Thread by @NoahvPutten

The rise of Eric Vandenaerden

It's been long enough! I'm back with more cycling lore, starting with a two part story explaining the rise of Eric Vandenaerden and the 1985 Tour of Flanders.

1/20

When Eric Vanderaerden was about to make his professional debut in 1983, expectations surrounding the rider from Belgian Limburg were extremely high. For years, he had been one of the brightest talents on the cycling scene. 2/20

From a young age, he showed he was a powerful rider. As a 1st year, he won the Junior Tour of Flanders. Later that year he finished 5th at the World Championships on the former F1 circuit of Buenos Aires. A year later he sprinted silver in Mexico City. 3/

At the Amateur level, Vandenaerden dominated. He won more than 300 races. Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf named him rookie of the year ahead of 1982:

"For Eric Vandenaerden, winning became a commodity over the last two years. These results haven't gone unnoticed.... 4/20

The media of our southern neighbors have unanimously named him the successor of Eddy Merckx. They could use one, because they are lacking heroes. The situation is so dire, that the Belgian federation made an exception on rule that's rather stupid anyway..... 5/20

Normally you can sign your pro contract when you turn 23, he was allowed to do it a year earlier. If he is as good as they think remains to be seen. Eddy Planckaert, Ronny van Holden, and Marc Sergeant were also pushed by our Belgian colleagues, but look where they are now." 6/20

Vandenaerden was different than all the riders listed in the article. He couldn't climb like Merckx, but he also didn't need as much time to adapt to the Pro level as Planckaert and Sergeant. At his debut, he sprinted to third in the GP Monaco. 7/20

The engine of Vandenaerden was unreal, especially for a rider of his age. He won the prologue in Paris-Nice, and sprinted to the win from a small group in stage 7 to Nice. He finished 4th in San Remo, behind Saronni, Bontempi and Raas. 8/20

Vandenaerden competed with the big guns, but there was criticism of the way his team J. Aernoudt-Rossin handled him. Manager Fred Debruyne had several strong riders at his disposal, so normally a young rider like Vandenaerden would be given a limited schedule. 9/20

Pressed by his sponsor, who only gave a one year commitment, Debruyne however felt the necessity to get the most out of Vandenaerden.
Critics worried the rookie sensation would burn out, but he got sent to the Vuelta. He sprinted to the win in stages 2 and 11. 10/20

After winning two stages in the Midi-Libre, the Belgian also got selected to the Tour de France. Earlier, Debruyne had said that under no circumstances, his young talent would race La Grande Boucle. At the start of the week, Vandenaerden also said he had no plans to race. 11/20

However, assistant manager Jose De Cauwer convinced Vandenaerden to start the race. There were heavy rumors he was pressured by the furniture company sponsoring the team. There are varying reports on when he made the call to race, but he was the last addition to the startlist 12/

In the prologue, Vandenaerden stunned the cycling world. He set the fastest time, and took the first yellow jersey. What followed was one of the most surreal interviews with a stage winner:
"My TT bike got stolen from the truck last night, so I rode on my normal bike... 13/20

I had immense pain in my legs, but thats good. The first 700m I didnt feel anything, and I was slow. People say I can only win on courses with corners. Today I showed thats a myth, but to be honest, I would have preferred to not be here. I am too young for the Tour" 14/20

Vandenaerden got several top 5 placements in the 1st week of the Tour. Meanwhile stories circulated that he started the Tour in the hope he could get out of his contract, and sign a more lucrative deal elsewhere. The team denied this, setting up a conflict. 15/20

The Belgian wanted out, having seen his market value skyrocket. J. Aernoudt-Rossin obviously didn't want this for commercial reasons, and besides there was a Belgian federation rule that stated neo-pros had to race with their first employer for two seasons. 16/20

Out of protest, Vandenaerden refused to start the autumn classics. He already signed a new contract with Panasonic - Raleigh, and wanted his current contract voided.
The court case dragged on into 1984, with the UCI & Belgian cycling saying he couldn't race for Panasonic. 17/20

48 hours before the registration deadline of Omloop het Volk, a Belgian court ruled that Vandenaerden should be allowed to race for Panasonic until further notice. The Belgian federation successfully appealed this ruling. 18/20

Four days before the Omloop, the case was finally resolved. Furniture company Aernoudt went bankrupt, and as Vandenaerden's contract was with the furniture company, his agreement was nulled. He could finally race for the team of Peter Post. 19/20

This juridical fighting might distract some, but not Vandenaerden. He delivered a strong season, during which he broke through in the classics. He came 3rd in San Remo, 2nd in Gent Wevelgem and won Paris - Brussels. He also won two stages in the Tour, and the Belgian title. 20/20

With the meteoric rise of Vandenaerden now covered, the scene is set for the 1985 Tour of Flanders. I will post the story of that epic race later this week!

Sources: nrc.nl/nieuws/2011/01… knack.be/sport/wielrenn… hbvl.be/sport/wielrenn… resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KB… resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=dd… resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=KB… resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=dd… resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=AB… resolver.kb.nl/resolve?urn=dd…