Bert Oosterbosch

Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Bert Oosterbosch


fullname = Bert Oosterbosch
nickname =
dateofbirth = birth date|1957|7|30
dateofdeath = Death date and age|1989|8|18|1957|7|30
country = NED
discipline = Road and track
role = Rider
ridertype = Time triallist
amateuryears =
amateurteams =
proyears = 1979–1981
1982
1983
1984–1986
1987
1988
proteams = TI-Raleigh
DAF Trucks
TI-Raleigh
Panasonic
Panasonic-Isostar
TVM-Van Schilt
majorwins = World Champion professional individual pursuit
6 Tour de France stages
Ronde van Nederland
updated = April 8, 2008

Bert Oosterbosch (born Eindhoven, July 30, 1957, died Lekkerkerk, August 18, 1989) was a Dutch racing cyclist. Oosterbosch was a successful track and road racer.

Early career

In 1978 he won the World amateur team time trial championship (with Jan van Houwelingen, Bart van Est and Guus Bierings). A year later, he turned professional for the TI-Raleigh team of Peter Post. That year he won the World Professional individual pursuit title beating Francesco Moser in the final. He was also three times Dutch pursuit champion.

Road success

As a professional Oosterbosch was especially successful in time trials; he won 14 stage race prologues, including three in the Tour de France. He won three other stages of the Tour: his victory in Bordeaux in 1983 was the one hundredth Dutch stage win in the Tour.

Oosterbosch also won stages in the Vuelta a España and the Tour de Suisse. In 1982 he won the Ronde van Nederland.

Poor health

Oosterbosch suffered poor health on occasions, twice contracting meningitis. In 1988 he was hit by severe knee trouble and had to end his professional career. He returned as an amateur and on August 13, 1989 he won a race. Five days later he died, aged thirty-two years old, after an acute cardiac arrest. He was buried at the Roman Catholic Cemetery Our Lady of Lourdes in Eindhoven. His tombstone depicts cycle racing.

Bert Oosterbosch was married to Marian Bik. The couple had two daughters: Nathalie and Joyce.

Allegations of doping

It has been suggested that Oosterbosch's early death was caused by EPO use, [ [http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2003/06/29/sotour29.xml Daily Telegraph, "Tour de France: Cycle of cynicism keeps rolling on" by Simon Hart 28 June 2003] ] but this is disputed. [ [http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=Ns4u0-N0q4MC&pg=PA190&lpg=PA190&dq=bert+oosterbosch+epo&source=web&ots=_R6fpcMdpb&sig=evGZqFnZkhsBnFTaKZK0zDHcMpU&hl=enhas Lactate Threshold Training By Peter Janssen, Peter G. J. M. Janssen, p. 190] ]

Willy Voet, the disgraced former soigneur, talks about Oosterbosch riding the 1982 Grand Prix des Nations. Oosterbosch came in 18th at more than two and a half minutes behind the winner Bernard Hinault, even though he was expected to do well. Voet said "Oosterbosch was flat from the start due to the Synacten he had taken. The drugs initially blocked his ability to work hard. An hour after the injection it started working as planned and his tempo increased." [ [http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/1999/may99/may20.shtml cyclingnews.com - News for May 20, 1999: Willy Voet goes for the jugular in his book] ] In fact, Oosterbosch came third in the 1982 event. Voet may be referring to the 1979 or 1984 runnings which Hinault also won. [ [http://www.memoire-du-cyclisme.net/disparues/anc_gp_nations.php Palmares of the Grand Prix des Nations at memoire-du-cyclisme.net] ]

Palmares

;1979: World Professional pursuit champion;1980: Tour of Luxembourg: 1 stage, Tour de France;1981: Four Days of Dunkirk;1982 : Ronde van Nederland: 1 stage, Tour de Suisse;1983 : Tour of the Americas: Etoile de Bessèges: 2 stages, Tour de France;1984 : E3 Prijs Vlaanderen: Driedaagse van De Panne: 1 stage, Tour de Suisse;1985 : 1 stage, Vuelta a España

External links

* [http://www.veloarchive.com/riders/riders.php?id=O Oosterbosch at veloarchive.com]
* [http://www.cyclingwebsite.net/coureuruitslagenfiche.php?coureurid=3138 Oosterbosch at cyclingwebsite.net]

ee also

* List of doping cases in cycling

References

Persondata
NAME= Oosterbosch, Bert
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Road bicycle racer
DATE OF BIRTH= 1957-07-30
PLACE OF BIRTH=Eindhoven, Netherlands
DATE OF DEATH=1989-08-18
PLACE OF DEATH=Lekkerkerk, Netherlands