The trophies - 31
ITEM N° 275
SCHULTE Gerrit (NL) (07.01.1916 – 26.02.1992)
His trophy as winner of the 1953 Paris Six Days
Born on 7 January 1916 in Amsterdam, Gerrit Schulte was one of the leading figures in Dutch cycling. Turning professional in 1937, he enjoyed a long career on the road and, above all, on the track.
Nicknamed ‘the Pedalling Madman’ due to his spectacular and unpredictable temperament, he excelled in the pursuit and Six-Day events. He became world pursuit champion in 1948, after beating the famous Fausto Coppi in the final.
On the road, Gerrit Schulte won a stage of the 1938 Tour de France as well as four Dutch national titles. On the track, he racked up nineteen victories in Six-Day races, cementing his place amongst the finest track cyclists of his era.
In 1953, he won the 32nd edition of the Six Days of Paris alongside his compatriot Gerrit Peters. The Dutch duo finished ahead of Achiel Bruneel and Rik Van Steenbergen, whilst Oscar Plattner and Hans Hörmann took third place.
The item on display is the trophy awarded to Gerrit Schulte for this victory. It takes the form of a tall, slender cup, crafted from dark metal and topped by an imposing lid surmounted by a delicate ornament. Two tall, geometric handles frame the central body. The cup rests on a circular foot attached to a square plinth of dark stone, featuring a commemorative plaque.
The photograph on the left shows Gerrit Schulte crowned with flowers after a victory, whilst the portrait on the right captures the strong personality of this popular champion.
Featured in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël GREGOIRE Collections, this trophy commemorates the victory of Gerrit Schulte and Gerrit Peters at the 1953 Paris Six Days. It bears witness to the exceptional career of a powerful, combative rider who was particularly brilliant on the velodromes.
ITEM N° 282
SIMON Pascal (F)
(27.09.1956)
His trophy for winning the 1980 Tour du Haut-Var
Born on 27 September 1956 in Mesnil-Saint-Loup, Pascal Simon is a former French professional cyclist. A professional from 1979 to 1991, he was a consistent climber, courageous and particularly at ease on rugged routes.
His list of honours includes, notably, the 1981 Tour de l’Avenir, a stage of the 1982 Tour de France, the 1984 Tour de Midi-Pyrénées and the 1987 Tour du Vaucluse. He also won the Tour du Haut-Var twice, in 1980 and 1986. Pascal Simon is best remembered for the 1983 Tour de France. After taking the yellow jersey in the Pyrenees, he crashed and fractured his shoulder blade. Despite his injury, he retained the leader’s jersey for several days before being forced to withdraw.
On 24 February 1980, he won the 12th edition of the Tour du Haut-Var, a 185-kilometre race between Nice and Seillans. He finished 1 minute and 35 seconds ahead of Sean Kelly and Guy Sibille.
The item on display is the trophy awarded to Pascal Simon for this victory. Its modern design consists of three long, parallel metal rods, slightly curved at their bases and arranged at different heights. A small horizontal plaque completes this airy composition. The whole rests on a rectangular plinth of dark stone, fitted with a plaque bearing, amongst other things, the inscriptions ‘Tour du Haut-Var 1980’, ‘Peillans–Draguignan’ and ‘Reynolds 531 Tubes Trophy’.
The photographs framing the object show Pascal Simon at two different stages of his life: on the right, wearing the Peugeot jersey during his sporting career, and on the left, several decades later.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël GREGOIRE Collections, this trophy commemorates one of the first major professional successes of Pascal Simon, a tenacious cyclist whose courage left a lasting mark on the history of the Tour de France.
ITEM N° 283
SOMERS Marc (B)
(28.06.1961)
His winner’s trophy from the prologue of the 1984 Tour of Aragon
Born on 28 June 1961 in Duffel, Marc Somers is a former Belgian professional cyclist. A strong all-rounder and specialist in solo efforts, he competed as a professional from 1983 to 1987.
Before turning professional, he won the Tour of Chile and the Ruban Granitier Breton in 1981. He was also Belgian amateur runner-up in both the individual and team pursuit.
On 22 May 1984, riding for the Europ Decor–Boule d’Or team, Marc Somers won the prologue of the Tour of Aragon, a time trial held on the streets of Zaragoza. He finished ahead of the Spaniards Alfonso Gutiérrez and Pello Ruiz Cabestany to become the race’s first leader. This victory demonstrated his prowess as a road racer. That same year, he finished thirteenth in the prologue of the Tour de France, before withdrawing from the race during the eleventh stage. He went on to win the Course des Raisins in 1986 and the prologue of the Tour des Vallées Minières in 1987.
The item on display is the trophy awarded to Marc Somers for his victory in the prologue of the 1984 Tour of Aragon. It is a tall, silver-coloured metal cup with an original design. Its body is formed of several superimposed elements: a hemispherical cup, a cylindrical central section and a flared base. Two sets of small, ornate handles adorn the whole, lending it a particularly elegant appearance.
The trophy rests on a square plinth fitted with a commemorative plaque. The poster reproduced on the left shows the route of this 21st edition of the Tour of Aragon, whilst the photographs depict Marc Somers wearing the colours of his professional teams.
On display in the Virtual Cycling Museum – Noël GREGOIRE Collections, this trophy, acquired with the assistance of former mechanic Mr Roger Danis, preserves the memory of a victory achieved in Marc Somers’s favourite discipline and bears witness to the career of a remarkable time trial specialist.
