Two-time Tour de France winner Sylvère Maes was born on the 27th August 1909 in Zevekote, Belgium.
He started to racing in 1928, his first big triumph was the Paris-Roubaix victory in 1933. Although he mostly focused on the Tour de France during his career, he also managed to gain a second place at the La Fleche Wallone and the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1938.
Maes attended Tour de France first in 1934. He rode as an individual rider, not as a member of the Belgian national team. He won a stage and finished eighth place in the GC. Next year he entered the race as individual again, but the rules allowed to join the Belgium team when one of their members left the race early. Maes won a stage in the Pyrenees and finished fourth in the GC.
He managed to win the Tour de France first time in 1936. But more memorable was the next edition when he left the race from a winning position. One of the most scandalous Tour de Fance editions ever was designed for the French team, especially their leader, Roger Lapebie with a reduced number of team time trials. The organizers and the race jury advanced the Frenchman, the later winner, several other ways during the race.
Maes was out of form in 1938, finished only fourteenth, but he won the race in 1939 again. Fun fact: on both occasions Maes triumphed at the Tour de France, the Italian team was absent of the race due to political reasons.
Sylvère Maes restarted his career after the WW2, He intended to race in 1947 when the organizers offered him as a symbolic gesture of continuity to wear the yellow jersey on the very first stage. but he withdrew from starting at the last minute. His last Tour de France was the edition in 1948.
After his retirement, he was the team director of the Belgian team between 1949 and 1957. Later he managed a pub called “Au Tourmalet”.
Sylvère Maes passed away on the 5th of December 1966.