Patrick Sercu

Patrick Sercu (27 June 1944 – 19 April 2019)[1] was a Belgian cyclist who was active on the road and track between 1961 and 1983. On track, he won the gold medal in the 1 km time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, as well as three world titles in the sprint, in 1963, 1967 and 1969. On the road, he earned the green jersey in the 1974 Tour de France. Sercu is the record holder for the number of six-day track race victories, having won 88 events out of 223 starts between 1961 and 1983; several of these wins were with cycling great Eddy Merckx.[2] He also won six stages at the Tour de France and eleven stages at the Giro d'Italia.[3][4]

Patrick Sercu
Sercu in 2008
Personal information
Full namePatrick Sercu
Born(1944-06-27)27 June 1944
Roeselare, West Flanders, Belgium
Died19 April 2019(2019-04-19) (aged 74)
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb)
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineTrack and road
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Major wins
Tour de France green jersey winner 1974

Biography

In 1962, aged 18, Sercu won his first national titles, in the sprint and madison events. Two years later he was the star attraction at the Manchester Wheelers' Club Race Meet at the Fallowfield track in Manchester.[5]

After retiring from competitions Sercu became organizer of road races[3] and director of the Six Days of Ghent and the former Six Days of Hasselt.[6][7] Sercu died on 19 April 2019, aged 74.[8]

Career achievements

Major results

Sercu in 1967
Sercu with wife in 1967
Sercu in 1998
  • Olympic kilometre 1964
  • World Championships sprint 1963 (amateur), 1967, 1969 (2nd: 1968)
  • 500 m flying start record: 1964 (29" 66)
  • Kilometre standing start record: 1964, 1972 (1' 06" 76)
  • Kilometre flying start record: 1967 (1' 02" 46), 1973 (1' 02" 40)
  • European omnium champion: 11 wins (2nd: 1979)
  • European madison champion: six wins
  • European derny champion: one win
  • National sprint champion: seven wins
  • National omnium champion: 15 wins
  • National madison champion: 14 wins (seven with Eddy Merckx, one with Rik Van Looy)
  • National derny champion: one win
  • Flanders road champion: 1972
  • West Flanders road champion: 1975
  • Tour of Sardinia: 1970
  • Cagliari-Sassari: 1972
  • Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne: 1977
  • Criterium Zolder: 1965
  • Criterium Bourcefranc: 1966
  • Criterium Tortoretto: 1971
  • Criterium Lignano 1972
  • Criterium Rouergue: 1974
  • Criterium Nantes : 1976
  • Criterium Mol : 1980
  • Criterium Hank: 1978
  • Memorial Tom Simpson: 1967
  • Grand Prix de la Banque: 1971
  • Grand Prix Union de Dortmund : 1979
  • Circuit of Central Flanders: 1968
  • Circuit de la Vallée de la Lys: 1969
  • Circuit des 11 Villes: 1973
  • Circuit of the Flemish Ardennes: 1975
  • Circuit du port de Dunkerque: 1975
  • Circuit des Régions Frontières: 1978
  • Circuit of South-West Flanders: 1980
  • 6 stages Tour de France
  • 11 stages Giro d'Italia
  • Points Tour de France: 1974
  • Points Tour Méditerranéen: 1977
  • Points Dauphiné Libéré: 1977

Six-day wins

Nr.YearRacePartner
11965GhentEddy Merckx
21966FrankfurtKlaus Bugdahl
31967CologneKlaus Bugdahl
41967MontréalEmile Severeyns
51967GhentEddy Merckx
61967MünsterKlaus Bugdahl
71967CharleroiFerdinand Bracke
81968RotterdamPeter Post
91968LondonPeter Post
101968FrankfurtRudi Altig
111968DortmundRudi Altig
121969BremenPeter Post
131969AntwerpPeter Post and Rik Van Looy
141969LondonPeter Post
151969DortmundPeter Post
161969FrankfurtPeter Post
171969CharleroiNorbert Seeuws
181970ColognePeter Post
191970BremenPeter Post
201970LondonPeter Post
211970GhentJean-Pierre Monseré
221971RotterdamPeter Post
231971LondonPeter Post
241971BerlinPeter Post
251971FrankfurtPeter Post
261971GhentRoger de Vlaeminck
271972LondonTony Gowland
281972DortmundAlain Van Lancker
291972GhentJulien Stevens
301973CologneAlain Van Lancker
311973MilanJulien Stevens
321973DortmundEddy Merckx
331973GrenobleEddy Merckx
341973GhentGraeme Gilmore
351974AntwerpEddy Merckx
361974LondonRené Pijnen
371974DortmundRené Pijnen
381975BremenRené Pijnen
391975AntwerpEddy Merckx
401975BerlinDietrich Thurau
411975GrenobleEddy Merckx
421975GhentEddy Merckx
431975ZürichGünter Haritz
441976RotterdamEddy Merckx
451976AntwerpEddy Merckx
461976MilanFrancesco Moser
471976DortmundFreddy Maertens
481976MaastrichtGraeme Gilmore
491977CopenhagenOle Ritter
501977AntwerpFreddy Maertens
511977LondonRené Pijnen
521977BerlinEddy Merckx
531977MunichEddy Merckx
541977GhentEddy Merckx
551977ZürichEddy Merckx
561977MaastrichtEddy Merckx
571978BerlinDietrich Thurau
581978FrankfurtDietrich Thurau
591978GrenobleDietrich Thurau
601978MunichGregor Braun
611978GhentGerrie Knetemann
621979CologneGregor Braun
631979RotterdamAlbert Fritz
641979HanoverAlbert Fritz
651979LondonAlbert Fritz
661979BerlinDietrich Thurau
671979DortmundDietrich Thurau
681979MunichDietrich Thurau
691979ZürichAlbert Fritz
701979BremenAlbert Fritz
711980CopenhagenAlbert Fritz
721980CopenhagenAlbert Fritz
731980BerlinGregor Braun
741980DortmundGregor Braun
751980GhentAlbert Fritz
761980HerningGert Frank
771981CologneAlbert Fritz
781981CopenhagenAlbert Fritz
791981MilanFrancesco Moser
801981GrenobleUrs Freuler
811981GhentGert Frank
821982RotterdamRené Pijnen
831982CopenhagenRené Pijnen
841982AntwerpRoger de Vlaeminck
851982BerlinMaurizio Bidinost
861982MunichRené Pijnen
871983RotterdamRené Pijnen
881983CopenhagenGert Frank
NumberPartner
15
  • Eddy Merckx
14
  • Peter Post
10
  • Albert Fritz
8
  • René Pijnen
7
  • Dietrich Thurau
4
  • Gregor Braun
3
  • Klaus Bugdahl
  • Gert Frank
2
  • Rudi Altig
  • Roger de Vlaeminck
  • Alain van Lancker
  • Julien Stevens
  • Graeme Gilmore
  • Francesco Moser
  • Freddy Maertens

Championships

Champion 19641965 19661967196819691970 19711972197319741975 19761977197819791980 198119821983
Olympic: kilometre                        
World track championships: sprint                      
World Road Championships             rit.           
European Track Championships: madison             
European Track Championships: derny                       
European Track Championships: omnium            
National track championships: madison            
National track championships: derny                        
National track championships: omnium            
National track championships: sprint                     
National road championship                        
National road champion points                       

Italian classics

Classics 19641965 19661967196819691970 19711972197319741975 19761977197819791980 198119821983
Giro del Piemonte                        
Giro della Campania                        
Giro di Toscana                62°        
Milan–San Remo       11°  31°27°116°11°        
Milano–Torino          10°             
Milan-Vignola                     

Non-Italian classics

Classics 19641965 19661967196819691970 19711972197319741975 19761977197819791980 198119821983
Flèche Wallonne       15°                 
Gent–Wevelgem         49° 20°           
Tour of Flanders         44°            
Paris–Roubaix       18°                
Paris–Tours           11°             

Stage races

Races
(stage races)
19641965 19661967196819691970 19711972197319741975 19761977197819791980 198119821983
Deutschland Tour                   12° (1)     
Tour of Belgium        rit.         rit. (1)      
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré                 70° (4)       
Tour of the Mediterranean                 (2)       
Giro d'Italia        90° (1) 69° (2)rit.97° (1)rit. (3)67° (3) rit. (3)        
Giro di Puglia            (1)   (1)        
Tour of Romandy          (1)   (1)          
Tour of Sardinia        1° (1) 15° (1)  5° (3)(1)  3° (2)       
Paris–Nice                 (2)       
Tirreno–Adriatico       (1)6° (1)  (1)  (1) (1)        
Tour de France             89° (3)   rit. (3)       

Other races

Races 19641965 19661967196819691970 19711972197319741975 19761977197819791980 198119821983
Acht van Chaam                        
Bellariva-Rimini                        
Brussels-Ingooigem                       
Brussels-Meulebeke                        
Cagliari-Sassari                      
Circuito degli Assi di Pavullo                        
Circuito di Cotignola                        
Circuit of the Port of Dunkirk                        
Circuit of South-West Flanders                        
Circuit of Central Flanders                        
Tour of the Vallée de la Lys                        
Tour of the Flemish Ardennes                       
Tour des Régions Frontières                        
Circuito delle 11 città                        
Coppa Bernocchi                       
Coppa Sabatini                        
Criterium degli Assi di Nogaro                        
Criterium Bourcefranc                        
Criterium Callac                        
Criterium Hank                        
Criterium Lignano                        
Criterium Mol                        
Criterium Nantes                        
Criterium Rouergue                        
Criterium Tortoretto                        
Criterium Zolder                        
Freccia Mosana                        
Giro del Limburgo                        
Giro di Calabria                        
Giro di Reggio di Calabria                        
Giro di Sardegna                      
Giro di Sicilia                        
Gran Premio Cemab                        
Gran Premio de la Banque                       
GP Union Dortmund                        
Harelbeke-Antwerp-Harelbeke                        
Het Volk                     
Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne                        
Memorial Tom Simpson                       
Paris–Camembert                       
Petegem-Deinze                        

Track

Races 19641965 19661967196819691970 19711972197319741975 19761977197819791980 198119821983
Omnium Cherbourg                        
Amsterdam six                        
Antwerp six   rit.  rit.rit.  
Berlin six   rit.   
Bremen six       
Brussels six       rit.               
Charleroi six                      
Cologne six        rit.    
Copenhagen six                 rit.
Dortmund six       
Essen six                       
Frankfurt six     rit.      rit.  
Ghent six     
Grenoble six               
Groningen six                        
Hanover six                      
Herning six                    
London six            
Maastricht six                  
Milan six           
Monaco six           rit. rit.   
Montréal six                      
Munster six                        
Rotterdam six          
Zurich six         

Teams

  • 1964 – Solo-Superia
  • 1964 – Bertin-Porter 39-Milremo
  • 1965 – Solo-Superia
  • 1966 – Solo-Superia
  • 1967 – Flandria-Declerck
  • 1968 – Faema
  • 1969 – Faema
  • 1970 – Dreher
  • 1971 – Dreher
  • 1972 – Dreher
  • 1973 – Brooklyn
  • 1974 – Brooklyn
  • 1975 – Brooklyn
  • 1976 – Brooklyn
  • 1977 – FIAT France
  • 1978 – Marc-Zeepcentrale-Superia
  • 1979 – Marc-Zeepcentrale-Superia
  • 1980 – Marc-Carlos-VRD
  • 1981 – IWC-IMEX
  • 1982 – IWC-IMEX
  • 1983 – IMEX-Neuhaus

References

  1. "Olympisch wielerkampioen Sercu (74) overleden". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 19 April 2019. Archived from the original on 19 April 2019. Retrieved 19 April 2019.
  2. Patrick Sercu Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine. www.famousbelgians.net. Gives information on record number of six day wins.
  3. Patrick Sercu Archived 27 March 2018 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  4. Patrick Sercu Archived 5 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine. cyclingarchives.com
  5. "5. The End of an Era". A History of Manchester Wheelers" Club 1883 – 1983 (PDF). manchesterwheelers.co.uk. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2013.
  6. "Patrick SercuInterview". Archived from the original on 5 March 2005. Retrieved 22 December 2013.CS1 maint: unfit url (link). britishcycling.org.uk. March 2004
  7. Lotto Zesdaagse Archived 19 February 2007 at the Wayback Machine – sport.be (in Dutch)
  8. Zesdaagsekoning en olympisch kampioen Patrick Sercu overleden Archived 19 April 2019 at the Wayback Machine, sporza.be, 19 April 2019 (in Dutch)
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