Cycling hero Jan Janssen (82) will receive a great tribute on Sunday when the Tour of Spain passes through West Brabant. In Hoogerheide there will be a mega canvas of 12 by 15 meters with the portrait of the former rider who won the Vuelta in 1967 and the Tour de France in 1968. “It’s great,” Janssen says about the initiative.
It is a bit exciting for the makers when the mega screen with Jan Janssen is rolled out for the first time. “Imagine that a mistake has accidentally crept in,” laughs Niels van Elzakker, the creator of the banner. “Yes, Janssen with only one -s written for example.”
Fortunately that is not the case. In addition to a life-size portrait of the former rider and his sporting achievements, the banner also reads in English: ‘Woensdrecht is very proud of Jan Janssen’.
“I wanted to do something nice for the Vuelta and at the same time make a tribute to Jan Janssen,” explains Van Elzakker. “This was really the moment to show the world that the municipality of Woensdrecht is proud of him. World champion in 1964, winner of the Vuelta in 1967 and of the Tour in 1968 is something not many people have achieved.”
“I went to the art club and Gerrit-Jan Weekhout made a beautiful painting of Jan. We then had it put on this canvas. It’s actually an idea that got out of hand.”
When a man or five unfolds the mega screen, the man who it is all about watches quietly. The now 82-year-old Jan Janssen, who came to live in Brabant early in his career, is used to being a cycling hero, but still impressed. “It’s great,” he says. “I’ve never been this big. And if you look at the details, they are just right. My teeth on the side, for example. It is depicted exactly as it is.”
“When Jan Janssen rode on the highest mountains, I was still riding my tricycle.”
A compliment from the former cyclist that 58-year-old Gerrit-Jan Weekhout can put in his pocket. “I didn’t really know Jan Janssen that well,” says the artist. “When he was riding on the highest mountains, I was still riding around on my tricycle. I put the power he radiated into the painting. This is the pinnacle of my career as an artist. I’m very proud!”
Of course, the makers hope that the mega cloth will be on TV on Sunday when the Vuelta passes through the municipality of Woensdrecht. The banner will be placed on a lawn in Hoogerheide so that it can be seen perfectly from the air. “The helicopter of the television has the coordinates, but we have no guarantees,” says Niels van Elzakker. “We will put up a big screen at the town hall and there we will see whether it works or not. And if it works, we take an extra beer, haha.”
If it doesn’t work out, then according to Van Elzakker, all the work has not been in vain. “A company wants to stack five large containers (together fifteen meters high) along the bunker track so that the canvas can still be seen.”