Jules Maenen

Dutch cyclist Jules Maenen began his amateur career with a win on the opening stage of the 1950 edition of the Ronde van Overijssel. Maenen continued to be consistent, with podium finishes at the Omloop der Kempen in 1951 and the Tour of Limburg in 1952. These results earned him a place on the Olympic team for the 1952 Games in Helsinki, where he finished eighth in the team road race and tied for fifth in the 4,000 metres team pursuit on the track.

Maenen turned professional after the Olympics, riding in the Tour de France in 1954. Despite a top-ten finish on stage seven, he was forced to abandon the race on stage 10 after being involved in a crash. The following year he competed in the Giro d’Italia but was also forced to abandon the race. In 1957 Maenen finished as the runner-up in the road race at the Dutch national championships. Despite the promise he had shown in his early career, he never went on to win a race.