Two-time Tour de France winner Slyvère Maes was born on the 27th August 1909 in Zevekote, Belgium.
Maes turned pro in 1932, but had already some success in his teenage years. He won his first race in 1928. The real success came in 1933, when he won Paris-Roubaix. After his triumph on the cobbles, he focused only on the Tour de France, although he was also a very talented cyclo-cross rider. He was considered the unofficial world champion.
Maes competed in Tour de France as individual in 1934 and 1935. In his first year he won a stage and finished the race 8th in the GC. In 1935, when Joseph Moorenhout abandoned the race, according to the rules, he was replaced by Maes in the Belgian national team. He won a stage again, and claimed a 4th position in the GC.
Although he didn’t start the Tour de France as a team leader in 1936, he finished it so. And he became not only the first man of the Belgian team, but also won the race.
But maybe ore memorable was the next edition of the race, when Maes and the entire Belgian team left the race after several controversies. (More about the 1937 Tour de France see more here>>> )
Next year he was in bad form during the race and Felician Vervaecke took over the lead in the Belgian team. Nevetheless, 1938 wasn’t that bad year for Maes entirely, he finished second in La Fléche Wallone and Ronde van Vlaanderen.
The last Tour de France before the WW2 brought another triumph for Maes. As happened in 1936 too, the Italian team was absent from the race for political reasons. Maws claimed the yellow jersey on the 15th stage (including Allors, Vars and Izoard) and extended his already more than 17 minutes lead against René Vietto with 10 more minutes on the 16/b stage (individual time trial).
After the war, the next chance for Maes to compete the Tour de France came in 1947. As a symbol of continuity, Maes, the winner of the last edition before the war, would have been to allowed to wear the yellow jersey. But in the last moment he decided not to attend. His last active year as professional cyclist was 1948.
After his retirement, he was the team director of the Belgian team between 1949 and 1957. Later he opened a pub in his hometown, named “Au Tourmalet”.
Sylvere Maes died on the 5th December 1966.