Vangelis Kouvelis

Prior to World War II Evangelos Kouvelis was one of the best cyclists in Greece, winning multiple races in both his home country and across the Balkans. Kouvelis represented AEK and first competed in events in 1933, finishing seventh in a 40 km race before winning the Panhellenic championship later that year. He continued to have success, including winning two races at the Thessaloniki Exhibition in 1935. From 1937 to 1939 Kouvelis won three consecutive editions of the Athina-Chalcis one-day race, along with winning the 1939 edition of the Panhellenic championship.

After winning several races in the early 1940s, Kouvelis’ career was put on hold following the outbreak of World War II. He raced again in the first post-war Panhellenic championship in 1946, where he came third in the 20 km event. In 1948 he was selected to compete in the road race at the London Olympics, but did not finish the course, but went on to become the Greek national champion in 1949. In 1950 the Greek newspaper Athleti Echo named him as the best cyclist of the year.

In 1954 Kouvelis founded the Hermes Cycling Club, the first of its kind in post-war Greece, with the club going on to produce many national champions. Long after his retirement from the sport Kouvelis also served as the President of the Hellenic Cycling Federation from 1983 until 1987.