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Historic Overview Gerrie Knetemann

Rider

Overall Rank103
NameGerrie KNETEMANN
Country
  Netherlands
Date of birth06-Mar-1951 - Amsterdam (Noord Holland)
Date of death02-Nov-2004 - Bergen (Noord Holland)
ContemporiesView Contemporary Ranking

Biography

Gerrie Knetemann

Gerard Friedrich "Gerrie" Knetemann (6 March 1951 in Amsterdam – 2 November 2004 in Bergen, North Holland) was a Dutch road bicycle racer who won the 1978 World Championship. He wore the Yellow Jersey early in each Tour de France for four consecutive years between 1977 and 1980.

A four-time winner of the Ronde van Nederland, he also rode the Tour de France 11 times between 1974 and 1987, winning 10 stages, a Dutch record equalled only by Jan Raas and Joop Zoetemelk. Knetemann won 127 races as a professional.

Knetemann maintained an Amsterdam accent and a sharp sense of humour that made him a favourite with reporters and earned him television and radio appearances. His best year in the Tour de France was 1978, when he led from the sixth stage. Although he lost the leader's yellow jersey two days later, he won the stage into Lausanne and then the final stage on the Champs Elysées in Paris.

Together with Raas and his TI-Raleigh teammates Knetemann played a pivotal role in the victory of Zoetemelk in the 1980 Tour de France, one of the most dominating team performances in Tour de France history in which the team won twelve stages.

His career dwindled after a crash in Dwars door België in Belgium in March 1983.

Recovery took months and, although he did again ride the Tour de France, there was not much left of the once sparkling star. Knetemann did however win the Amstel Gold Race in 1985. He retired from racing in 1991 and became Dutch team selector.

Knetemann died while riding his bike. He collapsed from a heart attack with friends in Bergen.

His wife, Gre Donker, was also a racing cyclist. They had a son and two daughters. Their daughter Roxane, born in 1987, was a professional cyclist as well.

source - Wikipedia

Badges

10 8 3 6 54

Major Victories

World Championships Road Race 1978
Paris - Nice 1978
Amstel Gold Race 1974, 1985
Rund um den Henninger Turm 1977
Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta del Sol 1976
Nokere Koerse 1981
Driedaagse De Panne 1982
4 Jours de Dunkerque 1977
G.P. Pino Cerami 1978, 1984
Ronde van Nederland 1976, 1980, 1981, 1986
Tour de France - stages 1975 (1), 1977 (2), 1978 (2), 1979 (2), 1980 (1), 1982 (2)
Paris - Nice - stages 1977 (2), 1978 (3), 1979 (1), 1980 (2)
Dauphiné Libéré - stages 1974 (1)
Tirreno - Adriatico - stages 1982 (2)
Tour de Romandie - stages 1975 (1), 1981 (1)
Tour de Suisse - stages 1978 (1), 1979 (4), 1986 (1)
Vuelta a Andalucia - Ruta del Sol - stages 1976 (2), 1984 (2)
Driedaagse De Panne - stages 1982 (1)
Ronde van Nederland - stages 1976 (1), 1978 (1), 1979 (1), 1981 (1), 1986 (1)
More results

Seasons

Gerrie Knetemann - Scores by Season

Year Team Score Rank
1. 1971 Individual 3 895
2. 1972 Individual 3 850
3. 1973 Individual 0 1299
4. 1974 GAN - Mercier - Hutchinson 1091 40
5. 1975 GAN - Mercier - Hutchinson 1511 21
6. 1976 TI - Raleigh - Campagnolo 1061 39
7. 1977 TI - Raleigh 1842 12
8. 1978 TI - Raleigh - Mac Gregor 2614 5
9. 1979 TI-Raleigh - Mac Gregor 2106 12
10. 1980 TI - Raleigh - Creda 1621 21
11. 1981 TI-Raleigh - Creda 1325 32
12. 1982 TI - Raleigh - Campagnolo 1247 33
13. 1983 TI - Raleigh - Campagnolo 298 179
14. 1984 Europ Decor - Boule d'Or 757 59
15. 1985 Skil - Sem - Kas - Miko 694 78
16. 1986 PDM - Ultima - Concorde 714 68
17. 1987 PDM - Ultima - Concorde 419 163
18. 1988 PDM - Ultima - Concorde 88 458
19. 1989 PDM - Ultima - Concorde 24 717
Overall: 17418 103