A familiar surname popped up on the Cycling News website the other day in the form yet another graduate from Axel Merckx's much vaunted U23 program. Kevin Vermaerke might hail from LA but his roots have a foreign flavour.
The article in question sees Kevin crediting his father for his getting into cycling, Vermaerke senior nurturing and encouraging his son in his formative years. Kevin also mentions his father's South African roots and subsequent racing as a naturalised Belgian in the early 1990s.
So who is Anthon Vermaerke?
Well, he has quite the cycling palmares. Anthon grew up racing in South Africa, eventually taking out a Belgian license and assimilating to life in the Flanders region. His duels with Gerrit Vanderaerden (brother of Eric) are documented in an excellent profile by Stephanie Cockerton, as are his adaptation to Northern European racing and weather conditions, and eventual selection for the 1991 World Junior Championships. Anthon came away with a silver medal there in the pursuit, before going on to victory in the junior Grand Prix Eddy Merckx time trial event shortly after.
With son Kevin signing for Team DSM, the Vermaerke name remains in the peloton, and is one to watch no doubt some three decades after the emergence of the “South African Belgian”.
