Dries van Agt and Rini Wagtmans both had a love for cycling and regularly met each other in St. Willebrord. Their friendship spans more than forty years. The death of his friend affects the former cyclist a lot. “I’m very shocked, even though it was coming.”
The friendship between the politician and the cyclist started in a remarkable way. Van Agt was regularly found in St. Willebrord when he had coffee with former professional cyclist Wim van Est and Paul Wagtmans, former deputy of the province of Brabant. “I was occasionally allowed to join in and talk about cycling, about our village and the problems in society,” says Wagtmans.
“He could ride a bike better than me.”
Van Agt was passionate about cycling and also had a racing bike himself. “I wondered if he could really cycle,” Wagtmans reflects. “We decided to get on the pedals together for a bike ride. And guess what? He was better than me.”
He cherishes the memories of his friend from Geldrop. “We often called each other. In those forty years, Dries has never failed to wish me a happy New Year and good health on January 1. And then I did that too.”
There is a lot of beautiful things to look back on. “When Wim van Est died, Dries wrote a beautiful poem, which is still on the tombstone. When he recited it in the church during the funeral, everyone realized what a wordsmith he was.”
In 2019, Van Agt suffered a brain hemorrhage. “I then received a call from his wife Eugene. She said that Dries had asked her to call me if anything happened to him. She had to let me know that everything would be fine and that I didn’t have to worry.”
The former cyclist has tried several times recently to get in touch with his good friend. “But he preferred not to be disturbed anymore. His illness was too debilitating. He was no longer the Dries he was.”
“To die hand in hand is a sign of love.”
He continues: “What they did together, dying hand in hand, is a show of love and affection. I think it is an example for many people.”
“That people die and say goodbye, that is normal. Everyone dies at some point. But what I will miss most is that that phone call will never come again.”
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Dries van Agt (93) died hand in hand with his beloved Eugenie