Joop Zoetemelk

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Men's Cycling
Olympic medalist
Image:Joop Zoetemelk.jpg Joop Zoetemelk
Medal record
Gold	1968 Mexico City	Team 100k Time Trial

Gerardus Joseph ("Joop") Zoetemelk (born December 3, 1946, Rijpwetering) is a retired cyclist from The Netherlands. He is listed as the 8th greatest road cyclist of all time in Daniel Marszalek's internationally acknowledged weighted ranking, edging out luminaries like Fausto Coppi and Roger De Vlaeminck.

After winning a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City in the Team 100k Time Trial (along with Fedor den Hertog, Jan Krekels and René Pijnen) Zoetemelk turned professional. His career was threatened in 1974 because of a fractured skull suffered in a bicycle crash.

In his 18 year professional career (1969-87), he won many races including the 1980 Tour de France and the Vuelta a España in 1979. A testament to the competition at the time, most notably Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, Zoetemelk came in second in the Tour de France six times. Additionally, he set a record by completing the course sixteen times, a mark that still stands. He became the oldest World Cycling Champion in 1985, at the age of 38 years and 9 months.

1 Major results
- 1.1 Tour de France results
2 Teams
3 External links

[edit] Major results

Tour de France (1980)
Vuelta a España (1979)
- King of the Mountains (1971)
World Cycling Championship (1985)
Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands National Cycling Championship (1971, 1973)
Paris-Nice (1974, 1975, 1979)
Paris-Tours (1977, 1979)
Ronde van Nederland (1977)
La Flèche Wallonne (1976)
Tirreno-Adriatico (1985)
Amstel Gold Race (1987)
Tour de Romandie (1974)
Critérium International (1979)
Veenendaal-Veenendaal (1985)
Tour de l'Avenir (1969)
GP Eddy Merckx (1982)

[edit] Tour de France results

1986 – 24rd overall
1985 – 12th overall
1984 – 30th overall
1983 – 23rd overall
1982 – 2nd overall
1981 – 4th overall: 1st, Stage 1b (Nice-Antibes-Nice, 40 km TTT)
1980 – 1st overall (109h19'14"): 1st, Stage 11 (Damazan-Laplume, 51.8 km ITT); 1st, Stage 20 (St Etienne-St Etienne, 34.5 km ITT)
1979 – 2nd overall; 3rd points classfication: 1st, Stage 18 (L'Alpe d'Huez-L'Alpe d'Huez, 118.5 km)
1978 – 2nd overall; 3rd KoM classfication: 1st, Stage 14 (Besse-en-Chandesse-Puy de Dôme, 52.5 km ITT)
1977 – 8th overall
1976 – 2nd overall; 3rd KoM classfication: 1st, Stage 9 (Divonne-les-Bains-L'Alpe d'Huez, 258 km); 1st, Stage 10 (Bourg d'Oisans-Col de Montgenèvre, 166 km); 1st, Stage 20 (Tulle-Puy de Dôme, 220 km)
1975 – 4th overall; 3rd KoM classfication: 1st, Stage 11 (Pau-Saint-Lary-Soulan, 160 km)
1973 – 4th overall; 2nd points classification: 1st, Prologue (Scheveningen, 7.1 km ITT); 1st, Stage 4 (Reims-Nancy, 214 km)
1972 – 5th overall; 3rd points classification
1971 – 2nd overall; 2nd KoM classification
1970 – 2nd overall

[edit] Teams

1987 – Superconfex-Yoko
1984-1986 – Kwantum Hallen-Decosol-Yoko
1982-1983 – Coop-Mercier
1980-1981 – Ti-Raleigh-Creda
1979 – Miko-Mercier
1977-1978 – Miko-Mercier-Hutchinson
1975-1976 – Gan-Mercier
1973 – Gitane-Frigecreme
1972 – Beaulieu-Flandria
1970-1971 – Mars-Flandria

[edit] External links

Complete Palmarès

Preceded by: Claude Criquielion	World Road Racing Champion 1985	Succeeded by: Moreno Argentin
Preceded by: Bernard Hinault	Winner of the Tour de France 1980	Succeeded by: Bernard Hinault
Preceded by: Bernard Hinault	Winner of the Vuelta a España 1979	Succeeded by: Faustino Ruperez

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