Wim Van Est + Cycling Revealed
The Team Chef
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Every Monday since the beginning of November I have looked forward to the the weekly trivia contest offered by Cycling Revealed. I have no illusions of winning the season long competition outright (which runs from November – March), but instead aspire to maybe crack the top 10 at some point. The quizzes are timed, and with only three minutes to answer the five questions, there is simply no time to google an answer. Although at times frustrating, it’s a great way to learn more about the riders, races, and rich history of professional cycling. The inspiration for today’s post can be directly attributed to one of the January quizzes, so my thanks to Cycling Revealed for reminding me about one of the great riders from cycling’s Golden Era, Wim Van Est.
Wim Van Est, nicknamed Iron William, was the first Dutch cyclist to wear the yellow jersey, a feat he was able to accomplish in his very first appearance in the Tour de France in 1951. He donned the maillot jaune after joining a small breakaway group during the 12th stage, which gained 18 minutes on then race leader Roger Leveque. Van Est won the sprint out of his small group, and not only captured the yellow jersey, but also won the stage. It was a glorious day for Holland and their new hero, Iron William, but their celebration would be short lived.
The next day’s stage 13 marked the first appearance of the high mountains with a foray into the Pyrenees, which included both the dreaded Tourmelet and Aubisque. It would be the first time the young Van Est had ever seen, much less raced in, such terrain. He came from a quite poor family, had not had the opportunity to travel very often, and had never been to the mountain ranges frequented by the Tour de France. It would certainly be a tall order hanging on to his yellow jersey, as the riders in the peloton included some of the greatest names of the era - Fausto Coppi, Gino Bartali, Louison Bobet, Jean Robic, Hugo Koblet, Fiorenzi Magni, Raphael Geminiani, and Stan Ockers. Van Est did well to stay in contact on both of the climbs, but his luck soured when he punctured at the summit of the Aubisque, and promptly lost three minutes waiting for a wheel change. As the leaders disappeared down the twisting descent of the Aubisque, Van Est was forced to make a kamikaze-like plunge down the mountain in hot pursuit. His lack of experience caught up with him, and he crashed, but was able to remount. Wim continued to take risks through each of the hairpin turns, eventually locking his brakes through a particularly nasty bend, which is now known as Van Est Corner. His tire blew, the front wheel locked, and he sailed over a small wall into what appeared to be an endless abyss. Panic set in for everyone in the trailing team car, especially when they saw Wim lying over 200 feet below the edge of the cliff from which he had just launched himself.
Van Est’s own words describe what looked to be a fatal accident: “I wanted to go left but the bike went straight on…I was lucky because I undid the pedal straps just before I started to descend. When I fell I kicked my bike away and held my hands over my head. In a few seconds I saw my whole life. My fall was broken by some young trees and I caught one …”
The picture to the left says all one needs to know about Wim’s state of mind at the time.
Van Est was pulled out of the ravine by a makeshift chain of tires which had been tied together forming a long “rope.” Unbelievably, Wim suffered only minor cuts and scrapes, and felt he should be allowed to continue on in the race. His protestations fell on deaf ears, and Wim's manager ordered the stunned cyclist into an ambulance and taken to the hospital for evaluation, effectively ending his reign in yellow and his bid to complete his first Tour. The next day the entire Dutch squad withdrew from the race. Hugo Koblet eventually went on to claim the top step on the podium, with an amazing 22 minute margin on the closest runner-up, Raphael Geminiani - a superhuman feat, especially given the quality of the field.
While researching this incident, I was amazed to discover that the drama had been captured on film. It’s a fascinating and rare look back in time to one of cycling’s greatest eras. Below you will find a shortened version. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to imbed the longer original footage. I highly recommend going to the following link to view the full clip (requires the Quick Time player): Van Est and Aubisque Crash. There is no audio for either version.
Wim’s fame grew in his country following the Tour thanks to a successful advertising campaign run by watch maker, Pontiac. As it turned out, the company had given the entire Dutch team watches prior to the race’s start, and they were quick to capitalize on this fact by coining this clever slogan: “ Wim van Est made a 200-foot fall, his heart stopped, but his Pontiac not at all!” One can only hope that Iron William shared in the financial success of Pontiac’s marketing coup.
Although Van Est never went on to win the Tour de France, he again wore the yellow jersey in 1955 and 1958, won two more stages, and finished 8th in 1957. It is also worth noting that he won Flanders in 1953; was twice winner of the Ronde van Nederland (precursor to the Eneco Tour); was three times winner of the once prestigious 600k Bordeaux-Paris; was two times national road champion; and demonstrating his versatility, was four times national individual pursuit champion on the track. Of course, he will always be remembered for his dramatic brush with death while wearing the yellow jersey on the descent of the Aubisque in 1951. On July 17, 2001 a plaque was erected on the mountain to commemorate the 50th anniversary of one of the more memorable days, and riders, in Tour de France history. Wim van Est passed away in April of 2003 – one of the true legends of the Tour de France.
Photo Credits: HSV de Kampioen, Image Sport Marketing, Cyclingnews, Edwin Seldenthuis, Jasper Juinen/ANP
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Reader Comments (2)
I don't know whether you came across a Col d'Aubisque ride report I did a few years ago where I included a digression on Wim van Est. I did some research on Wim too but, I never knew video of the incident existed... it sure enforces how far he fell and that he was shook up more mentally then physically.
Steve,
Your article on Van Est/Aubisque was excellent, and was my introduction to your website (Steephill.tv), There is now a link provided in my Live Race Coverage and Video section in the left hand column of this site. I'm must say I'm extremely jealous that you have ridden all these fantastic climbs that are such a large part of cycling history.