Aimé continued building his empire and the dawn of the new decade would bring Flandria’s most successful period, which saw the formation of the Flandria professional cycling team in 1959 that would go on to become one of the most successful and influential teams of all-time. Many cycling legends rode in the red and white of Flandria over the years. The most famous of all is double World Champion Freddy Maertens, who holds the record for the most professional victories in a single season. Maertens recorded 54 victories in 1976, equalling the previous record set by Eddy Merckx five years earlier.
In the 1960s Flandria became the largest supplier of bicycles and bicycle components in Western Europe. At its peak, yearly production of bicycles topped 350,000.
When the professional team was formed in 1959, every single part of the Pro's bikes was made in-house by Flandria - even the tyres, tubes, cables and handlebar tape. The only part Flandria did not produce was the Brooks saddle.
