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Historic Overview Jan Veselý

Rider

Overall Rank3612
NameJan VESELÝ
Country
  Czechoslovakia
Date of birth07-Jun-1923 - Sedlec
Date of death10-Feb-2003 - Praha (Pardubicky Kraj)

Biography

Jan Veselý

Jan Veselý (17 June 1923 – 10 February 2003) was a Czech cyclist. He won the Peace Race individually in 1949 and with the Czechoslovak team in 1950 and 1951. He finished second individually in 1952 and 1955 and won no fewer than sixteen stages. Thus, he became one of the most famous cyclists in the Eastern Bloc, and an iconic figure in his homeland.

Cycling was extremely popular in post-war Europe, and the Peace Race was bigger even than the Tour de France. Veselý's humility, allied to his sporting prowess, made him a genuine national hero. His duels with the great East German rider Gustav-Adolf ("Täve") Schur were amongst the highlights of the sporting year, his popularity comparable to that of the great runner Emil Zátopek in Czechoslovakia.

He competed in the individual and team road race events at the 1952 Summer Olympics. His brother Josef was also a competitive road cyclist and won a national title in 1943.

source - Wikipedia

Badges

8 30

Major Victories

Okolo Slovenska 1955
Wyścig Pokoju / Závod Míru / Friedensfahrt 1949
Praha - Karlovy Vary - Praha 1946, 1947, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1954, 1955
Okolo Slovenska - stages 1955 (4)
Závod Míru / Peace Race - stages 1948 (3)
Wyścig Pokoju / Závod Míru / Friedensfahrt - stages 1949 (5), 1950 (2), 1951 (2), 1952 (1), 1954 (1), 1955 (2)
More results

Seasons

Jan Veselý - Scores by Season

Year Team Score Rank
1. 1946 Individual 62 387
2. 1947 Individual 49 519
3. 1948 Individual 260 202
4. 1949 Individual 280 188
5. 1950 Individual 145 341
6. 1951 Individual 125 302
7. 1952 Individual 140 284
8. 1954 Individual 65 438
9. 1955 Individual 215 253
10. 1956 Individual 28 637
Overall: 1369 3612