Jan Pronk (cyclist)

Jan Pronk

Jan Pronk in 2007
Personal information
Born	19 October 1918 Den Helder, Netherlands
Died	15 March 2016 (aged 97) Egmond aan Zee, Netherlands
Sport
Sport	Cycling
Medal record Representing the  Netherlands UCI Motor-paced World Championships 1947 Paris Professionals 1949 Copenhagen Professionals 1950 Rocourt Professionals 1951 Milan Professionals 1954 Cologne Professionals

Jan Pronk (October 19, 1918 – March 15, 2016) was a Dutch professional cyclist who specialized in motor-paced racing. In this discipline he won five medals at the world championships, including a gold medal in 1951.^[1][2]

That gold medal was controversial because of the assistance by the compatriot Kees Bakker. At the end of the race, Bakker, a 35-year-old veteran at the time, was exactly one lap behind Pronk, who was in the lead. Then, up to the finish line, Bakker rode behind Pronk, covering him from attacks by the competitors. There were speculations that Bakker was paid by Pronk before the race; nevertheless, this tactics was then banned at competitions.^[3]

References