Joop Zoetemelk

Joop Zoetemelk

Joop Zoetemelk in 2008
Personal information
Full name	Hendrik Gerardus Jozef Zoetemelk
Nickname	Joop
Born	(1946-12-03) 3 December 1946 The Hague, Netherlands
Height	1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb; 10.7 st)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-round
Professional team(s)
1970–1972	Mars-Flandria
1973–1974	Gitane-Frigecreme
1975–1979	Gan-Mercier
1980–1981	TI-Raleigh
1982–1983	Coop-Mercier
1984–1986	Kwantum
1987	Superconfex
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France General Classification (1980) Combination classification (1973) 10 individual stages Vuelta a España General Classification (1979) Mountains Classification (1971) 3 individual stages Stage Races Paris–Nice (1974, 1975, 1979) Tour de Romandie (1973) Tirreno–Adriatico (1985) Critérium International (1979) Single-Day Races and Classics World Road Race Champion (1985) Dutch Road Race Championship (1971, 1973) Amstel Gold Race (1987) La Flèche Wallonne (1976) Paris-Tours (1977, 1979)
Medal record Competitor for the  Netherlands Road bicycle racing Olympic Games Gold 1968 Mexico City Team time trial World Championships Gold 1985 Giavera di Montello Professional road race
Infobox last updated on July 14, 2011

Hendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk (pronounced [ˈjoːp ˈsutəmɛlk];^[1] born 3 December 1946) is a retired professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands who has emigrated to France. He started, and finished, the Tour de France 16 times – a record, equalled only by George Hincapie in 2012.^[2] He won the race in 1980 and also came eighth, fifth, fourth (three times) and second (six times).^[3] He won the world professional road championship in 1985 at 38. He retired from the sport to run a hotel at Meaux, near Paris, France.^[4]

Early life and career

Zoetemelk was born in Rijpwetering,^[5][6] the son of Maria and Gerard Zoetemelk.^[7] He started work as a carpenter. He became a speed-skater^[6] and a regional champion before turning to cycling in 1964.^[6] He joined the Swift club in Leiden and made a fast impression, winning youth races in his first season. He rode particularly well as a senior in multi-day races. He won the Tour of Yugoslavia, the Circuit des Mines, three stages and the mountains prize in the Tour of Austria, and the 1969 Tour de l'Avenir.^[8] He also won a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City in the 100 km team time-trial with Fedor den Hertog, Jan Krekels and René Pijnen.^[9]

Professional career

Zoetemelk turned professional for Briek Schotte's Belgian Mars-Flandria team in 1970.^[8][10] He came second to Eddy Merckx in that year's Tour de France.

Zoetemelk won Paris–Nice, the Semana Catalana and the Tour de Romandie in 1974 and then crashed heavily into a car left unattended at the finish of the Midi-Libre in Valras-Plage, France. He cracked his skull and came close to dying.^[11] He returned next season to win Paris–Nice again and then caught meningitis. He never fully recovered and the head injury reduced his sense of taste. He nevertheless won 20 races that season, including Paris–Nice, the Tour of Holland and the Dwars door Lausanne and a stage of the Tour de France. He also came fourth in the Tour de France.

Of one-day races, in 1976 he won the Flèche Wallonne, in 1977 and 1979 the Grand Prix d'Automne, and came fourth in the world championships of 1976 and 1982 before winning in 1985, the oldest man to win the professional title.^[6]

Peter Post, manager of the TI-Raleigh team in the Netherlands, approached Zoetemelk through his wife, Françoise, after the world championship in 1979.^[12] Zoetemelk had long lived in France and ridden for French teams. His sponsor, the bicycle company Mercier, ended its sponsorship and Zoetemelk was looking for a new team. The following year Zoetemelk won his – and TI-Raleigh's – only Tour de France. The pre-race favourite, Bernard Hinault had retired halfway due to knee-problems. Zoetemelk objected to claims that he had won only because Hinault had dropped out, saying: "Surely winning the Tour de France is a question of health and robustness. If Hinault doesn't have that health and robustness and I have, that makes me a valid winner."

Gerald O'Donovan, the TI-Raleigh director behind sponsorship of the team, said:

"We needed a winner and for 1980 signed Joop Zoetemelk, who had an outstanding record of places but had probably enjoyed less support than we could give him. We cleaned up the Tours of Belgium, Holland and Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in preparation and waited for the big day. The big plan to control Bernard Hinault, who had won for the previous two years, came to fruition. The team attacked his every move; this was Panzer Group Post^[13] at its most formidable. About halfway through the race he abandoned the lead to Zoetemelk and pulled out of the race. We arrived in Paris with the overall lead, 12 stage wins and the team prize, to say nothing of a whole bundle of francs. We had pounded away winning the battles for the previous four years; at last we had won the war."

In 18 years as a professional (1969–1987), Zoetemelk won the Tour de France in 1980, and the Vuelta a España in 1979. He came second in the Tour de France six times.

Doping

Zoetemelk was caught in drug tests during the Tour de France in 1977 and 1979. He also tested positive in 1983. At the time, blood doping was not considered a huge deal in road cycling and he mostly escaped punishment. He was not implicated during his Tour win in 1980.^[14][15][16]

Assessment

Zoetemelk is one of the most successful Tour riders of all time;^[17] he finished second a record six times and won once. His career coincided with the rise and dominance of Eddy Merckx and Zoetemelk was often criticised for following rather than attacking the Belgian. Zoetemelk had naturally fair skin and a popular joke said that he never acquired a tan during the Tour because he was always in Merckx's shadow. A fellow Tour rider, Rini Wagtmans, said: "Joop Zoetemelk is the best rider that the Netherlands has ever known. There has never been a better one. But he could not give instructions. He was treated and helped with respect. But when Zoetemelk won the Tour, the instructions had to come from Gerrie Knetemann and Jan Raas."^[18]

Peter Post said: "Joop would fit in any team. I've known only a few riders who were so easy. He followed the rules, he got on with people. That's the way he is. He never asked for domestiques. Joop never demanded anything."^[19]

Personal life and retirement

After retiring, Zoetemelk became a directeur sportif with Superconfex, which became Rabobank in 1996. Zoetemelk stayed with Rabobank for 10 years, retiring as a directeur sportif and from the sport after the 2006 Vuelta a España.

Zoetemelk married Françoise Duchaussoy, daughter of the Tour de France executive, Jacques Duchaussoy. They owned and ran the Richemont hotel in Meaux, near Paris. Their son, Karl,^[20] was a French mountain bike rider and champion.

Recognition

Joop Zoetemelk was the second Dutch winner of the Tour de France after Jan Janssen. The Dutch cycling federation, the KNWU, named Zoetemelk the best Dutch rider of all time at a gala to mark its 75th anniversary. A statue of him at Rijpwetering, where he was born and grew up, was unveiled on 31 May 2005. He was named sportsman of the year in the Netherlands in 1980 and 1985. Between 1972 and 1985, he won the Gerrit Schulte Trophy nine times as best rider of the year, more than anybody else in Dutch professional racing.^[21] The Joop Zoetemelk Classic, a cyclo-sportive over 45, 75 or 150 km, is held every March, organised by the Swift club of which Zoetemelk is a member. The course passes his statue.

Palmarès

Grand Tour results timeline

	1970	1971	1972	1973	1974	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985	1986
Tour	2	2	5	4	DNE	4	2	8	2	2	1	4	2	23	30	12	24
Stages won	0	0	0	1	—	1	3	1	1	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	0
Mountains classification	NR	2	5	6	—	3	3	5	3	4	5	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Points classification	NR	5	3	2	—	9	8	NR	9	3	10	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR
Giro	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE
Stages won	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mountains classification	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Points classification	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Vuelta	DNE	6	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	1	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE	DNE
Stages won	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	2	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Mountains classification	—	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Points classification	—	NR	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Legend

1	Winner
2–3	Top three-finish
4–10	Top ten-finish
11–	Other finish
DNE	Did Not Enter
DNF-x	Did Not Finish (retired on stage x)
DSQ	Disqualified
N/A	Race/classification not held
NR	Not Ranked in this classification

See also

• List of Dutch Olympic cyclists

References

External links

• Complete Palmarès

See also

• List of Dutch cyclists who have led the Tour de France general classification

Sporting positions
Preceded by Peter Kisner	Dutch National Road Race Champion 1971	Succeeded by Tino Tabak
Preceded by Tino Tabak	Dutch National Road Race Champion 1973	Succeeded by Cees Priem
Awards
Preceded by Jan Raas	Dutch Sportsman of the Year 1980	Succeeded by Hennie Stamsnijder
Preceded by Stephan van den Berg	Dutch Sportsman of the Year 1985	Succeeded by Hein Vergeer

UCI Road World Champions – Men's road race 1927 Binda 1928 Ronsse 1929 Ronsse 1930 Binda 1931 Guerra 1932 Binda 1933 Speicher 1934 Kaers 1935 Aerts 1936 Magne 1937 Meulenberg 1938 Kint 1946 Knecht 1947 Middelkamp 1948 Schotte 1949 Van Steenbergen 1950 Schotte 1951 Kübler 1952 Müller 1953 Coppi 1954 Bobet 1955 Ockers 1956 Van Steenbergen 1957 Van Steenbergen 1958 Baldini 1959 Darrigade 1960 Van Looy 1961 Van Looy 1962 Stablinski 1963 Beheyt 1964 Janssen 1965 Simpson 1966 Altig 1967 E. Merckx 1968 Adorni 1969 Ottenbros 1970 Monseré 1971 E. Merckx 1972 M. Basso 1973 Gimondi 1974 E. Merckx 1975 Kuiper 1976 Maertens 1977 F. Moser 1978 Knetemann 1979 Raas 1980 B. Hinault 1981 Maertens 1982 Saronni 1983 LeMond 1984 Criquielion 1985 Zoetemelk 1986 Argentin 1987 S. Roche 1988 Fondriest 1989 LeMond 1990 Dhaenens 1991 Bugno 1992 Bugno 1993 Armstrong 1994 Leblanc 1995 Olano 1996 Museeuw 1997 Brochard 1998 Camenzind 1999 Freire 2000 Vainšteins 2001 Freire 2002 Cipollini 2003 Astarloa 2004 Freire 2005 Boonen 2006 Bettini 2007 Bettini 2008 Ballan 2009 Evans 2010 Hushovd 2011 Cavendish 2012 Gilbert 2013 Costa 2014 Kwiatkowski

Tour de France winners of the General classification 1903–1919 1903: Maurice Garin 1904: Henri Cornet 1905: Louis Trousselier 1906: René Pottier 1907–08: Lucien Petit-Breton 1909: François Faber 1910: Octave Lapize 1911: Gustave Garrigou 1912: Odile Defraye 1913–14: Philippe Thys 1915–18: World War I 1919: Firmin Lambot 1920–1939 1920: Philippe Thys 1921: Léon Scieur 1922: Firmin Lambot 1923: Henri Pélissier 1924–25: Ottavio Bottecchia 1926: Lucien Buysse 1927–28: Nicolas Frantz 1929: Maurice De Waele 1930: André Leducq 1931: Antonin Magne 1932: André Leducq 1933: Georges Speicher 1934: Antonin Magne 1935: Romain Maes 1936: Sylvère Maes 1937: Roger Lapébie 1938: Gino Bartali 1939: Sylvère Maes 1940–1959 1940–46: World War II 1947: Jean Robic 1948: Gino Bartali 1949: Fausto Coppi 1950: Ferdinand Kübler 1951: Hugo Koblet 1952: Fausto Coppi 1953–55: Louison Bobet 1956: Roger Walkowiak 1957: Jacques Anquetil 1958: Charly Gaul 1959: Federico Bahamontes 1960–1979 1960: Gastone Nencini 1961–64: Jacques Anquetil 1965: Felice Gimondi 1966: Lucien Aimar 1967: Roger Pingeon 1968: Jan Janssen 1969–72: Eddy Merckx 1973: Luis Ocaña 1974: Eddy Merckx 1975: Bernard Thévenet 1976: Lucien Van Impe 1977: Bernard Thévenet 1978–79: Bernard Hinault 1980–1998 1980: Joop Zoetemelk 1981–82: Bernard Hinault 1983–84: Laurent Fignon 1985: Bernard Hinault 1986: Greg LeMond 1987: Stephen Roche 1988: Pedro Delgado 1989–90: Greg LeMond 1991–95: Miguel Indurain 1996: Bjarne Riis 1997: Jan Ullrich 1998: Marco Pantani 2006–present 1999–2005: results vacated because of doping 2006: Óscar Pereiro 2007: Alberto Contador 2008: Carlos Sastre 2009: Alberto Contador 2010: Andy Schleck 2011: Cadel Evans 2012: Bradley Wiggins 2013: Chris Froome 2014: Vincenzo Nibali

Tour de France winners of the Combination classification 1968 Franco Bitossi 1969–1972 Eddy Merckx 1973 Joop Zoetemelk 1974 Eddy Merckx 1980 Ludo Peeters 1981–1982 Bernard Hinault 1985–1986 Greg LeMond 1987 Jean-François Bernard 1988–1989 Steven Rooks

Vuelta a España winners of the General classification 1935–36 Gustaaf Deloor 1937–40 Spanish Civil War 1941–42 Julián Berrendero 1943–44 World War II 1945 Delio Rodríguez 1946 Dalmacio Langarica 1947 Edward Van Dijck 1948 Bernardo Ruiz 1949 Race not held 1950 Emilio Rodríguez 1951–54 Race not held 1955 Jean Dotto 1956 Angelo Conterno 1957 Jesús Loroño 1958 Jean Stablinski 1959 Antonio Suárez 1960 Frans De Mulder 1961 Angelino Soler 1962 Rudi Altig 1963 Jacques Anquetil 1964 Raymond Poulidor 1965 Rolf Wolfshohl 1966 Francisco Gabica 1967 Jan Janssen 1968 Felice Gimondi 1969 Roger Pingeon 1970 Luis Ocaña 1971 Ferdinand Bracke 1972 José Manuel Fuente 1973 Eddy Merckx 1974 José Manuel Fuente 1975 Agustín Tamames 1976 José Pesarrodona 1977 Freddy Maertens 1978 Bernard Hinault 1979 Joop Zoetemelk 1980 Faustino Ruperez 1981 Giovanni Battaglin 1982 Marino Lejarreta 1983 Bernard Hinault 1984 Éric Caritoux 1985 Pedro Delgado 1986 Álvaro Pino 1987 Luis Herrera 1988 Sean Kelly 1989 Pedro Delgado 1990 Marco Giovannetti 1991 Melcior Mauri 1992–93–94 Tony Rominger 1995 Laurent Jalabert 1996–97 Alex Zülle 1998 Abraham Olano 1999 Jan Ullrich 2000 Roberto Heras 2001 Ángel Casero 2002 Aitor González 2003–04 Roberto Heras 2005 Denis Menchov 2006 Alexander Vinokourov 2007 Denis Menchov 2008 Alberto Contador 2009 Alejandro Valverde 2010 Vincenzo Nibali 2011 Juan José Cobo 2012 Alberto Contador 2013 Chris Horner 2014 Alberto Contador

Authority control VIAF: 232150673 GND: 1020193735

Olympic Cycling Champions in Men's Time Trial Team 1920: 1924: 1960: L. Trapè, A Bailetti, C. Cogliati, G. Fornoni 1964: B. Zoet, E. Dolman, G. Karstens, J. Pieterse 1968: J. Zoetemelk, F. den Hertog, J. Krekels, R. Pijnen 1972: V. Yardy, G. Komnatov, V. Likhachov, B. Shukhov 1976: A. Pikkuus, V. Chaplygin, A. Chukanov, V. Kaminsky 1980: Y. Kashirin, O. Logvin, S. Shelpakov, A. Yarkin 1984: M. Bartalini, M. Giovannetti, E. Poli, C. Vandelli 1988: J. Schur, U. Ampler, M. Kummer, M. Landsmann 1992: M. Rich, B. Dittert, C. Meyer, U. Peschel