Tour of 1954
Excellent weather and secret checkpoints along the route.
The tenth Elfstedentocht was expected to be a tough race due to poor weather predictions. Those not in good physical condition were advised not to participate. As a result, the number of registrants started slowly, and the maximum of 5,000 tour riders was far from reached. However, the weather on the day of the race turned out to be excellent. After the widespread fraud in 1947, stricter controls were implemented, and 10 secret checkpoints were added.
The race
After a turbulent start with large crowds on the sidelines, Wierd Wijnia was the first to reach Sneek. The skaters moved at a fast pace, reaching IJlst, Sloten, and Stavoren. In Stavoren, the leading group, including Wijnia, Zwart, Verhoven, and Schipper, arrived in daylight. A new feature this year was the presence of cars with supporters and followers trailing the leading pack.
By Workum, the leading group had grown to 21 skaters. In Bolsward, this group increased to 26 riders. Between Witmarsum and Kimswerd, a group of six riders, including Jan Charisius, Aad de Koning, Anton Verhoeven, Jeen van den Berg, Jeen Nauta, and Klaas Leffertstra, took the lead. Their two-minute advantage in Harlingen had expanded to over 11 minutes by Vrouwenparochie. Jeen van den Berg attempted to break away from the group near Bartlehiem, but the gap was quickly closed by the others. By Dokkum, the group’s lead had grown to 20 minutes, and they were on track for a new record. Leffertstra made a brave attempt near Wijns with a sprint, but was soon caught and even passed.
The five skaters were surprised by a bridge near Leeuwarden that was not open. Due to the thickness of the ice, they had to “klûnen”; walk a short distance on skates. Confused for a moment, Van den Berg was the first to recover and was back on the ice ahead of the others. Along with Charisius and Verhoeven, he skated toward a sign that indicated finish 500 metres to go. The skaters slowed down, unaware that they had misread the sign. Van den Berg recovered first, sprinted to the finish, and crossed the line in a record time of 7 hours and 35 minutes. Aaltje van Dellen was the first woman to finish.
