Charles Kerff (4 December 1874 – 18 May 1902) was the 1901 Belgian national track cycling champion in derny or pacemaker racing. A professional from 1896 until his death in 1902, Kerff also competed in 24 hours endurance cycling competitions.[1]

Charles Kerff
Personal information
Born(1874-12-04)4 December 1874
Sint-Pieters-Voeren, Belgium
Died18 May 1902(1902-05-18) (aged 27)
Aix-en-Provence, France
Team information
DisciplineRoad
Track
RoleRider

Personal life

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There were ten boys in the Kerff family. Two of Charles' brothers, Marcel and Leopold, also became professional cyclists. When growing up, the siblings would ride their bicycles to Paris to pick up meat from wholesalers for their father, who had a butcher shop in their home village in Flanders. The round-trip was a distance of six[2] or seven hundred kilometers.[3]

Final race

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On 18 May 1902, the initial Marseille-Paris race was being held in terrible conditions of pouring rain. Both Charles and his brother Marcel participated. During the first stage Charles had a terrible crash and was taken to a hospital but died shortly thereafter. The facts of Charles Kerff's death have never been proven but after the race there were rumours that he had been attacked and beaten by French cycling fans who thought he might win. The news of Charles' death was kept from Marcel until he finished the race, in fourth place.[3][4][1][2]

Achievements

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1896 [1]
3rd in Cheratte - Valkenburg - Cheratte
7th in Paris - Mons
1901[1]
1st in Belgian National Track Championship, derny
3rd in 24 hours of Verviers
3rd in 24 hours of Berlin
Participated in the New York Six-Day Race[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d "Charles Kerff". www.cyclingarchives.com. Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "1903-07-19 Marcel Kerff De vergeten Limburgse Tourheld (The forgotten Limburg Tour hero)". Renne in de Gezèt (in Dutch). Retrieved November 9, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c Healy, Graham (2014). "3 - The Rape of Belgium". The Shattered Peloton: The Devastating Impact of World War I on the Tour de France. Breakaway Books. pp. 49–59.
  4. ^ "La fin de Kerff". L'Auto-Vélo (in French). Paris. May 19, 1902. p. 1. Archived from the original on September 14, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2021.