# 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

    national track pursuit championship
    Six Days of Antwerp (with Gerrit Boeyen)
    Gent

### 1941

    national track pursuit championship

### 1942

    national track pursuit championship
    Roermond
    Hilversum

### 1943

    national track pursuit championship
    Roermond

### 1944

    national track pursuit championship
    Ronde van Gouda
    Dutch National Road Race Championship

### 1945

    national track pursuit championship
    Beverwijk

### 1946

    Six Days of Paris (with Gerrit Boeyen)
    Tongeren
    Hoensbroek

### 1947

    Six Days of Ghent (with Gerrit Boeyen)
    GP Stad Sint-Niklaas
    national track pursuit championship
    Six Days of Brussels (with Gerrit Boeyen)

### 1948

    Brasschaat
    Den Bosch
    national track pursuit championship
    Oss
    World Champion Track Pursuit
    Dutch National Road Race Championship

### 1949

    European Track Championships
       1st Madison (with Gerrit Boeyen)
    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
       1st Madison (with Gerard Peters)
    Six Days of Ghent (with Gerard Peters)
    national track pursuit championship
    Dutch National Road Race Championship
    Six Days of Paris (with Gerard Peters)
    Etten-Leur

### 1951

    national track pursuit championship
    Westerlo

### 1952

    Sas van Gent, Sas van Gent

### 1953

    Six Days of Paris (with Gerard Peters)
    Dutch National Road Race Championship
    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)