Ferdinand Bracke (born 25 May 1939) is a

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

former professional

road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...

and track

cyclist Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

who is most famous for holding the World Hour Record (48.093 km) and winning the overall title at the 1971

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the ...

in front of

Wilfried David Wilfried David (22 April 1946 – 15 June 2015) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. Major results ; 1968 : 2nd, Houthulst : 1st, Stage 7, Paris–Nice : 1st, Overall, Tour of Belgium :: 2nd, Stage 1 :: 3rd, Stage 2 ; 1969 : 1st ...

of Belgium and

Luis Ocaña Jesús Luis Ocaña Pernía (; 9 June 1945 – 19 May 1994) was a Spanish road bicycle racer who won the 1973 Tour de France and the 1970 Vuelta a España. During the 1971 Tour de France he launched an amazing solo breakaway that put him i ...

of Spain. He also became world pursuit champion on the track in 1964 and 1969.

Biography

Bracke was born in

Hamme Hamme () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Hamme proper, Kastel Moerzeke, and . In 2018, Hamme had a total population of 24,827. The total area is 40.21 km². The c ...

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

, Belgium, on 24 May 1939. A rouleur and

time trialist A time trialist is a road bicycle racer who can maintain high speeds for long periods of time, to maximize performance during individual or team time trials. The term ''cronoman'', or ''chronoman'', is also used to refer to a time trialist. Detai ...

, he emerged as an amateur in 1962 by winning the tenth stage of the

Peace Race The Peace Race (german: Friedensfahrt, cs, Závod míru, sk, Preteky mieru, russian: Велогонка Мира (), pl, Wyścig Pokoju , french: Course de la Paix, it, Corsa della Pace, ro, Cursa Păcii) was an annual multiple stage bicyc ...

. In May of the same year he won the

Grand Prix des Nations The Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial (against the clock) for both professional and amateur racing cyclists. Held annually in Cannes, France, it was instituted in 1932 and often regarded as the unofficial time trial championship ...

, a time trial race. He turned pro on 26 September 1962, joining the Peugeot-BP-Dunlop team headed by Gaston Plaud. In the following years he obtained numerous prestigious victories on road: he won the

Trofeo Baracchi The Trofeo Baracchi was a major Italian cycling race that ran for 50 years. It was created by Mino Baracchi, in memory of his father Angelo who was a great cycle racing fan. Originally (from 1941) an amateur individual time trial An individu ...

, together with

Eddy Merckx Édouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx (, ; born 17 June 1945), better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional road and track bicycle racer who is among the most successful riders in the history of competitive cycling. His victorie ...

, in 1966 and 1967, a stage in the 1966 Tour de France and the final time trial of the

1976 Tour de France The 1976 Tour de France was the 63rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took between 24 June and 18 July, with 22 stages covering a distance of . It was won by mountain specialist Lucien Van Impe in a battle with t ...

. He finished in third place in the general classification at the 1968 Tour de France. In 1971 he won the

, beating compatriot

(who placed second) and Spaniard

(who placed third). He became world champion in track pursuit in 1964 in Paris and again in Antwerp in

1969 This year is notable for Apollo 11's first landing on the moon. Events January * January 4 – The Government of Spain hands over Ifni to Morocco. * January 5 ** Ariana Afghan Airlines Flight 701 crashes into a house on its approach to ...

, then winning second place in

1972 Within the context of Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) it was the longest year ever, as two leap seconds were added during this 366-day year, an event which has not since been repeated. (If its start and end are defined using Solar time, me ...

and

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

and placing third in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

. On 30 October 1967 he recorded the

hour record The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious rec ...

with 48,093 kilometers at the Olympic Velodrome in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

, becoming the first cyclist to reach the milestone of 48 kilometers. The record, broken the following year by Ole Ritter, remained the best performance on track below 600 meters of altitude for a long time. In 1978 he ended his cycling career and took over a furniture business with his wife.Udo Witte: ''Campionissimo, Monsieur Chrono, Kannibale & Co..'' BoD – Books on Demand, 2015, ISBN 978-3-738-61692-7, p. 345 Google Books ID=JwOSCgAAQBAJ. On 17 February 1979, Bracke was bid farewell to cycling at a cycling gala in the Sports Palace in

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest i ...

Honours

In 1967 Bracke was voted

Belgian Sportsman of the Year The Belgian Sportsman of the Year is elected at the end of each year by professional sportjournalists and former winners, annually since 1967. A Belgian Sportswoman of the Year title has been given out since 1975. Top winners include Ingrid Berghm ...

(the first in history to receive this award) and was awarded the Belgian Sports Merit Award.

Major results

Road

;1961 : 1st Overall

Tour of Austria The Tour of Austria (german: Internationale Österreich Rundfahrt) is a stage cycling race held in Austria. From 1949 to 1995 it was a race for amateur cyclists, turning into a professional event in 1996. In 2005 and 2006 it was organised as a 2 ...

amateurs : 1st Stages 1 & 2a ( TTT) Etoile Hennuyère : 1st Stage 2 Ronde van Limburg amateurs : 1st Stage 2b ( ITT) Tour de Wallonie ;1962 : 1st

( ITT) : 1st Stage 10

: 2nd

Grand Prix du Parisien The Grand Prix du Parisien was an annual road bicycle race held in Paris, France as a team time trial. It was approximately . Each team had six riders. The event was first held in 1961 and for the final time in 1965. From 1963 to 1965 it was pa ...

: 3rd

Gran Premio di Lugano The Gran Premio di Lugano ( en, Grand Prix of Lugano) is a road bicycle race held annually in Lugano, Switzerland. Prior to 1981 it was held as an individual time trial but in recent years it has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe ...

;1963 :1st

:2nd Flèche Hesbignonne :2nd Manche-Océan :2nd

: 2nd

:3rd

(with Walter Boucquet) ;1964 : 1st Stage 2b

Tour du Sud-Est The Tour du Sud-Est was a professional cycle race held as a stage race in France. It was first held in 1919 and held for the final time in 1983, although it wasn't held every year. In 1965 it was part of the Super Prestige Pernod The Super Pres ...

: 1st Stage 5b ( TTT)

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk (french: Quatre Jours de Dunkerque) is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been h ...

: 1st Stage 4

Grand Prix du Midi Libre The Grand Prix du Midi Libre (referred to as just Midi Libre) was a multiple-stage road cycling course in the south of France. The race, named after the newspaper that organized it, was first organized in 1949 and was an important preparation co ...

: 1st

:2nd

Tour de l'Oise The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race was called Tour de l'Oise ...

:3rd Bruxelles-Verviers :3rd Omloop van West Brabant ;1965 :1st Tour de Haute-Loire :1st GP de la Basse-Sambre ;1966 : 1st

(with

) : 1st Stage 19

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

:1st Stage 1b ( ITT)

Tour of Belgium The Tour of Belgium ( nl, Ronde van België; french: Tour de Belgique) is a five-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium, and is part of the UCI ProSeries. It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Be ...

:1st Stage 2b ( TTT)

:2nd Escalada a Montjuïc ;1967 : 1st

(with

) : 3rd

Interclubs road race, National Road Championships ;1968 :1st European Time Trial Cup (with

Vittorio Adorni Vittorio Adorni (14 November 1937 – 24 December 2022) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. Early life and amateur career Adorni was born in San Lazzaro di Parma on 14 November 1937.

) :1st LuK Challenge Chrono (with

) :2nd

National Road Championships :2nd Overall Paris-Nice ::1st Stage 8b ( ITT) : 3rd Overall

;1969 : 1st Stage 2b ( ITT)

: 1st Stage 1c

Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part ...

:2nd Overall

:: 1st Stage 3 ;1970 :1st

Grand Prix de Wallonie The Grand Prix de Wallonie is an annual road bicycle race held annually in Wallonia, Belgium. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It has a profile similar to the Ardennes classics The Ardennes classics a ...

: 1st Stage 5b ( ITT)

;1971 : 1st Jersey gold

Overall

:1st Flèche Hesbignonne :2nd Overall

Tour de Luxembourg The Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.Pro race, the highest rating below the World Tour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the ...

:3rd Overall

;1972 :1st Stage 5 Étoile des Espoirs :1st Prologue ( TTT)

:3rd Overall

;1973 : 1st

Grand Prix Pino Cerami Grand Prix Pino Cerami is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in Hainaut, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Giuseppe 'Pino' Cerami, after whom the race is named, is a former Belg ...

;1974 : 1st Grand Prix de Monaco :

Tour de Picardie The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race was called Tour de l'Oise ...

:: 1st stage 3 :3rd Overall

:: 1st stage 6 : 3rd Circuit de la Région Linière :2nd

Le Samyn Le Samyn is an annual single-day road bicycle race in Belgium, held usually in late February or early March. The event was created in 1968 as ''Grand Prix de Fayt-le-Franc'', named after the former municipality where it started and finished. In 1 ...

;1975 : 3rd GP de Wallonie ;1976 : 1st Stage 17

;1977 :1st Bruxelles-Biévène ;1978 :2nd Bruxelles-Ingooigem :3rd Trofee Luc Van Biesen

Track

;1964 : 1st Jersey rainbow

Individual pursuit The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track. It is held at over for men and for women. The riders start at the same time and set off to complete the ...

UCI World Championships The UCI world championships are annual competitions promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to determine world champion cyclists. They are held in several different styles of racing, in a different country each year. Championship winne ...

: 3rd

Individual pursuit,

National Track Championships National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

;1965 : 1st MaillotBélgica

Individual pursuit,

: 2nd

:3rd

Omnium An omnium (from Latin '' Omni'': of all, belonging to all) is a multiple race event in track cycling. Historically the omnium has had a variety of formats. In recent years, road racing has also adopted the term to describe multi-day races that fe ...

European Championships The European Championships is a multi-sport tournament which brings together the existing European Championships of some of the continent's leading sports every four years. The inaugural edition in 2018 was staged by the host cities of Berlin, ...

;1966 : 2nd Silver medal uci

;1967 :

World Hour Record – 48.093km : 1st MaillotBélgica

Individual pursuit,

: 1st

Six Days of Charleroi The Six Days of Charleroi was a short-lived six-day track cycling race held annually in Charleroi, Belgium. It took place on a dismountable velodrome, especially installed for the event in the Charleroi Exhibition Centre. Three editions were o ...

(with

Patrick Sercu Patrick Sercu (27 June 1944 – 19 April 2019) 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 title ...

) ;1968 : 1st

(with

) : 2nd

Omnium,

;1969 : 1st Jersey rainbow

: 3rd

(with

Rudi Altig Rudi Altig (; 18 March 1937 – 11 June 2016) was a German professional track and road racing cyclist who won the 1962 Vuelta a España and the world championship in 1966. After his retirement from sports he worked as a television commentator. ...

) ;1970 :2nd

Six Days of Brussels The Six Days of Brussels was a six-day track cycling race held annually in Brussels, Belgium. Rik Van Steenbergen Rik Van Steenbergen (9 September 1924 – 15 May 2003) was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best amo ...

:3rd

Omnium,

;1971 :2nd

Six Days of Ghent The Six Days of Ghent ( nl, Zesdaagse Vlaanderen-Gent) is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Ghent, Belgium. It takes place in the Kuipke velodrome in Ghent's ''Citadelpark''. The 2006 event from 21 November to 26 November was mar ...

(with Peter Post : 3rd

Six Days of Grenoble The Six Days of Grenoble (french: Six jours cyclistes de Grenoble) is a six-day track cycling race held annually in Grenoble, France. Since 2012, the competition is called Four Days of Grenoble. It takes place in the Palais des Sports Palais des ...

: 3rd