WORLD CHAMPION for a SECOND
The 1988 World Championship in Ronse, deep in the Flemish Ardennes, is remembered as one of the most controversial finishes in the sport's history. After 270 grueling kilometers over the Kruisberg and the Hotond, local hero Claude Criquielion is on the verge of becoming world champion for the second time — fifteen kilometers from his own front door. Riding alongside him is Maurizio Fondriest, the young Italian tipped as the next big star of the sport, and Canadian challenger Steve Bauer. With 200 meters to go, Bauer launches the sprint. Criquielion moves to come around him, but Bauer closes the door, and Criquielion crashes just meters from the line. Fondriest rides through to an unexpected world title, barely realizing what has just happened. Bauer is disqualified on the spot for the maneuver. Furious, Criquielion takes Bauer to court, determined to prove the crash on the Kruisberg was no accident. The case drags on for years, through appeal after appeal — until the courts ultimately side with Bauer, ruling that intent was not proven. Despite everything, Criquielion and Bauer would go on to race each other again, but the rainbow jersey that slipped away on the Kruisberg never came back.
Where this story unfolded
← Back to all stories