Emile Daems (4 April 1938 – 17 October 2024) was a Belgian professional road racing cyclist. He began his professional career in 1959. Daems, rather small in stature, was very adept at sprinting. When Daems signed his first professional contract in 1960, it was with the small Italian team

Philco Philco (an acronym for Philadelphia Battery Company) is an American electronics industry, electronics manufacturer headquartered in Philadelphia. Philco was a pioneer in battery, radio, and television production. In 1961, the company was purchase ...

. He immediately sprinted to two stage victories in the

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

and also won the Tour of Lombardy. In his neo-professional year, Daems was also included in the Belgian selection for the

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

on the

Sachsenring The Sachsenring () is a motorsport race track, racing circuit located in Hohenstein-Ernstthal near Chemnitz in Saxony, Germany. Among other events, it features the annual German motorcycle Grand Prix of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyc ...

, Germany. But because Daems had won a criterium at the Sachsenring a few years earlier, he was the only Belgian to refuse to do work for team leader Rik Van Looy (who eventually became world champion). Daems finished 19th. In the following years, the headstrong Daems would win the stage race Giro di Sardegna (1961), the

Monuments A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

Milan-San Remo (

1962 The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War. Events January * January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...

) and Paris-Roubaix (

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

) and 4 stage victories in the Tour de France. In the

1962 Tour de France The 1962 Tour de France was the 49th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. The race consisted of 22 race stage, stages, including two split stages, starting in Nancy, France, Nancy on 24 June and fi ...

, he distinguished himself with three victories, first in Saint-Malo and then in Aix-en-Provence, each time solo. But it was especially during the mountainous 18th stage, between Juan-les-Pins and Briançon, that he impressed. Although he was mainly a classics rider, he managed to join the leading group on the col de l'Izoard (last climb of the day), twenty seconds behind Federico Bahamontes. He finally won in Briançon in a sprint of seven riders, ahead of Bahamontes,

Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil (; 8 January 1934 – 18 November 1987) was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964. He stated before the 1961 Tour that he would gain the ye ...

Raymond Poulidor Raymond Poulidor (; 15 April 1936 – 13 November 2019), nicknamed "Pou-Pou" (), was a French professional road bicycle racing, racing cyclist, who rode for his entire career. His distinguished career coincided with two other outstanding ride ...

and the yellow jersey Joseph Planckaert. After a short career of six years, aged 28, Daems quit racing and opened a restaurant. But cycling remained his great love. Daems died in

Wavre Wavre (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. Wavre is in the Dijle, Dyle valley. Most inhabitants sp ...

on 17 October 2024, at the age of 86.

Major results

As Amateur

;1956 :1st National Road Championships - Interclubs road race :2nd Brussels–Nivelles ;1957 :1st Hoeilaert–Leuven–Hoeilaert :1st Brussels–La Louvière–Brussels :1st Rund um den Sachsenring :3rd Rund um die Hainleite ;1958 :1st Overall Tour de Berlin :: Winner 4 stages :1st Overall GP Général Patton Juniors :1st GP Victor Bodson :1st Tour des Quatre-Cantons :1st Namur–Namêche :1st Bruxelles–La Louvière–Bruxelles ;1959 :1st

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders () may refer to the following cycle races: * Tour of Flanders (men's race) The Tour of Flanders (), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race held in Belgium every spri ...

independents

As Professional

;1960 :1st

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia (), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Cycling monument, Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cycli ...

:1st Giro dell'Appennino :1st

Nationale Sluitingsprijs Nationale Sluitingprijs is a classic cycle races, semi classic European Road bicycle racing, bicycle race held annually in Putte (Kapellen), Belgium. From 2005 to 2017, the race was organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Eur ...

:1st Stages 9a and 19

:1st Stage 16 Roma–Napoli–Roma :1st Tour de l'Ouest :1st Trofeo Longines ( TTT) :2nd Ronde van Brabant :3rd

Heistse Pijl The Heistse Pijl is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June around the municipality of Heist-op-den-Berg, Belgium. Since 2016, the race is organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Victor Van Schil, ...

:3rd Six Days of Brussels (with Willy Vannitsen) ;1961 : 1st Overall Giro di Sardegna :1st Stage 3

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

:1st Giro del Ticino :1st GP Dr. Eugeen Roggeman :1st GP Brabant Wallon :3rd Grote Prijs Beeckman-De Caluwé :4th

;1962 :1st

Milan–San Remo Milan–Sanremo (in italian language, Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance ...

:1st Stage 2a

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional road bicycle racing, cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the ...

:13th Overall

::1st Stages 5, 16 and 18 ::2nd points classification :1st Stage 5 Giro di Sardegna :1st Giro del Ticino :1st Flèche Halloise :1st Omloop van Limburg :3rd Six Days of Brussels (with Emile Severeyns) ;1963 :1st National Road Championships - Interclubs road race :1st

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' ...

:1st Stages 5 and 7 Mi-Août en Bretagne :1st Vilvoorde–Houtem :1st Boucles Roquevairoises :3rd Brabantse Pijl ;1964 :1st Omloop der Zennevallei :2nd Gullegem Koerse ;1965 :1st National Road Championships - Interclubs road race :1st Circuit du Tournaisis :2nd GP Stad Vilvoorde :3rd Grote Prijs Jef Scherens :3rd Tour of Leuven

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Daems, Emile 1938 births 2024 deaths Belgian male cyclists Belgian Tour de France stage winners People from Rixensart Cyclists from Walloon Brabant 20th-century Belgian sportsmen