Tour of 1929
Harsh conditions; -18 to -10 degrees, extremely cold with a strong and biting east wind.
After 12 years, the Elfstedentocht could be held again, with over 300 skaters at the starting line. This time, they faced harsh conditions: a biting east wind and temperatures ranging from -18 to -10 degrees, extreme cold. The bottlenecks, such as collisions in Dokkum and skaters getting lost on the lakes, led to route changes in future editions.
The race
After the start, Cor Jongert and Nico Pronk were the first to reach the control post in Dokkum. By the time they returned to Leeuwarden, Jongert and Pronk were still in the lead, with a four-minute advantage. However, after leaving Leeuwarden, they missed a turn due to a detour, causing them to ride several extra kilometres. In Franeker, Stienstra and Van Beekum came through first, but their lead was quickly taken over by Jongert and Pronk in Harlingen. The Harlingen-Bolsward stretch was tough. Due to the strong wind, a layer of drifting sand had formed on the ice, causing many skaters to sharpen their skates in Bolsward. By then, the standings were as follows: Sjouke Westra, Catharinus, and Uiltje Stienstra were leading. Leemburg had made good progress and had joined the lead group in Workum alongside Westra and Uiltje Stienstra.
Shortly after Workum, the decisive blow was struck. Leemburg entered Hindeloopen first. Due to the fierce wind on the bare ice plains of the Frisian lakes, Leemburg entered Sloten with a 14-minute lead. He was welcomed with two salute shots by the village constable, De Goede. On his way to Sneek, Leemburg took the time to pose for photographers and send a telegram to his wife. However, his lead began to shrink, and just after Sneek, he came into sight of Jongert. The poor ice conditions in the final kilometres seemed to favor Leemburg, who was riding on Frisian skates. Leemburg slid over the finish line to a standing ovation. Jongert arrived 8 minutes later, followed by Westra, who finished 39 minutes after him.
However, only 49.5% of the touring riders completed the race. The Siberian cold had claimed many victims. It was later revealed that Leemburg’s toe had been frozen, and part of it was amputated.
