For fear of failure, he did nothing. Horace
In September and October Dutch walkers did their last major races and long distance walks. Photographs of three events: Roubaix, Tilburg and Berg en Dal.
In the heat of Sunday afternoon Centurion Piet van der Kroft oversees the battlefield at Roubaix. The empty cups on the street are from the feeding station just down the road.
Centurion Rob Wiche teams up with a female French walker during his last hours in the race. They don't really speak each others language, but seemed to have plenty to talk about.
Centurion Wil Vervoort is supported by Broer, a member of the Dutch support team. Most of the support team was from the Hart van Brabant walking club, as were two walkers.
The Dutch and Belgian championships 50 km racewalking were both held in Tilburg. However, almost no Belgian walkers showed up for the full 50 km. The race was organized by the Rotterdamse Wandelsport Vereniging and walking club Hart van Brabant on a cycling and skating track in the newly erected suburb of Tilburg, the Reeshof. Walkers could also do 20 or 10 km.
The starting line-up at the 20 km race: Alexandra Jutti (Greece), Robert van Bremen (RWV), Frieda DeWolf (Bree, Belgium), Jaques van Bremen (RWV), Christina Kokkotou (Greece), Henk Plasman (Generaal Michaelis), Ron Timmermans (RWV), Eleftherios Thanopoulos (Greece), Paul Koks (RWV) and Brigitte Quenon (GOSP, Belgium). The Greek walkers had come to Tilburg to qualify for the Olympics, the others focused on their personal best times.
The three fastest 50 km walkers in the Netherlands: Theo Koenis (3rd place, LAT), Pedro Huntjes (1rst, Unitas) and Marcel Bunschoten (2nd, LAT). The Dutch Centurions were a bit slower and took positions 5, 6, 8, 9, and 11. Several of them were not present due to injuries sustained in Roubaix. For the full result sheet, check out the RWV website.
Walking across the Dutch-German border south of Nijmegen can cause perspiration: Centurions Frans Leijtens and Gerrie Peters take part in the Herfstdagtocht (autumn day walk), starting from the village of Berg en Dal. The 40 km and 60 km walks are clearly not suited for people with a heart condition.
To further illustrate this, a picture taken by Hans Brongers (I 'borrowed' it from his website): the walk crosses the Devils Hill and St. Jans Hill, also known from the Nijmegen Four Days Walk. Five climbs like this one are fun, ten are stressfull and after the twentieth hill people hardly notice the scenery anymore.
Still, plenty of refreshments during the walk: Centurion Paul Altena (the tall blond man behind the table) hands out tea and sandwiches at one of the LAT feeding stops at a farm. On the right, Aaf Peters - De Rijk (white cap) and Gerrie Peters (blue cap), both Centurion and LAT member.