Joop Zoetemelk

Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Joop Zoetemelk


image_caption =
fullname = Hendrik Gerardus Jozef Zoetemelk
nickname = De Eeuwige Tweede De Wieltjeszuiger
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1946|12|3
country = The Netherlands
currentteam = Retired
discipline = Road
role = Rider
ridertype = All-around
proyears = 1970–1972
1973–1974
1975–1979 1980–1981 1982–1983 1984–1986 1987
proteams = Mars-Flandria
Gitane-Frigecreme
Gan-Mercier TI-Raleigh Coop-Mercier Kwantum Superconflex
majorwins = Tour de France 1980: "overall winner"
Vuelta a España (1979)
flagiconUCI World Road Cycling Championship (1985)
flagicon|NED road race championships (1971, 1973) Amstel Gold Race (1987)
Paris-Tours (1977, 1979)

updated = April 16, 2008
medaltemplates =

Hendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk (born December 3, 1946 in Rijpwetering) is a retired cyclist from The Netherlands.

After winning a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City in the 100k team time trial (with Fedor den Hertog, Jan Krekels and René Pijnen) Zoetemelk turned professional. His career was threatened in 1974 by a skull fractured in a crash.

In 18 years as a professional (1969-87), he won theTour de France in 1980, and the Vuelta a España in 1979. A testament to the competition at the time, notably Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, Zoetemelk came in second in the Tour de France six times. Additionally, he set a record by completing all 16 Tours in which he started. He became the oldest World Cycling Champion in 1985, at 38 and 9 months. After retiring, Zoetemelk became a directeur sportif with Superconflex which became eventually Rabobank in 1996. Zoetemelk stayed with the Rabobank team for 10 years retiring as a directeur sportif and from the sport after the 2006 Vuelta a Espana.

Zoetemelk and his French spouse live in Meaux where they owned and operated a hotel. His son Karl was a French mountain bike rider and champion.

Major results

;1968: Olympic games: gold medal team time trial;1969: Tour de l'Avenir;1970: Tour de France:::2nd place overall;1971: Tour de France:::2nd place overall::1 day in yellow jersey: Vuelta a España: King of the Mountains: flagicon|NED Dutch National Road Race Championship;1972: Tour de France:::5th place overall;1973: Tour de France:::4th place overall::Winner prologue and stage 4::1 day in yellow jersey: flagicon|NED Dutch National Road Race Championship: Paris-Nice: Tour de Romandie;1975: Tour de France:::4th place overall::Winner stage 11: Paris-Nice: Ronde van Nederland;1976: Tour de France:::2nd place overall::Winner stages 9, 10 and 20: La Flèche Wallonne;1977: Tour de France:::8th place overall: Paris-Tours;1978: Tour de France:::2nd place overall::Winner stage 14::4 days in yellow jersey;1979: Tour de France:::2nd place overall::Winner stage 18::6 days in yellow jersey: Vuelta a España::: Winner overall classification: Paris-Nice: Paris-Tours: Critérium International;1980: Tour de France:::Winner overall classification::Winner stages 11 and 20::10 days in yellow jersey;1981: Tour de France:::4th place overall;1982: Tour de France:::2nd place overall: GP Eddy Merckx;1985: FlagiconUCIWorld cycling road race champion: Tirreno-Adriatico: Veenendaal-Veenendaal;1987: Amstel Gold Race

Major tours

Number of major tours, and final rank in each tour:

Zoetemelk won the mountain competition in the Tour of Spain in 1971. In the same year he was second in the mountains competition in the Tour de France. In 1975, 1976 and 1978 he was third. Zoetemelk came third in the points competition in the Tour de France in 1972, second in 1973 and equal third in 1979.

Honours

Zoetemelk was 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 the history of Dutch professional racing. [http://www.velo-club.net/article.php?sid=4371 Velo-Club du Net: Coureurs Hollandais, Joop Zoetemelk] ]

References

External links

* [http://www.biciclopedia.com/mediawiki-1.4.0/index.php?title=Joop_Zoetemelk Complete Palmarès]