Denis Verschueren

Denis Verschueren, a resident of Itegem, was one of three members of the Koninklijke Velo Club Hoboken to be selected to compete at the 1920 Olympic Games in Antwerpen (Antwerp). There, he competed in the 2,000 metres tandem track sprint event where he rode alongside clubmate Fréderic Claessens, but the pair did not finish in their heat and was eliminated after the first round.

Verschueren turned professional and raced in the professional peleton from 1923-39, riding for several teams, including Wonder-Dunlop, Ravat-Wonder-Dunlop, JB Louvet, and Génial Lucifer. He was the older brother of Constant Verschueren and Pol Verschueren, both of whom were also cyclists.

Denis Verschueren formed a track duo with Gust Mortelmans between 1927-30, and they dominated track cycling in Belgium and at the Vélodrome d’Hiver, Buffalo in Paris. Verschueren had several major road victories, including Paris-Tours (1925, 1928), Tour of Belgium (1925), Tour of Flanders (1926), and Paris-Brussels (1926). He later ran a bicycle shop in Itegem and was known as “The Giant of Itegem”. During World War II, his son Louis, a resistance fighter, was executed by the Nazis.