Roger Swerts

Belgian cyclist Roger Swerts had a lengthy career throughout the 1960s and 1970s, which saw him win a dozen Grand Tour stages, become the national road champion, and serve as a domestique for Eddy Merckx. Swerts began his career as an amateur rider in the early 1960s, with him soon showing promise after winning a stage of the 1962 Tour de Pologne, as well as finishing second in the overall classification. Two years later he was selected to compete in the road race at the Tokyo Olympics, finishing 18th, just 0.11 seconds behind the race winner. After the Games he turned professional, coming third in the road race at the 1965 UCI Road World Championships in Spain.

That same year Swerts made his Grand Tour début when he rode in the Tour de France, finishing 41st overall in the general classification. At Grand Tours he became a time trial specialist, winning six team time trial stages, along with another six individual stage victories. From 1969 to 1972 he won four consecutive team time trials at the Tour de France, the first two with Faema, and the second two riding for Molteni. At the Giro d’Italia he won an individual stage in 1972, followed by another team time trial stage one year later. Swerts had his best results at the Vuelta a España after making his début in the race in 1973. That year he finished ninth overall in the general classification, in addition to winning an individual stage and a team time trial stage. The following year he won three stages, including the opening prologue time trial, and finished 10th overall. Swerts then repeated his success on the opening stage prologue at the 1975 edition of the race.

From 1966 to 1978 Swerts rode in more than 20 Monuments, finishing sixth at his first one when he rode the 1966 edition of Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He had two further top-ten finishes at Liège, including finishing fourth in 1972. That same year he also finished sixth at the Tour of Flanders, followed by seventh at Paris–Roubaix in 1975. During the peak of his career Swerts also became the national road race champion in 1974. After his cycling career he worked as a sports director for several teams for more than 30 years.