Piet van Heusden

From Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Piet van Heusden
Van Heusen in 1952
Personal information
Born(1929-07-11)11 July 1929
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Died15 January 2023(2023-01-15) (aged 93)
Team information
Disciplineroad and track cycling
RoleRider
Amateur team
ASC Olympia
Medal record
Men's track cycling
Representing  Netherlands
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1952 Paris individual pursuit

Piet van Heusden (11 July 1929 – 15 January 2023) was a Dutch track cyclist. He became world champion and four times national champion in the individual pursuit. He was described in the media as "an Amsterdam phenomenon".[1][2][3]

Biography[change | change source]

Celebration after Van Heusden became world champion in 1952

Van Heusden started cycling when he was 18 years old. He became for the first time Dutch national champion in 1952 in the individual pursuit at the Olympic Stadium in Amsterdam. With this achievement he qualified for the 1952 UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Paris. Here he became World Champion in the amateur individual pursuit ahead of the Italians Mino De Rossi and Loris Campana. Van Heusen became again Dutch national champion in 1953, 1954 and 1955. Because he was so fast, he was described in the media as "an Amsterdam phenomenon".[1]

After his cycling career, he has remained active in the cycling sport. He was a team leader and organizer of competitions. For 36 years he was in the organization of Olympia's Tour, the oldest cycling race in the Netherlands.[1]

Van Heusden was still cycling reacreational at the age of 93 in the summer of 2022.[4] He died in January 2023, at the age of 93.[1]

References[change | change source]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Oud-wielerkampioen Piet van Heusden (93) overleden". Het Parool (in Dutch). 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  2. "Wereldkampioen Piet van Heusden (1929-2023) fietste complete kerstpakketten bij elkaar". Het Parool (in Dutch). 16 January 2023. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
  3. "Oud-wielerkampioen Piet van Heusden (93) overleden". De Westkrant. Retrieved 17 January 2023.
  4. "Piet van Heusden is zeventig jaar na zijn wereldtitel nog altijd een fietsend fenomeen". Het Parool (in Dutch). 14 July 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2023.

Other websites[change | change source]