Oscar Dommers was a tyrant. He was a mean man; a miser with virtually no empathy for any bike rider. World Champions, winners of The Tour, the Classics, any bike rider of any level quaked in his presence. I even saw Eddy Merckx one time drop his head in supplication when Oscar was chastising him for some rule violation at the velodrome in Gent. Oscar ran the track there from the 1950s through the 1970s.
One day when still a teenager, I was sitting in the track director's office listening to him lecture me on diet and training, sipping tea, and seeming to be wasting time for some reason. Periodically he’d punch his intercom and ask his secretary, Vivianne, “Is he still there?”. “Yes sir" was the consistent response.” After a time Oscar stood up indicating it was time for me to go and handed me a small stack of papers with the request; “just give these to the rider sitting outside”.
The rider lounging there in the reception area was Marc Demeyer, one of the greatest riders of the 70’s. He was looking patient but slightly bored. “Um Mr.Dommers asked me to give these to you.” I said and handed him what I noted was a contract to ride the 6 day.
Demeyer was there to negotiate a contract and Oscar wouldn’t deal with the champion. In fact he showed the degree of contempt for “talent” he was famous for by having an American boy hand him his riding agreement.
But let’s not think too harshly about Mr. Dommers.
Ever since he began racing at 12 years old, Marc Demayer won races. He won races every year - and the established teams and sport directors saw him coming as clearly as Reggie will see the next coming of Haley’s Comet.
Even the “iron brick” Briek Schotte saw in the young Belgian the same tough constitution to make it in professional racing as he himself possessed as a young rider.
Scotte signed Demeyer on the hood of his car before Marc’s first professional race, The Dwars van Vlaanderen, which he won before the ink dried on his team contract.
The most famous documentary in cycling is “The Hell of the North” covering the 1976 Paris Roubaix. The stars Eddy Merckx, Roger Devlamnick, Francisco Moser, et. al. were featured. But it was Marc Demeyer who'd won. Demeyer also won the green jersey at the Tour 3 times. etc. etc.
He was one of the greats and because of his on-going feud with authority Oscar Domers refused to even address him in a business situation.
So he sat in Dommer’s reception room reading the contract as I said my salutations to Vivianne.
A few years later I was doing some post Tour de France criteriums with Greg Lemond and Eric Heiden in Holland. At one race we’d just finished we rode over to talk to our friend Rik Dejonckheere I noticed a familiar face standing next to him. It was Vivianne. “Hi Vivianne what are you doing here?” I said suprised but happy to see her. Rik looked behind me then back at me. Rolling up was Marc Demeyer. Before Vivianne could answer Demeyer gave her a big smooch then he looked over at me with some degree of recognition. He gave me a wink then rolled off with Vivianne along side.
Turns out that at the time Oscar was showing his contempt for Marc Demeyer, making him wait in the reception, Demeyer was seducing Oscar’s own secretary.
Marc Demeyer, a rider of infinite patience and tact.
Ride hard and have fun!
Roger
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