Gerrit Schulte

Gerrit Schulte (7 January 1916 – 26 February 1992) was a Dutch professional track bicycle racer. Between 1940 and 1960 he won 19 six-day races out of 73 starts and was one of the dominant Six days racers of his time. Schulte was as well successful in track pursuit, becoming national champion ten times, European champion twice and world champion once, in 1948, when he beat Fausto Coppi in the final. He was also successful as a road race cyclists, becoming national champion three times and winning a stage in the 1938 Tour de France. Since 1955, the Gerrit Schulte Trophy has been awarded by the national federation to the best professional rider in the Netherlands.

Biography

Amateur career Schulte competed at the 1936 Summer Olympics in the individual and team road races, but did not finish. Next year he turned professional.

1938 Tour de France In the 1938 Tour de France, Schulte joined as a member of the Dutch team. He won the third stage, and abandoned the race in the eighth stage. After that, he went to Paris, and won 10.000 francs in a criterium. His team mate Theo Middelkamp did finish the 1938 Tour, and also won a stage, but Middelkamp only won 8.000 francs during the Tour. They both decided to never return to the Tour, because in other races they could win more money.

Later life Since 1955, every year the Gerrit Schulte Trophy is awarded by the national federation to the best professional rider in the Netherlands, and Schulte himself has won it once in 1958. After retiring from competitions he worked as a cycling coach and managed the restaurant in De Vliert, the football stadium of his home town Den Bosch.

Major results

1937 Dussen Ronde van Gouda, Amateurs Hoogerheide 1938 Antwerpen Purmerend Oss Vinkeveen Eindhoven Tour de France: Winner stage 3 1939 Acht van Chaam Antwerpen Zaandam Baarle-Hertog Namur 1940

Six Days of Antwerp (with Gerrit Boeyen) Gent 1941

1942

Roermond Hilversum 1943

Roermond 1944

Ronde van Gouda

1945

Beverwijk 1946 Six Days of Paris (with Gerrit Boeyen) Tongeren Hoensbroek 1947 Six Days of Ghent (with Gerrit Boeyen) GP Stad Sint-Niklaas

Six Days of Brussels (with Gerrit Boeyen) 1948 Brasschaat Den Bosch

Oss World Champion Track Pursuit

1949 European Track Championships

Ronde van Nederland Roosendaal Temse Six Days of Ghent (with Gerrit Boeyen) Six Days of Antwerp (with Gerrit Boeyen) Zwijndrecht Willebroek Den Bosch 1950 Antwerpen Boucles de la Gartempe European Track Championships

Six Days of Ghent (with Gerard Peters)

Six Days of Paris (with Gerard Peters) Etten-Leur 1951

Westerlo 1952 Sas van Gent, Sas van Gent 1953 Six Days of Paris (with Gerard Peters)

Den Bosch 1954 Six Days of Berlin (with Gerard Peters, Emile Carrara and Dominique Forlini) Six Days of Antwerp (with Gerard Peters) Goes, Goes 1955 Six Days of Münster (with Gerard Peters) Den Bosch Helmond 1956 Den Bosch Dussum Helmond Six Days of Zürich (with Kay Werner Nielsen) Leuven Six Days of Copenhagen (with Lucien Gillen) 1957 Six Days of Zürich (with Armin von Büren) 1958 Six Days of Berlin (with Klaus Bugdahl) Den Bosch Wevelgem Hanret 1959 Six Days of Antwerp (with Klaus Bugdahl and Peter Post) Six Days of Brussels (with Peter Post) 1960 Six Days of Antwerp (with Jan Plantaz and Peter Post)