Brooklyn K-WB - Miniature racing cyclists

Roger De Vlaeminck

Brooklyn Chewing Gum is a cycling team that was active in the 70s. The team focused on one-day classics. Roger De Vlaeminck was one of the best known riders in the team. Johan De Muynck was also part of the team for 3 seasons.

Roger De Vlaeminck is known as Monsieur Paris-Roubaix because he won 4 Paris-Roubaix races. No rider managed to win this classic more often. In addition, he finished four times in second place and one time in third place. That's why he was 9 times on the podium of the Hell of the North. Paris-Roubaix was his race. But he also won Tirreno-Adriatico 6 times after each other. Later Tom Boonen would also win 4 times Paris-Roubaix.

Roger De Vlaeminck, from Eeklo, was always good in Milan-San Remo. He won the Primavera 3 times, and was also 3 times second and one time third. He also won the Tour of Flanders once, Liege-Bastogne-Liege once and the Tour of Lombardy twice.

In the Giro he was able to win many stages. In the round of Italy he won the points jersey three times: in 1972, 1974 and 1975. In the Tour de France he only won one stage, just like in the Vuelta. He was twice Belgian champion in 1969 and 1981. His biggest win in a stage race was in 1975. In that year he won the Tour of Switzerland, 55 seconds ahead of his rival Eddy Merckx. He also won the omloop het Volk, the Walloon Arrow, the Zurich and Paris-Brussels championships.

Rivalry with Merckx
In the beginning of the 70's Eddy Merckx and Roger De Vlaeminck were 2 young, promising riders. De Vlaeminck always wanted to win from Merckx. He even thought it was a pity if someone else became 2nd, because then one could say that there was not enough resistance. After a couple of seasons of riding against each other, the 2 riders started to think differently about each other. De Vlaeminck got respect for the results of Merckx. And Merckx appreciated the fact that his rival always fought him with an open sight.

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