Peter Post
Encyclopedia
Peter Post was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 professional cyclist whose career lasted from 1956 to 1972. Post competed in road
Road bicycle racing
Road bicycle racing is a bicycle racing sport held on roads, using racing bicycles. The term "road racing" is usually applied to events where competing riders start simultaneously with the winner being the first to the line at the end of the course .Historically, the most...

 and track racing
Track cycling
Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially built banked tracks or velodromes using track bicycles....

. As a rider he is best remembered for Six-day racing
Six-day racing
A six or six-day is a track cycling race that lasts six days. Six-day races started in Britain, spread to many regions of the world, were brought to their modern style in the United States and are now mainly a European event. Initially, individuals competed alone, the winner being the individual...

, having competed in 155 races and won 65. Because of this success he was known as “De Keizer van de Zesdaagse” or “The Emperor of the Six Days”. In road racing his main achievements were winning the 1964 Paris–Roubaix and becoming national road race champion in 1963. He was on the podium three times at the La Flèche Wallonne
La Flèche Wallonne
La Flèche Wallonne is a major men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium.The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège...

 but never won. Post’s other nickname was “de Lange” or “Big Man” because he was tall for a cyclist. After retiring from racing he had success as a Directeur sportif
Directeur sportif
A directeur sportif is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event...

.
Peter Post died in Amsterdam on January 14, 2011.

Road career

Post turned professional in 1956 with the small Dutch team R.I.H. He rode for the first few years with Gerrit Schulte
Gerrit Schulte
Gerrit Schulte was a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. Schulte was successful in track pursuit, becoming national champion ten times, European champion twice and World champion once, in 1948, when he beat Fausto Coppi in the final...

, a track rider who also rode on the road and was an inspiration to him. Notable early career successes on the road came when he won the Ronde van Nederland
Ronde van Nederland
The Ronde van Nederland is a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948. It's an annual race since 1975. Because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005 the tour was replaced by the Eneco Tour of Benelux....

 in 1960 and the 1962 Deutschland Tour
Deutschland Tour
The Deutschland Tour was the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI ProTour and has been moved to August...

. In 1963 he became national road race champion
Dutch National Road Race Championship
The Dutch National Road Race Championships take place annually, on the weekend prior to the start of the Tour de France. First held in 1888, today it is organized by the Top Sports Group, commissioned by the KNWU.- Men:...

 as well as winning the Tour of Belgium
Tour of Belgium
The Tour of Belgium is a four-day bicycle race which is held annually in Belgium.It was held annually between 1908 and 1981, except during both world wars. Between 1982 and 1990 several of races were not organised and none at all during the decade 1991 to 2001...

.

In 1964 Post had his finest moment in road racing when he became the first Dutchman to win Paris–Roubaix. The race was run at top speed from the start and favourites Rik van Looy
Rik Van Looy
Henri van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals...

, Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor
Raymond Poulidor , is a former professional bicycle racer. He was known as the eternal second, because he finished the Tour de France in second place three times, and in third place five times, including his final Tour at the age of 40...

 and Rudi Altig
Rudi Altig
Rudi Altig is a former professional track and road racing cyclist who won the 1962 Vuelta a España and the world championship in 1966. He is now a television commentator.-Amateur career:...

 were caught out by the fast pace and missed the decisive break at Arras
Arras
Arras is the capital of the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. The historic centre of the Artois region, its local speech is characterized as a Picard dialect...

. Post’s team mate, Willy Bocklant, was in the break and sacrificed his chances by keeping the pace high for his leader. Five riders entered the velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...

 at Roubaix
Roubaix
Roubaix is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is located between the cities of Lille and Tourcoing.The Gare de Roubaix railway station offers connections to Lille, Tourcoing, Antwerp, Ostend and Paris.-Culture:...

 with Post winning the sprint by beating the world champion Benoni Beheyt
Benoni Beheyt
Benoni Beheyt is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer who raced from 1962 to 1968. Beheyt won 22 races and is most famous for winning the 1963 World Cycling Championships Road Race and stage win of the 1964 Tour de France.- Major achievements :1962 – Wiel's-Groene Leeuw* 1964:...

 in the finishing straight. The high pace ensured that Post was also awarded the Ruban Jaune
Ruban Jaune
The Ruban Jaune is a cycling trophy created in 1936 by Henri Desgrange, awarded to the rider recording the fastest average speed in a professional cycling race or stage longer than 200km. The trophy’s name is thought is to have come from comparison with the Blue Riband trophy awarded to the...

 for the highest speed in a classic, the 265 km run at 45.131 km/h. This 1964 record still stands as the fastest Paris–Roubaix although the route has been altered since then.

Post was delighted with his victory, but always the businessman, his delight was increased when he realised his appearance money at the winter six-day races would be increased. In 1965 Post made his only appearance in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

 but he abandoned before Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

. (He subsequently acknowledged that he had doped at the Tour de France.) His only other noteworthy result on the road came in 1967 when he finished runner-up to Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...

 in La Flèche Wallonne
La Flèche Wallonne
La Flèche Wallonne is a major men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium.The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week between the Amstel Gold Race and Liège–Bastogne–Liège...

 although he had wins in smaller races. Post was voted Dutch Sportsman of the year
Dutch Sportsman of the year
The Dutch Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year are chosen annually by Dutch athletes from a shortlist compiled by sports journalists. The elections are organized by the Dutch Olympic Committee.- Sporter of the Year :...

 in 1964 and Dutch cyclist of the year in 1963 and 1970.

Track career

Post rode his first six-day in 1956 and his first victory came in 1957 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, partnered by Harm Smits. Post had three partners with whom he had most success. In 1960 he teamed with Rik van Looy and won ten sixes. In 1963 he formed his most successful partnership with the Swiss Fritz Pfenninger
Fritz Pfenninger
Fritz Pfenninger was a Swiss cyclist. He was a specialist in six-day racing, winning a total of 33 events between 1956 and 1970, including 19 with Peter Post.- Six-day racing :...

 and they had 19 victories until 1967, when Post joined the Belgian Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu is a former Belgian cyclist, best known for his exploits on the tracks.In 1964 aged 19 he competed as the star attraction at the Manchester Wheelers' Club Race Meet at the Fallowfield track in Manchester.He won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.Sercu is the record...

, with whom he had 14 victories up to 1971 and his final and 65th six-day in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...

. Post's 65 six-day wins stood as a record for a few years, beating Rik van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.-Early life:...

's 40 wins when at the Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...

 six in 1968 when partnered by Gianni Motta
Gianni Motta
Gianni Motta is an Italian former bicycle racer who won the 1966 Giro d'Italia .Gianni Motta was born at Cassano d'Adda...

. However since then René Pijnen
René Pijnen
Marinus "René" Augustinus Josephus Pijnen is a Dutch former racing cyclist. He became Olympic champion in the 100k team time-trial in the 1968 Summer Olympics with Joop Zoetemelk, Fedor den Hertog and Jan Krekels.A professional from 1969 to 1987, Pijnen was a capable track cyclist winning the...

 (72 wins), Danny Clark (74 wins) and Patrick Sercu (88 wins) have all passed Post's total with Sercu as the new record holder.

Post won the Dutch individual pursuit
Individual pursuit
The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track.The event is held over 4 km for men and 3 km for women. The two riders start at the same time and set off to complete the race distance in the...

 championships six times between 1957 and 1963. He took 14 European track titles (mostly madison
Madison (cycling)
The madison is a team event in track cycling, named after the first Madison Square Garden in New York, and known as the "American race" in French and in Italian and Spanish as Americana.-History:...

 and derny
Derny
A Derny is a motorized bicycle for motor-paced cycling events such as during six-day and Keirin racing, or motor-paced road races. It is driven by a 98cc Zurcher two-stroke engine and by being pedalled through a fixed gear, typically of 70 teeth on the front chainring and 11 on the sprocket on the...

 races). In 1965 in Antwerp he set the derny-paced hour record of 63.783 km, beating Stan Ockers
Stan Ockers
Constant Ockers was a Belgian professional racing cyclist.He was runner-up in the Tour de France in 1950 and 1952, and the best sprinter in that race in 1955 and 1956. In 1955 he won the Classic "Ardennes double" by winning La Flèche Wallonne and the Liège–Bastogne–Liège in the same year...

' record which had stood for nine years.

After retirement

Post retired from riding in 1972 and became directeur sportif
Directeur sportif
A directeur sportif is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event...

 of the TI-Raleigh
TI-Raleigh
TI-Raleigh was a Dutch professional road bicycle racing team between 1974 and 1983. The team was created and led by Peter Post.The team was successful in classics and in stage races. Riders included Joop Zoetemelk, Jan Raas, Gerrie Knetemann, Hennie Kuiper, Dave Lloyd, Urs Freuler, Henk Lubberding,...

 team in 1974. He was a former rider who knew the inside of cycling but also a shrewd businessman who could negotiate with sponsors. Post had a reputation of being hard on riders but his success with TI-Raleigh was exceptional. Post had riders such as Hennie Kuiper
Hennie Kuiper
Hennie Kuiper is a Dutch former professional road racing cyclist. His career includes a gold medal in the Olympic road race at Munich in 1972, becoming world professional road race champion in 1975, as well as winning four of the five “Monument” classics...

, Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann was a Dutch road bicycle racer who won the 1978 World Championship....

, Jan Raas
Jan Raas
Jan Raas is a Dutch former professional cyclist whose 115 wins include the 1979 World Road Race Championship in Valkenburg, he also won the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1979 and 1983, Paris–Roubaix in 1982 and Milan – San Remo in 1977. He won ten stages in the Tour de France...

 and Joop Zoetemelk
Joop Zoetemelk
Hendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk is a retired professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands who has emigrated to France. He started the Tour de France 16 times and finished every time, a record. He won the race in 1980 and also came eighth, fifth, fourth and second...

 (all Dutch), one of the best squads in the world for a decade. Most impressive was the 1980 edition of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...

. The TI-Raleigh
TI-Raleigh
TI-Raleigh was a Dutch professional road bicycle racing team between 1974 and 1983. The team was created and led by Peter Post.The team was successful in classics and in stage races. Riders included Joop Zoetemelk, Jan Raas, Gerrie Knetemann, Hennie Kuiper, Dave Lloyd, Urs Freuler, Henk Lubberding,...

 team won 11 stages and Joop Zoetemelk
Joop Zoetemelk
Hendrik Gerardus Jozef "Joop" Zoetemelk is a retired professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands who has emigrated to France. He started the Tour de France 16 times and finished every time, a record. He won the race in 1980 and also came eighth, fifth, fourth and second...

 won overall.

In 1983 Raleigh pulled out of sponsorship and Post found a new backer in . The success continued, this time with mainly non-Dutch riders such as Phil Anderson
Phil Anderson
Philip Grant Anderson OAM is an Australian former professional racing cyclist who was the first non-European to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France.-Origins:...

, Eric Vanderaerden
Eric Vanderaerden
Eric Vanderaerden is a retired road cyclist from the town of Lummen, Belgium.He was a considerable talent, winning the prologue time trial of the Vuelta and the Tour de France in his professional debut year 1983. As for classics, he won the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1985 and Paris–Roubaix in 1987...

, Viatcheslav Ekimov
Viatcheslav Ekimov
Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov , nicknamed Eki, is a Russian former professional racing cyclist...

, Olaf Ludwig
Olaf Ludwig
Olaf Ludwig is a former German racing cyclist. His career began at the SG Dynamo Gera/ Sportvereinigung Dynamo. As an East German, he raced as an amateur until reunification of Germany allowed him to become professional with Panasonic team...

 and Maurizio Fondriest
Maurizio Fondriest
Maurizio Fondriest is a retired Italian professional road racing cyclist.-Career:Born in Cles, Trentino, Fondriest turned professional in 1987 with the Ecoflam team. He subsequently rode for Alfa-Lum in 1988, winning the World Cycling Championships along with stages in the Tour de Suisse and...

. After the withdrawal of Panasonic, Post led the Histor and then Novemail teams before leaving cycling in 1995. He is ranked as the second most successful director behind Guillaume Driessens. Post returned to cycling as an adviser to the Rabobank
Rabobank (cycling)
Rabobank is a professional bicycle racing team, sponsored by the Rabobank. The team consists of three sections: ProTeam , Continental , and Cyclo-cross...

 team in 2005. He died on January 14, 2011.

Six-day wins

Nr.YearVenuePartner
1 1957 Chicago Harm Smits
2 1959 Antwerp Gerrit Schulte
Gerrit Schulte
Gerrit Schulte was a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. Schulte was successful in track pursuit, becoming national champion ten times, European champion twice and World champion once, in 1948, when he beat Fausto Coppi in the final...

 and Klaus Bugdahl
3 1959 Brussels Gerrit Schulte
Gerrit Schulte
Gerrit Schulte was a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. Schulte was successful in track pursuit, becoming national champion ten times, European champion twice and World champion once, in 1948, when he beat Fausto Coppi in the final...

4 1959 Münster Lucien Gillen
5 1960 Antwerp Gerrit Schulte
Gerrit Schulte
Gerrit Schulte was a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. Schulte was successful in track pursuit, becoming national champion ten times, European champion twice and World champion once, in 1948, when he beat Fausto Coppi in the final...

6 1960 Berlin Rik van Looy
Rik Van Looy
Henri van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals...

7 1960 Ghent Rik van Looy
8 1961 Cologne Rik van Looy
9 1961 Antwerp Rik van Looy and Willy Vannitsen
Willy Vannitsen
Willy Vannitsen was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. In 1962, Vannitsen won two stages in the 1962 Tour de France.- Palmarès :19511954...

10 1961 Brussels Rik van Looy
11 1961 Ghent Rik van Looy
12 1962-1 Berlin Rik van Looy
13 1962 Antwerp Rik van Looy
14 1962 Dortmund Rik van Looy
15 1963 Cologne Fritz Pfenninger
Fritz Pfenninger
Fritz Pfenninger was a Swiss cyclist. He was a specialist in six-day racing, winning a total of 33 events between 1956 and 1970, including 19 with Peter Post.- Six-day racing :...

16 1963 Milan Ferdinando Terruzzi
17 1963 Brussels Fritz Pfenninger
18 1963 Zürich Fritz Pfenninger
19 1964 Cologne Hans Junkermann
Hans Junkermann
Hennes "Hans" Junkermann is a retired German professional racing cyclist who won 35 road races in 18 seasons from 1956 to 1973....

20 1964 Antwerp Fritz Pfenninger and Noël Foré
Noël Foré
Noël Foré was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. His greatest victories were Paris–Roubaix in 1959 and the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1963.- Palmarès :19571958195919621963- External links :...

21 1964-2 Berlin Fritz Pfenninger
22 1964 Brussels Fritz Pfenninger
23 1964 Zürich Fritz Pfenninger
24 1965-1 Berlin Fritz Pfenninger
25 1965 Essen Rik van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen
Rik Van Steenbergen was a Belgian racing cyclist, considered to be one of the best among the great number of successful Belgian cyclists.-Early life:...

26 1965 Antwerp Klaus Bugdahl and Jan Janssen
Jan Janssen
Johannes Adrianus Janssen, known as Jan Janssen is a Dutch former professional cyclist . He was world champion and winner of the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. He was the first Dutch rider to win the Tour de France.Janssen was born at Nootdorp, a small town near Rotterdam and Delft...

27 1965 Dortmund Fritz Pfenninger
28 1965 Brussels Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson
Tom Simpson was the most successful English road racing cyclist of the post-war years. He infamously died of exhaustion on the slopes of Mont Ventoux during the 13th stage of the Tour de France in 1967...

29 1965 Zürich Fritz Pfenninger
30 1966 Essen Fritz Pfenninger
31 1966 Milan Gianni Motta
Gianni Motta
Gianni Motta is an Italian former bicycle racer who won the 1966 Giro d'Italia .Gianni Motta was born at Cassano d'Adda...

32 1966 Antwerp Fritz Pfenninger and Jan Janssen
33 1966 Ghent Fritz Pfenninger
34 1966 Amsterdam Fritz Pfenninger
35 1967 Bremen Fritz Pfenninger
36 1967 Essen Fritz Pfenninger
37 1967 Antwerp Fritz Pfenninger and Jan Janssen
38 1967 Milan Gianni Motta
39 1967-2 Berlin Klaus Bugdahl
40 1967 Frankfurt Fritz Pfenninger
41 1968 Milan Gianni Motta
42 1968 Rotterdam Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu is a former Belgian cyclist, best known for his exploits on the tracks.In 1964 aged 19 he competed as the star attraction at the Manchester Wheelers' Club Race Meet at the Fallowfield track in Manchester.He won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.Sercu is the record...

43 1968 London Patrick Sercu
44 1968-2 Berlin Wolfgang Schulze
45 1968 Ghent Leo Duyndam
Leo Duyndam
Leo Duyndam was a Dutch professional road bicycle racer.- Palmarès :19671968Leo Duyndam was a Dutch professional road bicycle racer....

46 1969 Bremen Patrick Sercu
47 1969 Antwerp Patrick Sercu and Rik van Looy
48 1969 Rotterdam Romain Deloof
49 1969 London Patrick Sercu
50 1969 Dortmund Patrick Sercu
51 1969 Frankfurt Patrick Sercu
52 1969 Amsterdam Romain Deloof
53 1970 Cologne Patrick Sercu
54 1970 Bremen Patrick Sercu
55 1970 Antwerp René Pijnen
René Pijnen
Marinus "René" Augustinus Josephus Pijnen is a Dutch former racing cyclist. He became Olympic champion in the 100k team time-trial in the 1968 Summer Olympics with Joop Zoetemelk, Fedor den Hertog and Jan Krekels.A professional from 1969 to 1987, Pijnen was a capable track cyclist winning the...

 and Klaus Bugdahl
56 1970 Groningen Jan Janssen
57 1970 London Patrick Sercu
58 1970 Brussels Jack Mourioux
59 1970 Zürich Fritz Pfenninger and Erich Spahn
60 1971 Rotterdam Patrick Sercu
61 1971-1 Grenoble Alain van Lancker
62 1971 Antwerp René Pijnen and Leo Duyndam
63 1971 London Patrick Sercu
64 1971 Berlin Patrick Sercu
65 1971 Frankfurt Patrick Sercu


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