In memoriam Marc van Landeghem
Everybody met him the day before in Ponferrada on the occasion of the UCI Road World Championship. His thunderous laughter still sounded several times in the press center of that little Spanish city. And therefore nobody could believe what was told the next evening. Marc van Landeghem deceased? That’s impossible! He was yesterday, like always, so full of energy during Michal Kwiatkowski’s press conference. The line between life and death cannot possibly be so thin.
Unfortunately our Belgian colleague was indeed the victim of a heart attack while he was still in Spain. Marc van Landeghem was 65 years old. He died too early. He will be greatly missed not only by his family and his friends but also by the entire cycling family.
Marc worked like a journalist for Het Volk, Het Laatste Nieuws and also, amongst other media, the Belga agency. Cycling was his hobby and he was happy enough to turn it into his job. The last years he also was the press officer of several Belgian events and everybody appreciated his great job. Tour of Flanders, Kermesse races, Eneco Tour or cyclocross events: he cared that everybody could work in the best possible conditions. Rigorous, fair and always helpful.
Marc was also a life charmer. His humor made many people smile and when it was about laughing Marc’s laughter was for sure the one that produced most decibels.
How much people liked him was obvious during his cremation in Sint-Niklaas. Dozens of cycling journalists, many organizers and other members of the cycling family came to pay him a final tribute. Grief and disbelief still predominated. And everybody realized the emptiness he will leave in cycling.
His smile and his correctness will be missed the coming years in many Belgian press rooms.
On behalf of the AIJC board, I want to thank him again for his many years commitment to optimize and facilitate the cycling journalists’ job.
We will miss you, Marc!
Raymond Kerckhoffs