A cycling club born in the café 'In St.-Anna'
The St.-Anna-Vooruit cycling club was founded in 1950 in René Oortman's café 'In St.-Anna'. Frans Degreef became its first chairman, supported among others by Stukkens and Heymbeeck. Later the clubhouse moved with Oortman to the Van der Aastraat, and Pierre Vanden Broeck and Arthur Smets joined the committee. As early as 1952 the supporters' club was allowed to organise two races.
From the Grote Prijs Reno to the Omloop van N.O.-Brabant
In the early years these were local races for amateurs. Around 1954 came the Grote Prijs Reno, backed by the Reno stove factory, in which riders such as Eddy Merckx, Marcel Kint and André Noyelle shone. Because of the works on the Woluwelaan and the motorway, no race could be held from 1966. A new attempt in 1970 failed: heavy snowfall brought the race to a halt.
From 1971 the club organised the Omloop van Noordoost-Brabant on Easter Saturday, an international race that quickly became well known. Winners included Guido Van Calster (1971), Henk Mutsaert (1975 and 1978), Alfons De Wolf (1977) and Henning Jörgensen (1979). From 1974 a cyclo-cross was added every year, and for 1981 the club applied to host the Belgian junior championship.
In 1980 the committee included honorary chairman Frans Van Hout, chairman Michel Spreutels, secretary Henri Knop and treasurer Georges Tielemans, who had already been chairman in 1970. Around the Easter fair the club had thus become a fixture of village life in Diegem.