Willy Lauwers

Willy Lauwers

Personal information
Nickname	Rupske Lauwers
Born	(1936-04-16)16 April 1936[1] Hemiksem, Belgium
Died	12 April 1959(1959-04-12) (aged 22) Palma de Mallorca, Spain
Team information
Discipline	Road, Track
Role	Rider
Professional teams
1956	Libertas
1957	Girardengo
1958	Libertas–Dr. Mann
1959	Flandria–Dr.Mann

Willy Lauwers, also known as 'Rupske' Lauwers, (16 April 1936 – 12 April 1959) was a professional cyclist. He was born in Hemiksem, Belgium.

Lauwers owned his nickname to the way he moved on his bicycle like a caterpillar ("rups" in Dutch), rocking and wriggling. In addition, thanks to his agility on the bike, he managed to maneuver through the smallest gaps in the peloton. As the son of former cyclist Stan Lauwers, he was born to become a cyclist. In 1957, at the age of 21, he won the Six Days of Antwerp together with Reginald Arnold and Ferdinando Terruzzi. In the same year he was also the best in Leuven, Oudenaarde, Moerbeke and in Sint-Jansteen, the Netherlands. He seemed to have a great career, both on the track and on the road.^[2]

He died from serious injuries suffered following a fall at the Tirador velodrome in Palma de Majorca, during a race behind motors. Lauwers, while proceeding at a speed of over 70 km per hour, suddenly lost his balance and fell on the track and was subsequently hit by the motorbike of the rider Gomila who was following him a short distance away. The unfortunate cyclist was rushed to hospital and died shortly afterwards. More than 10,000 people attended his funeral in Hemiksem.^[3]

Since 2002, the Grote Prijs Rupske Lauwers, a cycle race in Hemiksem is organized to honor him.^[4] A memorial plaque was inaugurated there in 2022, in a street named Rupske Lauwerslaan.^[5]