The story of Allan Peiper, seen here racing the Michelin Classic on the Isle of Wight, is one of highs and lows, triumph and sadness, love but above all adventure and friendship.
The adventure started as a teenager in the 1970s. Allan left Australia at 17, on his own and moved to Belgium to pursue the dream of becoming a pro rider. It was a big step for a British teenager in those days, who might live a few hundred miles away at most, but Australia is over 9000 miles from Belgium, it was a massive step for Peiper.
He had just enough money to last a few weeks, and none for a return flight. To save what he had he spent his first night in Ghent in a hostel for homeless people, trying to sleep with both arms through the handles of his two bags.
He found digs, although they weren’t much better. They were in a converted shop with rooms divided by hardboard and piles of newspaper. The residents called the landlord Jan the Papers because he never threw a copy out. Peiper slept in a bed that had been the display shelf for the shop windows. Those windows made opaque by, yes you guessed it, newspaper.
Peiper was talented though, and he made his way winning primes and getting top finishes in competitive junior Kermesse races. It was never easy, and cash was tight. One day riding home from a race Allan saw what he thought was spinach growing in a field. He took it home, cooked it, only to find out later what he ate was the green tops of sugar beet plants.
He had a tough rival, the best junior in Belgium and their national champion, Eddy Planckaert. The two of them were head and shoulders above the rest, dominating races and finishing first and second, but it was always Planckaert first because of his fearsome sprint.
Rivalry quickly turned to respect, and then friendship. Friendship that resulted in Eddy showing his mother how Allan was living. She already had three boys and instinct kicked in, and she invited Peiper to live with the Planckaerts on their farm. Allan shared a room with Eddy, and they became brothers in their soul. They still are today, they always will be.
Photo Credit - John Pierce - Photosport International
