Ludo Dierckxsens Could Laugh as Hard as he Could Ride a Bike

Ludo Dierckxsens died at the age of 60 on Thursday. The former Belgian champion became unwell during the charity ride, ‘1000 kilometer voor Kom op tegen Kanker’, after which he died. Rest in peace Ludo Dierckxsens a ‘popular teddy bear’.

Dierckxsens had a a great palmarès, not only for his big smile. He didn’t turn professional until he was 29-years-old, but he still took some top victories during his career. He was Belgian champion in Geraardsbergen in 1999 and the same year he won a stage in the Tour de France. Dierckxsens’ professional career ran from 1994 to 2004, although he did have a six-month suspension due to cortisone use. Over the past 20 years, Dierckxsens has still been involved in cycling, he appeared in VRT series De Ronde and FC De Kampioenen and was an ambassador for various cycle brands.

The news of his passing hit the Giro d’Italia on Thursday. Sporza reported that Mauro Gianetti and Geert Van Bondt were among those who spoke about the news. “It’s unbelievable,” Gianetti said after the finish. “This hits me hard. We were good friends. I have no words for it and am thinking of the family now. After all those thousands of kilometres on the bike, this should not happen. This is tragic. My sincere condolences to the family and to cycling. We are losing a very good friend.”

Soudal Quick-Step team DS, Van Bondt was also emotional after the finish. “If you hear this news after the race… Then it is certainly a blow. Ludo always attacked and never stopped. A character. This news hits hard.” Van Bondt and Dierckxsens had known each other for almost forty years. “We turned pro in the same year,” Van Bondt explained, “and we also rode together as amateurs.”

Former colleagues Remember Ludo Dierckxsens as a ‘Popular Teddy Bear’
In Belgium, the news that Ludo Dierckxsens passed away yesterday afternoon came as a bombshell. The former cyclist was very popular in the cycling world, especially among his former colleagues. Together with Johan Museeuw and Kurt Van de Wouwer, Sporza reminisces.

Museeuw knew Dierckxsens as a competitor during his career, but built up a friendship with Dierckxsens after his career as a professional cyclist. “I saw Ludo a bit more recently, because he was cycling a lot again,” says Museeuw.

Together with Dierckxsens, he often rode for charity. “Then you wonder: do you really need to do all that. The answer to that is yes. The only thing is that someone like Ludo – always with a big smile – has to die on his bike. It is far too early that he has to leave us.”

“I remember Ludo as someone who always laughs,” says Museeuw. “He also always attacked and achieved his greatest victories that way. In our generation, he was one of the greatest engines. He was a popular figure who always went through life cheerfully. Ludo became a professional rider very late, but he was loved by the entire peloton. He couldn’t hurt a fly.”

In 1998, Van de Wouwer was Dierckxsens’ teammate at Lotto Mobistar for a year. “As a late professional, he still reached the top. Now, riders take the step at a very young age. Sometimes it’s not bad to have worked first. We now also say that to the youth, because when you realise your dream, you really realise what it entails. You are then hardened by real life.”

As a rider, Dierckxsens mainly had great attacking qualities. “Compare him a bit with Thomas De Gendt. He always chose to attack. With or without results, it didn’t matter to him. Ludo had a huge goodwill factor anyway, also from his competitors. And as a teddy bear he was very popular with the fans.”

Wout van Aert Sees Ludo Dierckxsens as ‘an Inspiration to Live Life’
Wout van Aert is in his final days in the Giro d’Italia, but heard of the death of former rider Ludo Dierckxsens. Van Aert is from Kempen, just like Dierckxsens.

“I was very shocked when I heard the news on the bus yesterday,” Wout van Aert told Sporza the day after the death. “I knew Ludo a little as a fellow countryman and we had contact every now and then.”

“I have the same image of him as the rest of the cycling world. He was someone who always laughed and went through life in a good mood. He is an inspiration to live life. It is sad that he lost his life like this,” said Van Aert.

Ludo Dierckxsens a big character with a big smile:

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