Tour of 1985

After 22 years of waiting, on Monday evening, February 18, the NOS news announced that the Elfstedentocht would take place that Thursday. Many were speechless, especially in Friesland, as the front page of the Leeuwarder newspaper that afternoon had read in large letters: "THAW DRIVES AWAY ELFSTEDENTOCHT!". The following days, all of the Netherlands lived in hope and fear. But the event went ahead, and before five o'clock, people were tuning in to their televisions to make sure they didn’t miss anything. Non-members had already had to endure a lot—they had to wait for hours in the cold night to register.

It was thanks to excellent preparation that this event could be organised in such a short time. Under the leadership of chairman Jan Kuperus, the organisation had become highly professional over the years, with a handbook that was updated annually.

The race

After a "pen start" with 276 race participants, it was 1,500 metres of running. The ice was already covered with a layer of water at the start. Participants feared they would be taken off the ice early, so the pace was high from the start. This layer of water also made the ice slippery, allowing for high speeds and occasionally resulting in wet skate shoes.

For the first 100 kilometres, a lead group of fifty mostly favourites rode, with little tension in the race. After Harlingen, a lead group of twelve entered "the hell of the north." After Birdaard, Evert van Benthem and Jan Kooiman broke away. Two more riders joined, and the strong lead group of four became clear. At Oudkerk, eight kilometres before the finish, the lead was just under three minutes. It was clear that the winner of this 13th edition would come from this quartet. At the Bonkevaart, a tactical battle began, with everyone watching each other. After some sprint attempts, it was Evert van Benthem who, by a fraction of a second, decided the rather dull and initiative-less race. He shattered Jeen van den Berg's former record by nearly fifty minutes!