Gilbert Desmet

Gilbert Desmet (born 2 February 1931 in Roeselare), nicknamed Smetje van Lichtervelde, is a former Belgian cyclist who was professional from 1952 to 1967. In the 1956 Tour de France, he wore the yellow jersey for 2 days, and in the 1963 Tour de France he wore it for 9 days. Desmet won 101 professional races, including Paris–Tours, La Flèche Wallonne and Four Days of Dunkirk. His best result in the Tour de France was his 4th place in 1962. He finished second in the 1959 Paris–Roubaix.[1]

Gilbert Desmet

Desmet in 2019
Personal information
Full name	Gilbert Desmet
Nickname	Smetje van Lichtervelde
Born	(1931-02-02) 2 February 1931 Belgium
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Professional teams
1952–1955	Groene Leeuw
1956	Bertin–d'Allessandro
1957–1959	Faema–Guerra
1959–1962	Carpano
1963–1965	Wiel's–Groene Leeuw
1966–1967	Roméo–Smith's
Major wins
Paris–Tours (1958) La Flèche Wallone (1964) Four Days of Dunkirk (1964) Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne (1958)

Throughout his career, he was often confused with Gilbert De Smet, another Belgian cyclist with a similar name.