Jo de Roo

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Jo de Roo
Personal information
Full name Johan de Roo
Date of birth July 5, 1937 (1937-07-05) (age 70)
Country Flag of the Netherlands Netherlands
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type All Rounder
Amateur team(s)
1954 - 1957 Unknown
Professional team(s)
1958-1959
1960-1961
1962
1963-1964
1965
1966
1967-1968
Magneet-Vredestein
Helyett-Fynsec
Saint-Raphael-Helyett
Saint-Raphael-Gitane
Televizier
Televizier-Batavus
Willem II-Gazelle
Major wins
1962 Paris-Tours
1962 Giro di Lombardia
1962 Bordeaux-Paris
1962 Super Prestige Pernod International
1963 Paris-Tours
1963 Giro di Lombardia
1965 Ronde van Vlaanderen
Infobox last updated on:
1 August 2007

Johan De Roo (born 5 July 1937 in Schore, Zeeland) is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist between 1958 and 1968. During his 11 seasons as a professional he had six victories in one day classic races as well as winning three stages in the Tour de France and one stage in the Vuelta a España. In total he had approximately 46 wins in his professional career. He was the most successful rider to emerge from Zeeland until the appearance of Jan Raas.

[edit] Career details

De Roo caught the eye in 1957 as a 20-year-old amateur when he took two stages in the Olympia’s Tour as well as winning the Omloop van de Kempen. The following year he turned professional with the Dutch Magneet-Vredestein team with which he stayed for two season. In 1960 he moved to the Helyett team which had Jacques Anquetil as leader. He rode for five years with Anquetil firstly at Helyett and then as part of the St-Raphaël squad as the sponsor changed.

In 1960 he rode the first of his Tours de France, abandoning after stage 14 and saying the Tour was not for him. 1962 was De Roo’s best year as a professional. He won the Gerrit Schulte Trophy as Dutch cyclist of the year after winning Paris-Tours, the Giro di Lombardia and Bordeaux-Paris. De Roo’s feat of winning the “Autumn Double” of Paris-Tours and the Giro di Lombardia in the same year is arare achievement as the races are different in style and topography. In winning the 1962 Paris-Tours, De Roo set a record speed for a classic race of 44.903kmh over 267km. In 1962 De Roo also won the Super Prestige Pernod International, a season-long competition to find the best rider in both the classics and the top stage races. De Roo did not go to the 1962 World championship after a disagreement over expenses with the Dutch cycling federation.

Remarkably de Roo repeated the Autumn Double in 1963. In 1964 he was Dutch road race champion and then returned to the Tour de France after a three year hiatus to win the stage between Montpellier and Perpignan. In 1965 De Roo left Anquetil’s team and signed a two-year contract with the Dutch Televizier squad, which also included Gerben Karstens. 1965 saw victory in the Ronde van Vlaanderen when he escaped with Ward Sels on the Valkenberg and then won the sprint. Another stage win came at that year's Tour de France, into Bordeaux. 1966 saw victory at the Omloop "Het Volk"; he won another stage in the Tour de France on his birthday (between Montpellier and Aubenas) and a stage in the Vuelta a España between Madrid and Calatayud.

De Roo spent the last two years of his career (1967 and 1968) with Willem II-Gazelle, riding in the company of Rik van Looy and Peter Post who were also in the last days of their careers. He rode the 1967 Tour de France as part of the Dutch national team and finished 76th. Jo de Roo retired at the end of 1968 at the relatively young age of 31. His last victory was on the 25 June 1968 in Zomergem.[1]

[edit] Major results

1957

  • 1st stage 2 Olympia’s Tour
  • 1st stage 3 Olympia’s Tour
  • 1st Omloop van de Kempen

1958

  • 1st stage 6 Ronde van Nederland

1959

  • 1st Antwerp six-day with Jean Palmans

1960

  • 1st Giro di Sardegna
  • 1st stage 4 Ronde van Nederland

1961

  • 1st GP Monaco
  • 5th world road race championship

1962

  • 1st Paris-Tours
  • 1st stage 2 GP Midi Libre
  • 1st stage 4 GP Midi Libre
  • 1st stage 1 Tour de l’Aude
  • 1st Bordeaux-Paris
  • 1st Giro di Lombardia

1963

  • 1st Paris-Tours
  • 1st Giro di Lombardia
  • 2nd Tour of Luxembourg

1964

  • Flag of the Netherlands1st national road race championship
  • 1st stage 12 Tour de France
  • 43rd Tour de France
  • 3rd Ronde van Vlaanderen

1965

  • 1st Ronde van Vlaanderen
  • Flag of the Netherlands1st Dutch National Road Race Championships
  • 1st stage 8 Tour de France
  • 55th Tour de France
  • 1st stage 5 Ronde van Nederland

1966

  • 1st Dr. Tisarert Prijs
  • 1st Omloop Het Volk
  • 1st stage 14A Tour de France
  • 1st stage 6 Vuelta a Espana

1967

  • 2nd national road race championship

1968

  • 4th Amstel Gold Race[2]

[3]

[edit] References

  1. ^ www.dewielersite.net. Gives some of biographical information.
  2. ^ Velopalmares. Gives details of Major Results.
  3. ^ www.cyclingranking.com. Further Information.
Sporting positions
Preceded by
Peter Post
Dutch National Road Race Champion
1964
Succeeded by
Jo de Roo
Preceded by
Jo de Roo
Dutch National Road Race Champion
1965
Succeeded by
Gerben Karstens
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