Jan van Hout
Dutch cyclist (1908–1945)
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Jan van Hout (17 October 1908 – 22 February 1945) was a Dutch cyclist. A resistance fighter, he died in the Holocaust.
Valkenburg aan de Geul, Netherlands
Neuengamme concentration camp, Nazi Germany
Van Hout in 1933 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 17 October 1908 Valkenburg aan de Geul, Netherlands |
| Died | 22 February 1945 (aged 36) Neuengamme concentration camp, Nazi Germany |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Track |
| Role | Rider |
Career
Van Hout was a cyclist between 1932 and 1940.[1] On 25 August 1933, he set a new hour record at the velodrome in Maasniel, beating the previous record set by Francis Faure in July 1933.[1] Former record holder Oscar Egg disputed the result, claiming that he had measured the course and that van Hout had covered 3.45 metres (11.3 ft) too little each lap.[1] However, there were doubts about the accuracy of Egg's measurement.[1]
World War II
Van Hout used winnings from his career to open a café in Eindhoven.[2] After the German invasion of the Netherlands, van Hout closed his restaurant so that he, a committed anti-fascist, did not have to serve them in his shop.[2] During the occupation, he supported the resistance movement.[2] In 1945, van Hout was arrested by the Gestapo near Eindhoven and deported to Neuengamme concentration camp, where he died on 22 February 1945.[2]
In the 1950s, Anneke van Hout-Louwers, van Hout's widow, stirred controversy by marrying fellow cyclist Cor Wals.[3] Wals was a Waffen-SS serviceman during World War II and was rumoured to have been assigned to Neuengamme to specifically guard van Hout.[3]
Monument
On 15 May 2006, due to promotion by sports journalist Jean Nelissen, a monument to van Hout was erected in his birthplace of Valkenburg.[4] His widow and cyclist Bernard Hinault presented the monument.[4]