What cyclocross looked like in 1979

Unfiltered stories from cycling's past. Subscribe so you don't miss one:    / @cobblesclimbs   See where this story unfolded on the map: https://www.cobblesclimbs.com/stories... 14 January 1979. Koersel, Flanders. The Belgian cyclo-cross championships. Cold, snow, and a national jersey on the line. No modern equipment. No polished presentation. Just cyclocross as it was nearly 50 years ago. Defending champion Roger De Vlaeminck and amateur champion Robert Vermeire are the big names. Somewhere in the field is Jan Teugels — a solid rider for Duvel-Moortgat, but not the favourite. What follows is pure, unforgiving cyclo-cross. Watering eyes from the bitter cold and frozen hands on the bars. Teugels simply rides his own pace. No panic. No wasted energy. Lap after lap the gap grows while the favourites struggle to keep contact. In the final lap the race is already decided. Teugels crosses the line alone. De Vlaeminck finishes second. Vermeire takes third. Two weeks later Teugels will finish fourth at the World Championships. But on this grey January day in Koersel, he was the strongest man. #cyclocross #1979 #DeVlaeminck #CyclingHistory #Flanders #Koersel