Jacky Durand - Ronde Van Vlaanderen

Ronde Van Vlaanderen

Jacky Durand won the Ronde van Vlaanderen, or Tour of Flanders, in 1992, 36 years after the last French winner, Jean Forestier, in 1956. He broke away from the field with Thomas Wegmüller after a third of the race, with 217 km still to ride. His success as an outsider, and after such a long lone ride, stayed in the memory of Belgian fans. Years later Durand was stopped for speeding. The Belgian policeman who came to his car said,"Vous avez gagné le Tour des Flandres en nonante-deux" - You won the Ronde van Vlaanderen in '92 - and let him drive on.

Durand finished his career with Belgian teams. "Winning the Ronde made me a bit of a naturalised Belgian," he said.

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