Pro Cyclist Tim Declerq Defeats Horse In Legendary 150-Year-Old Belgian Race Through The Streets

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In Belgium, they hold a few things sacred.

There’s chocolate and waffles, and beer of course. But there’s also cycling, one of the country’s most popular sports, and horse racing.

For over 150 years, they have combined those last two things for the legendary Winkel Koerse race, a 400-meter race between a cyclist and a horse-drawn buggy that almost always sees the horse come out victorious.

BUT NOT THIS YEAR.

Tim Declerq, a 35-year-old Belgian professional cyclist for the Lidl-Trek team stepped up to the plate this year and became the first cyclist in 10 years to beat the horse.

Iain Treloar of Escape Collective wrote a bit about the legendary Winkel Koerse race a year ago.

“…The West Flandrian town of Sint-Eloois-Winkel (population 3,800) – where they have raced horses and buggies down the main street almost every year since 1857,” Teloar said of the race. “Over the years, roads have evolved and so have attitudes to animal rights, and the Winkel Koerse race has adapted to survive; it’s now the only such race left in Belgium. Every October, they bring in mountains of sand, dump them on the street, flatten them out, aim for a festival atmosphere – and as part of the festivities, they get a prominent pro (or ex-pro) cyclist to race against a horse.”

Treloar also points out that the festival typically involves alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol.

Declerq’s victory shouldn’t come as a total surprise. Over his 12-year career, the 6-foot-3, 172-pound rider has come to earn the nickname “El Tractor” for his immense power and endurance.

In 2020, riders from the pro peloton named him the best domestique (helper) in the world in a poll for Cyclingnews.com.

Declerq has never won a race at the World Tour level. And at 35 years old, it’s unlikely that he ever will. But it’s nice to see that for one day, in one small Belgian town, he got him moment of glory.