Roeselare (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Benoni Beheyt and Annie Desmet celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at KOERS cycling museum, Roeselare, on Nov 8, 2025, honoured by the city and family; Beheyt won the 1963 World Championship.
As VRT News reported, Benoni Beheyt, the 1963 world cycling champion, and his wife Annie Desmet celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary at the KOERS cycling museum in Roeselare on Saturday afternoon, Nov 8, 2025. The event was attended by family and honoured by the Roeselare city council during a ceremony.
“Being welcomed at this location is extra special,”
smiles Benoni.
“Cycling brought us together,”
the former top cyclist continues.
“My wife’s cousin, Gilbert Desmet, and I rode on the same team.”
What marks the 60th Wedding Anniversary of the World Cycling Champion?
The couple, celebrating 60 years of marriage, have 4 children, 6 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. 2 of their grandsons have become professional cyclists. During the anniversary celebration at the KOERS cycling museum, aldermen Stefan Van Coillie (CD&V) and Piet Delrue (Local Liberal) presented gifts on behalf of Roeselare.
Benoni Beheyt, born in 1940 in Zwinaarde, became a professional cyclist in the early 1960s and won the World Cycling Championship on August 3, 1963, in Ronse. Over his career, he claimed 250 victories. After retiring, he moved to Roeselare and took over his father-in-law Gerard Desmet’s bicycle shop while staying involved in cycling as a BWB motorcyclist. He married Annie Desmet on October 28, 1965.
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