Louis Verreydt

Louis Verreydt earned his greatest successes as an amateur cyclist. In 1971, he rode in the Belgian 100 km team pursuit squad that won the gold medal at the World Championships in Mendrisio, Switzerland - along with Staf Van Cauter, Staf Hermans and Ludo Van Der Linden. The next year, the team (with Ludo Delcroix instead of Van Der Linden) could not quite replicate that feat, placing fourth. As the third-placed Dutch team was disqualified for doping use of Aad van den Hoek, the Belgian team would have moved up to bronze, but since they hadn’t undergone a doping test, they were not awarded a medal.

Verreydt, who had won the amateur Paris-Tours in 1971, turned pro right after the Olympics, riding for IJsboerke through 1975. His professional successes were limited, but he won several local races in Belgium, most notably the 1974 edition of Dwars door België. At the age of 26, Louis Verreydt died of heart failure. While never officially proven, many consider his death related to doping use. His 1971 team mate Van Der Linden also died of heart failure in 1983 (aged 32), as would substitute Florent Van Kerckhove (age 24). Another substitute, Marc Demeyer, committed suicide at age 31, while Hermans later admitted using doping during his career.