Karel Verbist (16 August 1883 – 21 July 1909) was Belgian National Stayers Champion in 1908 and 1909.
On July 21, Verbist collided with the motorcycle of Constant Ceurremans (his pacemaker) on the track in Brussels and died almost immediately.Sport-Album der Rad-Welt, Vol. 8, 1909, p. 49. Berlin, Verlag Rad-Welt. Verbist is the subject of a macabre Flemish folk-poem... "Chareltje, Chareltje Verbist, hadt ge niet gereden op de pist(e), hadt ge niet gelegen in de kist." which roughly translates to "Verbist, if you hadn't ridden your bike, you may not have ended up in a coffin."
Achievements 1907 1st Spring GP Munich 1st GP Munich 1st Autumn Fair Leipzig Stayers prize 1st European Grand Prix over one hour 1st GP Antwerp Motor-paced racing 2nd UCI Motor-paced World Championships, Île-de-France, Professional motor-paced racing
1908 1st National Track Championships, Antwerp, Motor-paced racing
1st Spring GP Hanover 1st Golden Cup Cologne 1st European Grand Prix over 100 km, Dresden 1st GP Germany 1/2 long distance, Düsseldorf 1st Siebengebirge Prize, Cologne 1st Derby Germany, Cologne 1st Steglitz hourly race 2nd international Spring Prize, Leipzig
1909 1st National Track Championships, Brussels, Motor-paced racing 1st Breslau (Dolnoslaskie)
See also List of racing cyclists and pacemakers with a cycling-related death
References