Belgian one-day specialist Roger De Vlaeminck became the third cyclist in road cycling history to win all five Monuments at least once during his career.
By the start of the 1977 season, he had already secured three victories at Paris-Roubaix (1972, 1974, and 1975), and notably added a fourth title just two weeks after winning the Ronde van Vlaanderen. Additionally, he had claimed a victory in Milano-Sanremo (1972), with two more wins in 1978 and 1979, a win at Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1970), and two Giro di Lombardia titles (1974 and 1976).
However, on the morning of the 3rd April 1977,
one crucial piece was still missing from his impressive collection.
He had participated in the Ronde van Vlaanderen every year since 1972, with his best result being a 4th place the previous year, when the infamous Koppenberg was first introduced. Only five riders—Roger De Vlaeminck, Freddy Maertens, Walter Planckaert, Marc Demeyer, and Francesco Moser—managed to conquer the climb from bottom to top, escaping the rest of the peloton. This shift in the race's terrain hinted that the changing landscape might also shift the fortunes of "The Gypsy."
Yet, the race he won on that sunny spring day in 1977
was most likely not among De Vlaeminck's fondest memories.
The 61st edition of the Ronde was fraught with controversy. Having struggled on the Koppenberg the previous year, Eddy Merckx attacked early in the race, seeking to avoid a repeat of his difficulties. He was joined by De Vlaeminck and Maertens. With 70 kilometers remaining, Merckx was dropped, leaving De Vlaeminck to follow Maertens’ wheel for the remainder of the race. In the final sprint, De Vlaeminck overtook Maertens to claim victory.
However, the win was overshadowed by a hostile reception at the podium, where
De Vlaeminck was booed for his lack of effort in the latter part of the race.
The two riders offered differing accounts of the day’s events. Maertens claimed he had been informed by a race official that he would be disqualified for an illegal bike change on the Koppenberg, but De Vlaeminck allegedly offered him 300,000 Belgian francs to continue and help him secure the win. De Vlaeminck, on the other hand, insisted that his strategy to ride behind Maertens was purely tactical, knowing his rival was the superior sprinter.
The story took an unexpected turn when both Maertens and the third-placed Walter Planckaert tested positive for doping and were subsequently disqualified.
Roger De Vlaeminck continued to compete in the Ronde van Vlaanderen until 1982, achieving another 4th place in 1980. Notably, in every edition of the Ronde that he started, he also finished—an impressive feat in such a grueling race.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ MORE RONDE VAN VLAANDEREN HISTORY?
On Vintage Road Cycling Stories blog there are plenty of other fascinating an unbelievable stories from the history of Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders), like the Ronde van Vlaanderen victory of Louison Bobet (1955) or the strange edition (1961) when Tom Simpson crossed the finish line first.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO READ SOME MKRE FRESH TOPIC?
In 2025, Ronde van Vlaanderen will be held on 6 April.
For more informations, please visit the Cycling Monuments 2025 sideproject of PelotonTales blogfamily.