Tour of 1942
Third consecutive year, held during the German occupation. Extremely cold, many riders suffered from frostbite.
For the third consecutive year, the Elfstedentocht was held in 1942. Despite the German occupation, a record number of participants took part, with 95% successfully reaching the finish. The Germans showed interest in the event and were pleased with the sporting spirit in Friesland. The winner of the previous two editions, Aukje Adema, could not participate due to a pleurisy infection.
The race
In freezing cold temperatures, the race started late at 6 a.m., and the competitors reached Sneek without any issues. However, just after IJlst, a group of skaters made a major mistake by turning right onto the Wijde Wymerts (lake). They quickly skated toward Bolsward, only realising their error near the city, and turned around. This mistake eliminated them as contenders to win.
In Sloten, the leading group was made up of Sietse de Groot, Jan van der Bij, and Abe de Vries. They also lost time by deviating from the correct route, which allowed Douwe Leijenaar to take advantage. Leijenaar passed through Staveren, Hindelopen, and Workum first. De Groot, Van der Bij, Pier Swierstra, and Durk de Jong chased him down. Just before Bolsward, Leijenaar was caught, and the five-man group entered Bolsward together. Between Bolsward and Harlingen, the pace increased, and Leijenaar dropped off. By Harlingen, the remaining four had a 7-minute lead. They skated together all the way to Dokkum. Near Bartlehiem, Swierstra fell, but the other three continued together until Leeuwarden. Just before the Noorderbrug, Sietse de Groot made a final sprint and won by 9 seconds over Durk de Jong, with Van der Bij finishing third, 54 seconds behind.
For a long time, Sjoerdsje Faber and Wobkje Kooistra led the women’s race, but ultimately Antje Schaap was the first woman to cross the finish line.
Freezing injuries
After the race, Leeuwarden’s Diaconessen Hospital saw an influx of patients due to the extreme cold. Many riders suffered from frostbite on their eyes, ears, toes, hands, and even genitals. Some had to undergo amputations of their toes. Three tour riders later died in the hospital as a result of their frostbite injuries.
