often overlooked in the American press is the fact that he won stages in all three grand tours, including 22 at the Giro d’Italia, which he raced nine times. And he just so happened to win the overall at Tirreno-Adriatico six years in a row. The fact that he was also the world cyclo-cross champion in 1975 sheds light on bike-handling skills that come in handy on those springtime cobblestones covered in mud and moss.
Roger last put on a pro jersey nearly 40 years ago. But like many of the pros of his era, he remains a hard-core fan of current racing. When I arrived, he was watching a recording of a race from earlier in the year and dissecting what he felt was a rider’s clear misread of the race, causing that rider to miss a critical break. Over the two days, I spent with him, I got a small window into Roger’s personality, particularly as it relates to cycling. I thoroughly enjoyed his perspectives on current riders, race organizers, the UCI, technological innovation, and race tactics. I doubt I would feel the same if I were on the receiving end of some of his viewpoints. He is at a station in life where he is comfortable in his skin and doesn’t seem to care if someone chooses to agree or disagree with his opinions.
Roger does not attend many races in person. He seems to prefer the quiet life of a gentleman farmer. I got the impression that he enjoys commenting to the press and seeing the competitive side of cycling from the comfort of his living room couch. He continues to despise France, an opinion formed years ago; he sees driving to Ghent as a significant inconvenience; and he still loves the sight of a pretty woman.
A meme popular in Belgium is “In den tijd van [in the days of] Roger De Vlaeminck” From what I understand, this moniker evolved after several years of his denigrating several of the past decade’s riders as being fragile. There is no shortage of quotes on how he feels about Tom Boonen, a rider with whom I enjoy a friendly relationship. I gave him a little bit of shade by asking him if these targeted riders were, in fact, wimps or if he was envious he didn’t ride in an era with higher earnings. Pausing, he said both, but mainly that most contemporary riders were not hard men. He laughed when I explained the American concept of looking through rose-colored glasses.
After a few hours, Roger was fading. I finally called it a day. Immediately he became concerned he wouldn’t be able to finish the lithographs he had agreed to sign. I somewhat relieved his angst by reinforcing quality was significantly more important than quantity, and we would pick things up where we left off the next morning. I had brought stacks of two prints for him to sign. On the first day, we focused on a spectacular Tonny Strouken image of Roger descending in a madman at the 1976 Milan-San Remo wearing his iconic Brooklyn team jersey.
Getting to spend time with Roger De Valeminck at his home was fun and I look forward to seeing him again soon and having the remaining prints signed. As a near life-long racing enthusiast, it is refreshing to know that virtually all of the wildly successful ex-pros I have met are, at their core, just like me: fanboys.
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