Wim van Est
 Wim van Est in 1956 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Willem van Est |
| Born |
25 March 1923 Fijnaart, Netherlands |
| Died |
1 May 2003 (aged 80) Sint Willebrord, Netherlands |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Major wins | |
| |
Medal record
| |
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Willem "Wim" van Est (25 March 1923 – 1 May 2003) was a Dutch racing cyclist. He is best known for being the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow jersey in the Tour de France of 1951, and for falling into a ravine while wearing it.[1]
Biography
Van Est was born in the town of Fijnaart, in North Brabant. Prior to his cycling career, he used to smuggle tobacco by bike, but was eventually caught and served several months in prison. He started his cycling career (as an amateur) in 1946, after a professional runner had seen him race in a local competition as part of a wager. His first major victory came in 1950, when he won the 600 km Bordeaux–Paris race.
In 1951, Van Est was part of the Dutch team for the Tour de France. In the 12th stage, from Agen to Dax, he escaped with a small group. He won the stage and gained 19 minutes on the leader, enough to move up to first place overall. As the first Dutchman to wear the accompanying yellow jersey he was praised by the public and media at home.
The next day, in defence of his position, Van Est was chasing the leaders in the descent of the Col d'Aubisque. Due to a flat tyre (according to Van Est himself), he slipped away and fell into a 70 m deep ravine. Miraculously, he survived the fall and had no serious injuries. Using a chain of tyres, and helped by spectators and his manager, he managed to get back to the road. Van Est wanted to continue, but was persuaded to go to the hospital.
At home, Van Est's fame grew even more when Pontiac, which had supplied watches to the Dutch team in the Tour de France, started an advertising campaign "Seventy meters deep I dropped, my heart stood still but my Pontiac never stopped".[2]
Later in his career, Van Est twice won the Ronde van Nederland, wore the yellow jersey again in 1955 and 1958, placed 8th in 1957 and won two more stages. Also, he won Bordeaux–Paris two more times, two national road titles, four national titles in the individual pursuit on the track, as well as three medals in the pursuit at the World Championships.
Nevertheless, he remained most famous for the two days in the 1951 Tour de France. To remember this event, a monument was placed on the mountain 50 years after the event, on 17 July 2001.
Wim van Est died in his hometown Sint Willebrord. His brothers Piet, Kees, Toon, Leen and Nico were also professional cyclists.[1]
Palmarès
- 1947
- 1st Saarland Rundfahrt
- 1949
- 1st
Dutch Individual Pursuit Champion - 1st Stage 5 Ronde van Nederland
- 3rd World Individual Pursuit Championships
- 1950
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 2nd World Individual Pursuit Championships
- 1951
- 1st Stage 12 Tour de France
- 2nd Bordeaux–Paris
- 1952
- 1st Dutch Individual Pursuit Champion
- 1st Overall Ronde van Nederland
- 1st Stage 4a
- 1st Stage 7
- 1st Nokere Koerse
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
- 1953
- 1st Dutch Individual Pursuit Champion
- 1st Tour of Flanders
- 1st Stage 1 Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stage 16 Tour de France
- 1st Stage 2b Dwars door Vlaanderen
- 2nd Gent–Wevelgem
- 2nd Bordeaux–Paris
- 1954
- 1st Overall Ronde van Nederland
- 1st Stage 3
- 1st Stage 4
- 1st Stage 7
- 1st Stage 4b Tour de France
- 1st Overall Driedaagse van Antwerpen
- 2nd Bordeaux–Paris
- 1955
- 1st Duth Individual Pursuit Champion
- 1st Stage 1b (TTT) Tour de France
- 2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Stage 7
- 3rd World Individual Pursuit Championships
- 1956
- 1st Dutch Road Race Championship
- 1st Duth Motor-paced Champion
- 2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland
- 1st Stage 8a
- 3rd Overall Driedaagse van Antwerpen
- 1st Stage 2b (TTT)
- 1st Stage 3a
- 1st GP Stad Vilvoorde
- 2nd Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
- 1957
- 1st Dutch Road Race Championship
- 2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland
- 1st Stage 4
- 1st Stage 6
- 1958
- 1st Duth Motor-paced Champion
- 1960
- 1st Stage 7 Ronde van Nederland
- 1961
- 1st Bordeaux–Paris
See also
References
- 1 2 Wim van Est. cyclingarchives.com
- ↑ The original Dutch slogan was "Zeventig meter viel ik diep, mijn hart stond stil maar mijn Pontiac liep"
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wim van Est. |
- Official Tour de France results for Wim van Est
- More extensive story of Van Ests fall in 1951
- "Vidéo Ina – Tour de France 1951 : Dax – Tarbes (13ème étape)". Retrieved 18 September 2010. Contemporary newsreel footage of the crash (in French)
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Thijs Roks |
Dutch National Road Race Champion 1956–1957 |
Succeeded by Jef Lahaye |