Last week I was lucky enough to buy a lot of frames and it contained a frame (unfortunately without a front fork) with some decals from one Richard Depoorter. The frame itself is not that spectacular and probably dates from the 1960s or 1970s.
What interested me more was the name of Richard Depoorter, so I immediately started looking for more information on the internet and what turned out? Richard Depoorter was once an important promising cyclist who won Liège Bastogne Liège no less than 2 times, namely in the years 1943 and 1947. So no fairground driver!
However, his career came to an abrupt end in the 1948 Tour de Suisse when he mysteriously died. During the ride with the ascent of the Süstenpass, Depoorter drove into the unlit Scheitel tunnel during the descent in 3rd position, but unfortunately came out lifeless half an hour later.
Richard Depoorter after being taken out of the tunnel
It had long been a mystery what happened in the tunnel and according to the police report Richard Depoorter had slammed into the rock face and died of a skull fracture. Richard's brother Willy did not believe a word of it, however, and after 10 years of litigation, he was finally proved right.
It turned out that Richard had been hit by the support vehicle driven by Louis Hanssens. There were traces of a car tire on Richard's cycling jersey and there was no question of a skull fracture. All information that had been withheld from Depoorter's family.
Another important anecdote is that none other than Lomme Driessens was also in the support car at the time. Driessens then worked as a soigneur and said he was sleeping in the back seat when the incident happened. During the trial, Lomme swooned so that he was not interrogated further. Something Willy still can't understand and, according to him, clearly indicates that a cover-up was going on.
Career Richard Depoorter
Richard Depoorter was born in Ichtegem on April 29, 1915 and died on June 16 in Wassen, Switzerland. He was a professional cyclist from 1937 to 1948 and thus won the Liège Bastogne Liège in 1943 and 1947. He rode for, among others, the cycling teams Alcyon – Dunlop and Mercier – Hutchinson. At the time of the accident, he was riding for the Mondia cycling team.
There used to be the cycling race De Grote Prijs Richard Depoorter with start and finish in Ichtegem, Richard's birthplace. The last edition was in 2018.
In 1998, 50 years after Richard's death, a memorial plaque was placed in the Scheitel tunnel to commemorate the fatal accident. The Scheitel tunnel then became the Depoorter tunnel.
In 1997, a year before the commemoration of his death, the book “Life and death of Richard Depoorter – An amateur among professional cyclists” was published. There is also a memorial plaque at the house in Ichtegem where Depoorter lived.
Bicycle frame Richard Depoorte
Of course, the question remains as to who marketed the bicycles with decals Richard Depoorter and for how long these bicycles were for sale. I haven't found any info on this yet, so any info is welcome. The only other frame I found on the web can be seen on the website DCI Steel Vintage Racing Bicycles.
Below some pictures of the frame
