Romain Maes
Encyclopedia
Romain Maes was a Belgian
cyclist who won the 1935 Tour de France
after wearing the yellow jersey
of leadership from beginning to end.
Maes was the 13th child in his family. He started racing when he was 17. He turned professional in 1933 and won the Omloop van het Westen (Tour of the West). The following year he started the Tour de France and twice finished stages in second place. He then crashed on the day from Digne to Nice
and left the race in an ambulance.
His win in 1935 ended a six-year run by French riders. He was a hero in Belgium.
He won Paris–Roubaix in 1936 but wasn't given the victory. The judge said he had seen the Frenchman, Georges Speicher
, win. In 1938 he was well on the way to winning Paris-Brussels, leading the race by 100m with only 500m to go. He rode into the velodrome
on which the race finished, crossed the line and stopped. The chasers, who had remembered that there was a further lap to ride, swept by him. Maes realised his mistake too late and Marcel Kint
won.
Maes started the Tour de France in 1939 and won the stage from Caen
to Vire
, a time trial over 63 km. It gave him the lead. Then he crashed on the eighth stage and abandoned the race.
Maes rode on the track for several years with his namesake, Sylvère Maes
, to whom he wasn't related
Romain Maes stopped racing in 1944 and opened a bar, "In de Gele Trui" (In The Yellow Jersey), near the North station in Brussels
.
1934
1935
1936
1939
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
cyclist who won the 1935 Tour de France
1935 Tour de France
The 1935 Tour de France was the 29th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 28, 1935. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,338 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.650 km/h. Although the French team was favourite, Belgian Romain Maes took the lead in the first stage, and never gave it away...
after wearing the yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
of leadership from beginning to end.
Maes was the 13th child in his family. He started racing when he was 17. He turned professional in 1933 and won the Omloop van het Westen (Tour of the West). The following year he started the Tour de France and twice finished stages in second place. He then crashed on the day from Digne to Nice
Nice
Nice is the fifth most populous city in France, after Paris, Marseille, Lyon and Toulouse, with a population of 348,721 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Nice extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of more than 955,000 on an area of...
and left the race in an ambulance.
His win in 1935 ended a six-year run by French riders. He was a hero in Belgium.
He won Paris–Roubaix in 1936 but wasn't given the victory. The judge said he had seen the Frenchman, Georges Speicher
Georges Speicher
Georges Speicher was a French cyclist who won the 1933 Tour de France along with three stage wins, and the 1933 World Cycling Championship.- Palmarès :19311932...
, win. In 1938 he was well on the way to winning Paris-Brussels, leading the race by 100m with only 500m to go. He rode into the velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
on which the race finished, crossed the line and stopped. The chasers, who had remembered that there was a further lap to ride, swept by him. Maes realised his mistake too late and Marcel Kint
Marcel Kint
Marcel Kint was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer who won 31 races between 1935 and 1951...
won.
Maes started the Tour de France in 1939 and won the stage from Caen
Caen
Caen is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados department and the capital of the Basse-Normandie region. It is located inland from the English Channel....
to Vire
Vire
Vire is a commune in the Calvados department in the Basse-Normandie region in northwestern France.- History :In 1123, Henri I Beauclerc, King of England and Duke of Normandy, had a redoubt constructed on a rocky hill top, which was surrounded by the Vire river...
, a time trial over 63 km. It gave him the lead. Then he crashed on the eighth stage and abandoned the race.
Maes rode on the track for several years with his namesake, Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes
Sylvère Maes was a Belgian cyclist, who is most famous for winning the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.- Palmarès :1932...
, to whom he wasn't related
Romain Maes stopped racing in 1944 and opened a bar, "In de Gele Trui" (In The Yellow Jersey), near the North station in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
Palmarès
1933- Stekene
1934
- Wevelgem
1935
- Paris - Lille
- Tour de France1935 Tour de FranceThe 1935 Tour de France was the 29th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 28, 1935. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,338 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.650 km/h. Although the French team was favourite, Belgian Romain Maes took the lead in the first stage, and never gave it away...
:
Winner overall classification- Winner stages 1, 11 and 21
- Tournai
1936
- Circuit de Paris
1939
- Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten
- Tour de France1935 Tour de FranceThe 1935 Tour de France was the 29th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 28, 1935. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,338 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.650 km/h. Although the French team was favourite, Belgian Romain Maes took the lead in the first stage, and never gave it away...
:- Winner stage 2A
Grand Tour results timeline
| 1934 | 1935 | 1936 | 1937 | 1938 | 1939 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar... |
DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE | DNE |
| Stages won | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mountains classification | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tour Tour de France The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The... |
DNF 1934 Tour de France The 1934 Tour de France was the 28th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 29, 1934. It consisted of 23 stages over 4,363 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.360 km/h. The race was won by Antonin Magne, who had previously won the 1931 Tour de France. The French team was dominant,... |
1 1935 Tour de France The 1935 Tour de France was the 29th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 28, 1935. It consisted of 21 stages over 4,338 km, ridden at an average speed of 30.650 km/h. Although the French team was favourite, Belgian Romain Maes took the lead in the first stage, and never gave it away... |
DNF 1936 Tour de France The 1936 Tour de France was the 30th Tour de France, taking place July 7 to August 2, 1936. It was composed of 21 stages with a total length of 4,418 km, ridden at an average speed of 31.108 km/h. Because of health problems, Henri Desgrange stopped as Tour director, and was succeeded by... |
DNE | DNE | DNF 1939 Tour de France The 1939 Tour de France was the 33rd Tour de France, taking place from 10 to 30 July 1939. The total distance was 4,224 km and the average speed of the riders was 31.986 km/h.... |
| Stages won | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 1 |
| Mountains classification | NR | 5 | NR | — | — | NR |
| Vuelta Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages... |
N/A | DNE | DNE | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| Stages won | — | — | ||||
| Mountains classification | — | — |