Result : 42 starters
1. Emmanuel Thoma
2. Andre Pieters
3. Briek Schotte
4. Odiel Van Der Meerschaut
5. Jules Lowie
ROLLEGEM-KAPELLE – Former professional cyclist and cycling tourist Emmanuel Thoma (85) from Rollegem-Kapelle died on August 27, 2002. On Tuesday evening he was seriously injured in a traffic accident at the intersection of Smissestraat and Lendeleedsestraat in Sint-Eloois-Winkel.
Emmanuel Thoma was returning from a race in Lendelede. At the intersection, his racing bike collided with a light van driven by Eddy Courion from Wevelgem.
The 100 emergency services from Ledegem and a mobile emergency medical team from Roeselare provided first aid to the victim at the scene. Shortly afterwards, the man was taken to a hospital in Roeselare, where he died from his injuries. No one in the van was injured.
The former professional cyclist achieved his greatest successes at Nokere Koerse (1946), the Flanders Championship (1948), and the Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde (1951). Also in 1951, he won bronze at the Belgian Professional Championship in Quareignon. When Briek Schotte won the 12th Gent-Wevelgem in 1950, Thoma finished fifth.
In maart 1999 was Emmanuel Thoma nog te gast bij de seniorenwerking van de heemkundige kring Wibilinga uit Wevelgem. Hij was er uitgenodigd op een gespreksavond met andere oud-renners uit de jaren veertig en vijftig, zoals Roger Decock, Robert Nolf en André Pieters.
