Emile Van Berendonck

Philippe-Emile Van Berendonck also written as Emile Van Beerendonck (born 27 January 1864) was a Belgian road cyclist and industrialist who later started living in France and competed under the name Eole. He was a pioneer in the earliest era of road cycling. He was the winner of the inaugural Belgian National Road Race Championships in 1882. He also won other prizes and had a top-10 finish at the inaugural Paris–Roubaix in 1896. His parents were Egide Van Berendonck (born 1821) who worked as a bookbinder and Amélie Kamfort (born 1828) who worked as a maid. He continued to live in Brussesl, It was a race over 3000 metres at boulevard du Midi.

On 25 June 1882 he won the first Belgian National Road Race Championships. He made his own velocipedes but went bankrupt in the same month as the championships.

He moved to France and started competing there under the name Eole, and also acquired there a certain amount of fame. In 1896 he participated in the inaugural edition of Paris–Roubaix, finishing in seventh place. In 1895, Le Moniteur de la Teinture described one of his inventions, a machine à encoller (sizing machine), designed to simplify textile coating processes while improving regularity and reducing solvent consumption. The design featured a dual-cylinder system operating in opposite directions with a continuous cloth belt and adjustable guides to ensure even application.

Van Berendonck later filed a United States patent for a Loading and Unloading Device (U.S. Patent No. 827,831), granted on 7 August 1906. The invention related to pneumatic systems for transferring subdivided materials such as coal or grain, particularly in maritime loading and unloading operations. It aimed to improve simplicity, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in material handling through the use of air pressure and flexible membranes controlling flow within a tubular receptacle.

Major results 1881 2nd Grand councours de vélocipedes 1882 Belgian National Road Race Championships 1st Mons (25 June) Spa courses de Vélocipèdes (16 July) 1st 10,000 metres 1st 3000 metres 2nd obstacle course

1896 7th Paris–Roubaix