19th Ronde van Vlaanderen 1935 / Tour of Flanders (Belgium)

Duerloo Survives the Weather

Bad weather greeted 140 riders at the start of the 1935 Tour of Flanders in Gent. The wind and rain caused half the field to abandon by mid-race. Defending champion Gaston Rebry pushed the pace of a 6 rider breakaway through wind off the North Sea in Oostend. Rebry and Cornelius Leemans rode away from the rest of the breakaway in Kortrijk. A puncture slowed Rebry but after a hard effort caught the solo Leemans on the climb of the Kwaremont. Steadily a chase group of 8 closed on the two and reconnected in the closing kilometers. Into Wetteren Louis Duerloo launched a brilliant attack to win the sprint and take the 1935 Tour of Flanders.

Special Note: From the beginning of the Tour of Flanders the popularity of the race grew. In the late 1920's anyone with a car or motorbike could follow the race. In the mid-30's the caravans were so large they were very dangerous. During the 1935 race a press car collided with a trolley causing several deaths. The promoters were force to increase mobile police to keep cars from following the race.

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