Patrick Sercu

Patrick Sercu (27 June 1944 – 19 April 2019) was a Belgian cyclist who was active on the road and track between 1961 and 1983. On track, he won the gold medal in the 1 km time trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, as well as three world titles in the sprint in 1963, 1967 and 1969. On the road, he earned the green jersey in the 1974 Tour de France. Sercu is the record holder for the number of six-day track race victories, having won 88 events out of 223 starts between 1961 and 1983; several of these wins were with cycling great Eddy Merckx. He also won six stages at the Tour de France and eleven stages at the Giro d'Italia.
With 38 national and 15 European championship titles, he is considered as one of the most successful track cyclists ever.
In total, he won no less than 1,206 races, of which 168 road races and 1,038 track races.
Biography
Early life
At a young age, Patrick Sercu was pushed towards the track by his father Albert, himself a successful rider. "He was afraid I would break down too quickly on the road", Patrick Sercu himself said about that.
With his fast legs, Sercu was also born for explosive work on the track. In 1962, aged 18, he won his first national titles, in the sprint and madison events. At 19, Sercu became world amateur sprint champion in Rocourt, near Liège.
A year later, the still very young Sercu captured gold at the kilometre in Tokyo, his only participation in the Games as only amateurs were allowed to compete in the cycling events at the time. That year, he was the star attraction at the Manchester Wheelers' Club Race Meet at the Fallowfield track in Manchester.
Professional career
After the Olympics, professional life and also increasingly the road races beckoned for Sercu. Super team Solo–Superia, which also included Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Looy and Rik Van Steenbergen, brought in the West-Fleming.
While on the road he still lacked power and speed, on the track he was increasingly successful. Between 1965 and 1969, he won two more golds and two more silver medals at the World Sprint Championships, each time after a duel with his Italian rival Giuseppe Beghetto.
He was also an instant winner in the Six Days. With Eddy Merckx at his side, he won his first of 11 Six Days in Ghent in 1965. Until the early 1980s, Sercu would remain the uncrowned king of the Six Days.
With 88 final victories, Sercu leads the eternal rankings. "It's Merckx's fault there weren't more", he later said jokingly. After all, Merckx could not ride a full winter programme due to his busy schedule.
Gradually, Sercu began to find his feet on the road as well. In 1970, he rode his first major tour, the Giro, and took his first stage win. Twelve more stage wins in the Italian Tour would follow in the following years.
By the mid-1970s, Sercu had become one of the most renowned sprinters in the peloton. In his first participation in the Tour at the age of 30, he snatched 3 stages as well as the green jersey. Three years later, he would bring his total in the Tour to six stage wins. By then, he had already won the overall classification of another stage race Giro di Sardegna in 1970, and the points classification of the Critérium du Dauphiné and La Méditerranée in 1977.
Retirement
Patrick Sercu retired from competitions in 1983. He became organizer of six days events and omniums all over the world, and director of the Six Days of Ghent and the former Six Days of Hasselt. After a few years with unstable health, Sercu died on 19 April 2019, aged 74.
Riding Style
Sercu had the special quality not only to have a very fast sprint, but he could also maintain that top speed for a long time. He celebrated his greatest success there with one kilometer time trial, where he often outwitted the stockier, more explosive types in a long sprint. It earned him the world records in the shorter distances. Moreover, everything seemed to come very easily to him, often to the chagrin of his opponents. With his unequalled recuperation ability, he was able to drive more than ten six-days in a winter season. In the years that he combined the track with the road, he competed in more than 200 races every year.
The six-day combination with Eddy Merckx was a success. Merckx was able to maintain a high, constant pace for a long time, while Sercu often finished it off with his final sprint.
Major results
Road
1964
1st Gent–Wevelgem Amateur race
1965
1st Criterium Zolder
1966
1st Criterium Bourcefranc
1967
1st Memorial Tom Simpson
1968
1st Omloop van Midden-Vlaanderen
2nd Ronde van Limburg
1969
1st Omloop Leiedal
1st Stage 5 Tirreno–Adriatico
3rd Omloop der Vlaamse Gewesten
1970
Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 5
2nd Coppa Sabatini
2nd Milano–Vignola
2nd GP Bruno Beghelli
2nd Giro di Calabria
2nd Nokere Koerse
3rd Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
3th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stage 5
1st Overall Giro di Sardegna
1st Stage 4
1971
1st Izegem koers
Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 13 & 14
1st Stage 2 Giro di Sardegna
1st Criterium Tortoretto
2nd Coppa Bernocchi
1st Stage 1 Tour de Romandie
1st GP Roeselare
2nd Grote 1-MeiPrijs
2nd Milano–Vignola
2nd GP Bruno Beghelli
2nd Giro di Campania
3rd Sassari-Cagliari
1972
1st Omloop van het Houtland
1st Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen
1st Criterium Lignano
2nd Coppa Bernocchi
2nd Paris–Camembert
1st Stage 3 Tirreno–Adriatico
3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
1st Stage 6
3rd Sassari-Cagliari
1973
1st Maaslandse Pijl
Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 9
1st Stage 2 Giro di Puglia
1st Elfstedenronde
1st Classica Sarda
1st Sassari-Cagliari
2nd Milano–Vignola
2nd GP Bruno Beghelli
1974
Tour de France
1st Points classification
1st StageS 3, 4 and 10
1st Halle–Ingooigem
Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 1, 10 & 12 (ITT), 7 & 15 (ITT)
1st De Kustpijl
1st Dwars door West-Vlaanderen
1st Criterium Rouergue
2nd Giro di Sicilia
2nd Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
5th Overall Giro di Sardegna
1st Stages 2, 3 and 5
1975
1st Izegem Koers
1st Circuit of Dunkirk (fr)
Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 2, 13 and 18
Tour de Romandie
1st Stages 2 and 5
Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stage 4
1st Dwars door West-Vlaanderen
1st Stage 3 Giro di Sardegna
2nd Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
2nd GP Bruno Beghelli
2nd Milano–Vignola
2nd Grand Prix Cemab (fr)
1976
Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 1, 2 and 11
1st Stage 4 Giro di Puglia
1st Stage 5 Giro di Sardegna
1st Criterium Nantes
3rd Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
1977
1st Tour de France
1st Stages 8, 9 (TTT), 14 and 15
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Points classification
1st Stages 3, 4, 5 and 8
Paris–Nice
1st Stages 8 and 10
1st Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
1st Stages 2 and 3
La Méditerranéenne
1st Points classification
1st Stages 4 and 5
2nd E3 Harelbeke
1978
1st Stage 2 Tour of Belgium
1st Omloop van de Grensstreek
1st Criterium Hank
1979
1st GP Union Dortmund
1st Stage 6 Deutschland Tour
1980
1st Omloop van het Zuidwesten
1st Criterium Mol
Track
1962
Belgian National Championships
1st Amateur Sprint
1963
1st Men's Amateur sprint, UCI Track World Championships
Belgian National Championships
1st Amateur Madison (with Romain De Loof)
1st Amateur Sprint
1st Amateur Omnium
1st Brussels Omnium (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Roucourt Sprint
1964
Summer Olympics
1st Men's track time trial
World Record Flying 500 m time trial amateurs (29"66)
World Record 1 km time trial amateurs (1'06"76)
Belgian National Championships
1st Amateur Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Amateur Sprint
1st Amateur Omnium
1st Brussels Omnium (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Cologne Omnium (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Antwerp Omnium (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Forest-Vorst Omnium (with Eddy Merckx)
1965
1st European Track Championships – Omnium
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Amateur Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Sprint
2nd Men's sprint, UCI Track World Championships
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Brussels (with Eddy Merckx)
3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with Emile Severeyns and Theo Verschueren)
1966
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Frankfurt (with Klaus Bugdahl)
1st Antwerp Omnium (with Eddy Merckx
1st Rocourt Omnium (with Eddy Merckx
1st Ostend Omnium (with Eddy Merckx
1st Brussels Omnium (with Eddy Merckx
1st Ghent Omnium (with Eddy Merckx, Rik Van Steenbergen and Noël Van Clooster
2nd Six Days of Ghent (with Klaus Bugdahl)
2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with Eddy Merckx and Klaus Bugdahl)
3rd Six Days of Milan (with Leandro Faggin)
3rd Six Days of Zürich (with Klaus Bugdahl)
3rd Six Days of Amsterdam (with Jan Janssen)
1967
1st Men's sprint, UCI Track World Championships
1st European Track Championships – Omnium
World Indoor Record Flying 1 km time trial (1'01"23)
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Sprint
2nd Derny
1st Six Days of Cologne (with Klaus Bugdahl)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Charleroi (with Ferdinand Bracke)
1st Six Days of Montreal I (with Emile Severeyns)
1st Six Days of Münster (with Klaus Bugdahl)
1st Madison Ostend (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Madison Rocourt (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with Eddy Merckx and Klaus Bugdahl)
2nd Six Days of Dortmund (with Klaus Bugdahl)
2nd Six Days of Berlin II (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Zürich (with Klaus Bugdahl)
2nd Six Days of Milan (with Klaus Bugdahl)
3rd Six Days of Berlin I (with Klaus Bugdahl)
3rd Six Days of Bremen (with Klaus Bugdahl)
3rd Six Days of Frankfurt (with Klaus Bugdahl)
3rd Six Days of Montreal II (with Emile Severeyns)
1968
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
3rd Madison (with Klaus Bugdahl))
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Sprint
1st Six Days of London (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Frankfurt (with Rudi Altig)
1st Six Days of Dortmund (with Rudi Altig)
2nd Men's sprint, UCI Track World Championships
2nd Six Days of Zürich (with Peter Post)
2nd Six Days of Cologne (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Ghent (with Rik Van Looy)
2nd Six Days of Montreal (with Emile Severeyns)
3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with Jan Janssen and Klaus Bugdahl)
3rd Six Days of Charleroi (with Rik Van Looy)
1969
1st Men's sprint, UCI Track World Championships
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Peter Post)
Belgian National Championships
1st Madison (with Rik Van Looy)
1st Sprint
1st Six Days of London (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Frankfurt (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Dortmund (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Rik Van Looy and Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Bremen (with Peter Post)
2nd Six Days of Cologne (with Peter Post)
2nd Six Days of Berlin (with Peter Post)
2nd Six Days of Ghent (with Alain van Lancker)
2nd Six Days of Milan with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Montreal (with Emile Severeyns)
3rd Six Days of Zürich (with Alain van Lancker)
1970
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Norbert Seeuws)
1st Six Days of London (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Cologne (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Bremen (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Jean-Pierre Monseré)
2nd Six Days of Berlin (with Albert Fritz)
2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with Romain Deloof and Alain van Lancker)
3rd Six Days of Zürich (with Sigi Renz and Jürgen Schneider)
1971
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
3rd Madison (with Graeme Gilmore))
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Jean-Pierre Monseré)
1st Six Days of London (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Roger De Vlaeminck)
1st Six Days of Frankfurt (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Berlin (with Peter Post)
1st Six Days of Rotterdam (with Peter Post)
2nd Six Days of Bremen (with Peter Post)
2nd Six Days of Brussels (with Roger De Vlaeminck)
3rd Six Days of Dortmund (with Peter Post)
3rd Six Days of Grenoble (with Ferdinand Bracke)
1972
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
2nd Madison (with Julien Stevens))
World Record 1 km time trial (1'07"35)
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Roger De Vlaeminck)
1st Six Days of London (with Tony Gowland)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Julien Stevens)
1st Six Days of Dortmund (with Alain van Lancker)
2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with Rik Van Linden and Alain van Lancker)
2nd Six Days of Milan with Gianni Motta)
2nd Six Days of Bremen (with Peter Post)
3rd Six Days of Munich (with Alain van Lancker)
1973
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
World Outdoor Record Flying 1 km time trial (1' 02" 40)
Belgian National Championships
1st Madison (with Julien Stevens)
1st Six Days of Cologne (with Alain van Lancker)
1st Six Days of Dortmund (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Milan with Julien Stevens)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Graeme Gilmore)
1st Six Days of Grenoble (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of London (with Gianni Motta )
2nd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Eddy Merckx)
1974
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of London (with René Pijnen)
1st Six Days of Dortmund (with René Pijnen)
1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Cologne (with Wilfried Peffgen)
2nd Six Days of Ghent (with Sigi Renz)
2nd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Eddy Merckx)
3rd Six Days of Bremen (with Graeme Gilmore)
3rd Six Days of Grenoble (with René Pijnen)
1975
European Track Championships
1st Madison (with René Pijnen)
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Zürich (with Günther Haritz)
1st Six Days of Berlin (with Dietrich Thurau)
1st Six Days of Bremen (with René Pijnen)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Grenoble (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Dortmund (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Frankfurt (with Dietrich Thurau)
2nd Six Days of Munich (with Eddy Merckx)
3rd Six Days of London (with Alain van Lancker)
3rd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Alain van Lancker)
1976
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
3rd Madison (with Klaus Bugdahl))
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Derny
1st Six Days of Milan with Francesco Moser)
1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Dortmund (with Freddy Maertens)
1st Six Days of Rotterdam (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Maastricht (with Graeme Gilmore)
2nd Six Days of Berlin (with René Pijnen)
2nd Six Days of Munich (with Graeme Gilmore)
2nd Six Days of Ghent (with Ferdi Van Den Haute)
3rd Six Days of Bremen (with Graeme Gilmore)
3rd Six Days of Grenoble (with Felice Gimondi)
1977
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Derny
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Madison (with Ferdi Van Den Haute)
1st Six Days of Zürich (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Freddy Maertens)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of London (with René Pijnen)
1st Six Days of Berlin (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Munich (with Eddy Merckx)
1st Six Days of Maastricht (with Eddy Merckx)
2nd Six Days of Grenoble (with Eddy Merckx)
3rd Six Days of Dortmund (with Wilfried Peffgen)
3rd Six Days of Frankfurt (with Klaus Bugdahl)
3rd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Freddy Maertens)
3rd Six Days of Herning (with Ole Ritter)
1978
European Track Championships
1st Madison (with Gregor Braun)
2nd Derny
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Gerrie Knetemann)
1st Six Days of Frankfurt (with Dietrich Thurau)
1st Six Days of Berlin (with Dietrich Thurau)
1st Six Days of Munich (with Gregor Braun)
1st Six Days of Grenoble (with Dietrich Thurau)
2nd Six Days of Milan with Giuseppe Saronni)
3rd Six Days of Dortmund (with Dietrich Thurau)
3rd Six Days of Herning (with Niels Fredborg)
1979
European Track Championships
2nd Omnium
3rd Madison (with Dietrich Thurau)
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Six Days of London (with Albert Fritz)
1st Six Days of Zürich (with Albert Fritz)
1st Six Days of Cologne (with Gregor Braun)
1st Six Days of Dortmund (with Dietrich Thurau)
1st Six Days of Berlin (with Dietrich Thurau)
1st Six Days of Munich (with Dietrich Thurau)
1st Six Days of Rotterdam (with Albert Fritz)
1st Six Days of Hanover (with Albert Fritz)
2nd Six Days of Frankfurt (with Dietrich Thurau)
2nd Six Days of Ghent (with Stan Tourné)
2nd Six Days of Groningen (with Albert Fritz)
3rd Six Days of Milan with Felice Gimondi)
3rd Six Days of Bremen (with Dietrich Thurau)
3rd Six Days of Antwerp (with Roger De Vlaeminck and Rik Van Linden)
3rd Six Days of Grenoble (with Bernard Vallet)
3rd Six Days of Maastricht (with Albert Fritz)
1980
European Track Championships
1st Omnium
2nd Derny
1st Six Days of Milan with Giuseppe Saronni)
1st Six Days of Dortmund (with Gregor Braun)
1st Six Days of Berlin (with Gregor Braun)
1st Six Days of Bremen (with Albert Fritz)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Albert Fritz)
1st Six Days of Herning (with Gert Frank)
2nd Six Days of Maastricht (with Albert Fritz)
2nd Six Days of Hanover (with Dietrich Thurau)
3rd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Albert Fritz)
3rd Six Days of London (with Albert Fritz)
3rd Six Days of Cologne (with Albert Fritz)
1981
European Track Championships
3rd Omnium
Belgian National Championships
2nd Points race
1st Six Days of Milan with Francesco Moser)
1st Six Days of Cologne (with Albert Fritz)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Gert Frank)
1st Six Days of Grenoble (with Urs Freuler)
2nd Six Days of Bremen (with Albert Fritz)
2nd Six Days of Hanover (with Gert Frank)
3rd Six Days of Zürich (with René Pijnen)
3rd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Albert Fritz)
1982
European Track Championships
1st Madison (with René Pijnen)
3rd Omnium
Belgian National Championships
1st Omnium
1st Six Days of Antwerp (with Roger De Vlaeminck)
1st Six Days of Berlin (with Maurizio Bidinost)
1st Six Days of Rotterdam (with René Pijnen)
2nd Six Days of Milan with Francesco Moser)
2nd Six Days of Cologne (with Gregor Braun)
2nd Six Days of Bremen (with Gert Frank)
2nd Six Days of Zürich (with Danny Clark)
2nd Six Days of Herning (with René Pijnen)
3rd Six Days of Ghent (with Roger De Vlaeminck)
3rd Six Days of Maastricht (with Gerrie Knetemann)
1983
1st Six Days of Rotterdam (with René Pijnen)
2nd Six Days of Milan (with Moreno Argentin)
2nd Six Days of Bremen (with Albert Fritz)
2nd Six Days of Antwerp (with Etienne De Wilde)
Records
Overview
World Record flying 500 m time trial (amateurs): 1964
World Record 1 km time trial (amateurs): 1964
World Record flying 1 km time trial: 1967
World Record 1 km time trial: 1972
World Outdoor Record flying 1 km time trial: 1973
Most European championships wins: 15
Most national track championships wins: 38
Most Six Days wins: 88
Most Six Days of Ghent wins: 11
Most Six Days of London wins: 9
Details
World records
Six-day wins
Timeline
Partners
• 15 events with Eddy Merckx
• 14 with Peter Post
• 10 with Albert Fritz
• 8 with René Pijnen
• 7 with Dietrich Thurau
• 3 with Klaus Bugdahl & Gert Frank
• 2 with Rudi Altig, Roger De Vlaeminck, Alain van Lancker, Julien Stevens, Graeme Gilmore, Francesco Moser & Freddy Maertens
Track Championships
Track races
Italian classics
Non-Italian classics
Stage races
Other road aces
Honours
Honorary Citizen of Izegem: 1996
A velodrome, Wielerbaan Patrick Sercu in Bruges: 2007
A velodrome, Wielerpiste Defraeye-Sercu in Roeselare: 2011
BOIC Order of Merit: 2014
Patrick Sercu trophy: from 2019
A street, Patrick Sercudreef in Izegem: 2020
References
1944 births
2019 deaths
Cyclists from Roeselare
Belgian male cyclists
Belgian track cyclists
Olympic cyclists for Belgium
Cyclists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
Belgian Tour de France stage winners
Olympic gold medalists for Belgium
Olympic gold medalists in cycling
Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics
UCI Track Cycling World Champions (men)