Keeping the Memory Alive – In Memoriam Suske Verhaegen
As editor-in-chief, you often have the sad privilege of writing an obituary. But never has it felt as personal as it does now. It was Suske who showed me the way to the historic and renowned cycling club, Koninklijke Lierse Bicycle (KLBC) in Lier. Suske had already stopped racing for a while when, in early 1982, he visited my parents’ garage as a representative of Marc Zeepcentrale. The conversation soon was about son Patrick, who wanted to become a racer. Suske told me that the best club in the country was Lierse Bicycle, the club where he himself had once been a youth rider.
So I joined KLBC as a second-year junior and was proud to wear the jerseys featuring sponsor Raiffeisen. That’s how I got to know Suske as a passionate former pro, whom I looked up to immensely. Every time he came to the garage, he’d ask my parents about my results and offer some tips on training and nutrition. My “cycling career,” however, didn’t last long, because at the end of 1985 I decided to join my parents’ business and call it quits on competitive cycling. Suske, meanwhile, stopped coming to the garage as a sales rep, and in keeping with the spirit of the times, we lost touch for a long while. However, shortly after the launch of the very first Cyclelive Magazine in 2010—25 years later—I received a message from Suske. He told me how “proud” he was that I had published such a wonderful magazine. Suske immediately became one of Cyclelive Magazine’s biggest fans, and so we began to get in touch with each other again on a regular basis.
Founder of the Kempen Cycling Museum
Many in the cycling world have their own stories about and with Suske Verhaegen, because “our Sus” was always there for everything and everyone, and certainly for anyone connected to the sport of cycling. This time, however, we are not just losing a former rider. We are losing a guardian of our collective cycling memory, a cycling friend who understood that the sport truly lives on only when its stories continue to be told.
As a rider, Suske knew the ropes. In the 1970s, he raced among the world’s best, with victories in races such as Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne and the Tour of Flanders. He knew what it meant to win, but perhaps even better what it meant to be a ‘domestique.’ He knew the work, the discipline, and the camaraderie of the peloton. He carried that experience with him his entire life and later spoke about it so willingly and enthusiastically. Yet his greatest significance for cycling will not be found in the results lists.
With the Kempen Cycling Museum, Suske gave the sport of cycling a home in his Grobbendonk. Not a sterile archive, but a warm place where bicycles, jerseys, and yellowed photos came to life again through the stories Suske shared with his visitors. Anyone who visited the museum could sense that this was not a collection born of nostalgia, but of love. Love for the cycling heroes of the Kempen, for the profession of a rider, for the stories behind every race. Later, when Suske began to experience health problems, the museum moved to De Schorre in Boom.
Inspirer of the circle of friends of former riders
In addition, there was his founding of the circle of friends and the annual reunions for former riders. What began as a gathering among comrades grew into a regular fixture on the calendar of former pros. Suske brought people together who sometimes hadn’t seen each other in years. At the table, the racing began anew—in anecdotes, banter, and memories. That was his talent: he connected people.
In an era when cycling is becoming faster, more technical, and more commercial, Suske reminded us that racing is, at its core, about people. About shared effort. About respect for those who rode before us. He built bridges between generations and ensured that young enthusiasts knew whose shoulders they stand on.
As the editorial team at Cyclelive, we often write about the stars of yesterday and today, about innovation and new talent. But without people like Suske, the sport loses its soul. He was a cyclist through and through, perhaps the purest of us all! On behalf of the entire editorial team, I would like to express our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones. And at the same time, express our gratitude. For his passion for cycling. For his unparalleled warmth. For his tireless work to keep cycling’s heritage alive.
The race rolls on… It always does…
Thank you, Suske! Thank you for letting me know you!
Patrick Van Gansen
