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Gerrie Knetemann (Raleigh) Date: June 27, 1977 photo by Bert Verhoeff –

Top 10 Interesting Facts about Gerrie Knetemann

Road bicycle racing is a cycle sport discipline that takes place largely on paved roads. In terms of competitors, events, and spectators, road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing.

Mass start races, in which riders start simultaneously (albeit occasionally with a handicap) and race to a predetermined finish point, and time trials, in which individual riders or teams race a route alone against the clock, are the two most prevalent competitive types.

Stage races, sometimes known as “tours,” are multi-day events that consist of several mass-start or time-trial stages ridden in succession.

The sport has continued to gain momentum through time which in turn has led to an uprising of some of the most skilled racing cyclists worldwide. One such renowned cyclist is Gerrie Knetemann.

Gerard Friedrich “Gerrie” Knetemann was born on 6 March 1951 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. He was a Dutch road bicycle racer. Here are the top 10 interesting facts about him.

1. Knetemann is a four-time winner of the Ronde van Nederland

Ronde van Nederland teams, Component number Photo by van Duinen –

He has won the Ronde van Nederland four times. The Tour of the Netherlands (Dutch: Ronde van Nederland) was a Dutch road bicycle racing stage competition inaugurated in 1948.

It has been an annual race since 1975. It was succeeded by the Eneco Tour once the UCI ProTour began in 2005.

The first edition began on May 6 in Amsterdam’s Dam Square. The riders concluded nine days later, on May 15, in the Olympisch Stadion.

2. He rode the Tour de France 11 times

2018 Tour de France photo by s.yuki – Wikimedia commons

Knetemann also has the distinction of riding the Tour de France 11 times between 1974 and 1987, winning 10 stages – a Dutch record only Jan Raas and Joop Zoetemelk share.

His finest Tour de France year was 1978 when he led from the sixth stage. Despite losing the yellow jersey as leader two days later, he won the stage into Lausanne and then the final stage on the Champs Elysées in Paris.

3. Knetemann won the 1978 World Championship

El Italian cyclist Francesco Moser. photo by Bruno Passarelli –

The Dutch rider is best remembered for winning the 1978 World Championship ahead of Italy’s Francesco Moser and Denmark’s Jorgen Marcussen. Many consider his World Championship to be his best achievement.

The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) world championships are annual competitions held to decide world champion cyclists. Each year, they are hosted in a different country in a variety of racing formats.

Gold, silver, and bronze medals are awarded to the top three individuals or teams in each competition. Former world champions are permitted to wear a collar and sleeve trim in the same pattern as the rainbow jersey.

Road cycling, track cycling, cyclo-cross, mountain biking, BMX, and indoor cycling championships are held for both men and women. There are other championships for contestants who are impaired.

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

Gerrie Knetemann during Dwars door België 1983 photo by Maurice Terryn –

His career, however, was cut short by a crash near Dwars door Belgi, Belgium, in March 1983. It took months for him to recover, and while he did ride the Tour de France again, he was no longer the same.

Dwars door Vlaanderen (English: Across Flanders) is a semi-classic road bicycle race conducted annually in Belgium since 1945.

The race begins in Roeselare and ends in Waregem, both in West Flanders. The event has been a part of the UCI World Tour since 2017.

5. Knetemann won the Amstel Gold Race in 1985

Amstel Gold race, finish van Gerrie Knetemann photo by Rob Croes –

Many consider his World Championship to be his pinnacle achievement, but ‘de Kneet’ always considered his best achievement to be his 1985 Amstel Gold win, which came ten years after his first victory in the race.

Similarly, to how the Belgians regard the Tour of Flanders as the “real World Championship,” the Dutch regard the ‘Amstel’ as the premier single-day race on the international calendar.

Naturally, this is ‘the’ race to win for a Dutch rider. The weather was terrible in the 1985 event, with rain and strong winds blowing in from the North Sea. Only 25 of the 146 participants finished the 242km race and Gerrie Knetemann came out as a winner.

6. Knetemann won 127 races as a professional

National cycling championships for professionals in Limburg Gerrie Knetemann, photo by Hans Peters –

Knetemann won 127 races as a professional. His career spanned 15 years (1974-1989) which saw him win 10 stages in the Tour de France and he was regarded as one of the finest classics riders in the world, winning the Amstel Gold Race twice and Paris-Nice.

7. Dutch Sports Journalists Guild voted him sportsman of the year

Kneteman competed at the national level during a golden period in Dutch cycling. The Dutch Sports Journalists Guild named him sportsman of the year in 1978.

The previous year, Hennie Kuiper received the accolade, followed by Jan Raas in 1979 and Joop Zoetemelk in 1980. All of these riders have made important contributions to the history of elite cycling.

And for a country that is enthusiastic about soccer and speed skating, having a cyclist lead the sport’s journalists’ vote is no small feat.

During his career, Knetemann competed for various sponsored teams, the most renowned of which was the TI-Raleigh team, managed by Peter Post, with whom he won the 1978 UCI Road World Championships.

8. Knetemann became the selector for the Dutch cycling team after his retirement

After retiring, he became a selector for the Dutch cycling team, a position he retained until his death. Kneteman kept in touch with the sport after his racing career ended. He was still the coach of the Dutch national team.

9. Knetemann died while out riding a bike with friends

Memorial for Gerrie Knetemann in Schoorl, the Netherlands photo by Lars van der Heide –

Dutchman Gerrie Knetemann, the world road race champion in 1978, died of a heart attack aged just 53. Knetemann died while out riding a bike with friends at his birthplace of Bergen in north-west of the Netherlands.

10. He was honoured by a song from the 1980s music group, Tandem

Throughout his life ‘de Kneet’ was greatly revered and adored by his compatriots. During the 1980s a music group known as Tandem produced a record (on the Frigram label) in his honour.

The words from one song talk of the young man from Amsterdam; the World Champion; strong; hard-working; as fast as the hare.