Jozef Schils

Jozef "Jef" Schils (4 September 1931, in Kersbeek-Miskom – 3 March 2007, in Liège) was a Belgian cyclist.

In 1952, at the age of 21, Jozef Schils, who had just become a professional racing cyclist and was still in the army, became Belgian road racing champion. He was nominated for the road world championships in Luxembourg in the same year and finished tenth.

Schils rode as a professional until 1965 and won around 40 Belgian criteria during this time. 1953 was his most successful year, in which he won Paris-Tours and the National Sluitingsprijs. In 1955 he won at Nokere Koerse. His nickname was "little Coppi", because Fausto Coppi had praised him. However, he turned down offers to go to Italy. In 1960, however, he switched to the French team " Mercier ", which was led by Antonin Magne and in which Raymond Poulidor drove. At the end of the season he had a hard crash and again in 1961. In 1965, he ended his career.

Then Jozef Schils opened a café in Koekelberg, later a laundry and a bicycle shop. Jozef Schils was the father of the former professional racing cyclist Patrick Schils and was the grandfather of Dominic Schils, also a racing cyclist of note.

Major results
Source:


 * 1952
 * MaillotBélgica.svg Belgian Road Champion
 * Tour de Romandie
 * Stage 3a


 * 1953
 * Paris–Tours
 * National Closing Price
 * Grand Prix of Walloon Brabant
 * Grand Prix of Haspengouw


 * 1954
 * Tour of Hesbaye
 * Three sister cities
 * Brussels-Bost
 * Grand Prix of Brabant Wallon
 * 4th Paris-Brussels


 * 1955
 * Nokere Koerse
 * Grand Prix of Vilvoorde
 * Hoeilaart-Diest-Hoeilaart
 * 8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 8th Paris–Tours


 * 1956
 * Brussels Ingooigem
 * Scheldt-Dender-Lys
 * Salt Cup
 * 2nd Western Circuit


 * 1957
 * Flemish Region Tour
 * Flèche Halloise
 * Brussels-Bost
 * 2nd Mandel-Lys-Scheldt Circuit
 * 2nd Brussels-Ingooigem
 * 3rd Coppa Bernocchi


 * 1958
 * Tour of the Netherlands
 * Stage 5
 * Tour du Levant
 * Stage 3 (TTT)
 * Three days of Antwerp
 * Stage 3
 * Antwerp-Genk
 * GP Marvan
 * Stage 1
 * 3rd overall
 * 2nd Milan-Mantova
 * 2nd Flandria GP
 * 2nd National Closing Price
 * 4th Tour of Lombardy


 * 1959
 * Circuit of the three provinces
 * Tour du Levant
 * Stages 1b and 5


 * 1960
 * Flèche hesbignonne-Cras Avernas
 * Grand Prix of Isbergues
 * Tour of Belgium
 * Stages 2 and 4b
 * Circuit of Basse-Sambre
 * Grand Prix of Zottegem
 * Tour du Nord
 * Stage 4
 * 2nd Paris-Valenciennes
 * 2nd Escaut-Dendre-Lys
 * 2nd Salt Cup
 * 3rd GP Flandria
 * 3rd Circuit of East Flanders


 * 1961
 * Hoegaarden-Antwerp-Hoegaarden


 * 1962
 * Flèche hesbignonne-Cras Avernas
 * Grand Prix of Zottegem
 * 3rd Race of the grapes
 * 3rd Escaut-Dendre-Lys
 * 10th La Flèche Wallonne


 * 1963
 * 2nd Circuit du Houtland


 * 1964
 * 2nd Grand Prix Pino Cerami