Tour of 1941
For the Last Time, the Route Went Through Dokkum as the First City.
Auke Adema, described by sports journalists as ‘The King of the Frisian Elfstedentocht Racers,’ had expressed his ideal goal after the 1940 race: to win the next race and cross the finish line alone. He openly declared this to anyone who would listen. Less than a year later, Adema had the opportunity to make this dream a reality.
The race
Adema was not one of the first to start. Unlike skaters on Noren (type of skates), who directly stepped onto the ice from the hotel, Adema had to strap on his Frisian skates, losing precious minutes. However, this didn’t shake his confidence. He even handed over his spare skates at the start. His tactic was to quickly take the lead and build a gap from there.
For the last time, the route went through Dokkum as the first city. The stretch from Dokkum to Bartlehiem turned into a battleground. Racers and recreational skaters were coming from opposite directions, and after frontal collisions, some participants had to abandon the race. Thanks to his quick reflexes, Adema avoided almost all oncoming obstacles. Adema skated alongside Joop Bosman for a long time, and it wasn’t until Workum that a small group of chasers began to form. Adema and Bosman took a break but quickly resumed their pace when they learned the other group had not stopped. By Hindeloopen, they had rejoined the pack.
On the Slotermeer, Adema managed to break away from the leading group. By the time he reached Sloten, his lead had shrunk to just a minute, but by IJlst and Sneek, it had grown to seven minutes. As he had promised, Adema reached the finish line first and alone.
The top eight finishers were transported to the Harmonie in landauers, drawn by plumed Frisian horses. During the ride, they were enthusiastically cheered by the crowd lining the route.
