We speak 1919 just after the ending of WWI and Henri "Ritte" Vanlerberghe arrived directly from the Yser frontline to the starting point of The Tour of Flanders.


Ritte had no bicycle so he had to lend one from the cousin of a co-competitor ,actually the cousin of Jules Messelis who was a very good racer in those days.


Just instants before the start of the race "Ritte" shouted out to all who could hear it : "I will ride you all to hell !!!"
Concurrent Jules Vanhevel had to laugh very hard on hearing this.... and "Ritte" replied to him : " You shouldn't laugh because I'll ride you out of my wheels in front of your own door !!!"


And "Ritte" kept his promise , he attacked on a hill at Ichtegem (Hometown of Vanhevel !!! ) the other racers let him go for a while but when they started chasing him it was allready too late and "Ritte" was too far .....


He went further in solo towards the town of Gentbrugge to the cycling-track of Aarsenaar where the finish line was.... but instead of going into the cycling-track in order to accomplish his round of honor and cross the finish line he stopped at a pub and simply ordered himself a "Demie" ( demie = Belgian blond beer ) , and he ordered himself another one and another....untill the Director of the race Oscar Van Braeckel noticed that "Ritte" was sitting in that pub....so he ordered the "coach" of "Ritte" to go fetch him in that pub....


"Ritte's" coach suceeded with a bit of force to drag him out of the pub and while Ritte was doing his round of honor ( walking because he wasn't able any longer to ride his bicycle ) he cried out these words to the public : " You can all go home , I've got half a day advance on the others !!!!! "


He had actually 14 minutes left of his initial advance because of his little passage in the Pub


That's how Henri Vanlerberghe nicknamed "Ritte" won the Tour of Flanders in 1919
Kurt Weygantt