A new challenge

Not long after the Tour, Kuiper’s new sponsor is announced to the public. Together with De Cauwer, he moves to Peugeot. After his collarbone fracture in the Tour, he first undergoes surgery at the hospital in Chambéry. Three weeks later, a new operation follows, this time by the Belgian specialist Johan Derweduwen, who has gained a lot of experience in motorsport with such injuries. Hennie is able to resume training and just two days later he competes in his first criterium in Kamerik, where he makes the first attack in the race! He wants to try to play a significant role for the rest of the season. But when the selection for the World Championships is announced, the world champion of 1975 is not included. ‘Post is behind that,’ Hennie knows. He still participates in the Grand Prix des Nations, the famous time trial at the end of the season. Despite mechanical problems, he finishes third behind Bernard Hinault and Francesco Moser. His form is good. Hennie can look forward to his French adventure with Peugeot with confidence.

‘Now it gets exciting,’ says José after the duo has ridden their last race for Raleigh. He refers to Post’s habit of thwarting ‘escapees’. When Roy Schuiten leaves in 1976, Raleigh riders stick to his wheel. The same story happens when Thurau goes to another team in 1977. Hennie and José realize that the Raleigh riders will also try to make life difficult for him. ‘But there is a difference,’ says Hennie. ‘Both Schuiten and Thurau left with a bang. I am not someone who leaves dramatically. But I was away from the team and then you are marked.’ Still, Hennie is not afraid of a possible revenge from Post. ‘When it really matters, when they come into terrain where I am strong, they are dropped.’ In practice, it works that way too. Nevertheless, in Hennie’s first year in a Peugeot jersey, Gerrie Knetemann does everything to prevent Hennie from winning. He adjusts every race to Hennie; constantly stays on his wheel. Apparently, there is still some old grudge from the past. Henk Lubberding remembers that very well. ‘In my Raleigh years - from 1977 - Kneet and Post formed a combo. They were two Amsterdam guys of the straightforward type. Kneet often talked about Kuiper and his golden little thing. Then an escape would form where Hennie was also present. But when that escape held until the finish line, Kuiper always ended up fourth out of five, or even fifth.’ Knetemann could then grumble tremendously. Lubberding: ‘“Why do you lead if you can’t win,”’ he said. This mainly happened in smaller stage races that Gerrie could win. And Post would then direct his displeasure towards Kuiper.

At TI-Raleigh, there is only one place that counts all those years: first place. Henk Lubberding: ‘There were classics that Kuiper could handle well too. But winning was a problem for Hennie. He also rode for a place of honor and that was often seen as selfish within the team. Knetemann was of course no less selfish, but he was more cunning than Hennie.’ Outwardly, Knetemann speaks negatively about Kuiper. Even when Hennie regains second place in the general classification in the last time trial in Saint-Étienne during the Tour de France in 1980, he has no kind words for Kuiper’s performances. He says to Jean Nelissen: ‘He rode behind Joop throughout the entire Tour de France. And I don’t really consider that an achievement actually. When he was still with us on the team, he was still an attacker. Now he only rode for that second place.’ The relationship between De Kneet and Kuiper only normalizes again after Gerrie’s fall in Dwars door België in 1983. Despite Gerrie’s belittling words, Hennie visits him in the hospital in Ghent. That’s typical of Hennie. He cannot hold grudges. It makes him beloved. The initial aversion Gerrie had towards Hennie turns into immense appreciation over the years. The Kuiper and Knetemann families even go on working holidays together to Guadeloupe.

The transition from TI-Raleigh to Peugeot is playfully celebrated by Bernard Thévenet and Hennie Kuiper in the French tourist village of La Norma on the seesaw

Hennie Kuiper signs a hastily put together contract with Peugeot in the French La Norma - where he owns a chalet. Due to air traffic controllers in Paris being on strike, team manager Maurice De Muer and representatives from Peugeot France fail to arrive in La Norma on time with the correct paperwork. Authorized representative Bert Kreber, director of Peugeot Netherlands, Bernard Thévenet, Hennie and Ine Kuiper, and Jan Janssen try not to laugh any less broadly at the assembled media representatives.

Racing for Peugeot, Hennie Kuiper is often away from home, mainly because the sponsor''s interests are primarily in France. When Kuiper does come home, it''s a big win for Ine and her washing machine. At the photographer''s request, the rainbow jersey is also hanging on the line, even though Hennie has not been a world champion for a long time and now rides for a different sponsor. By hanging the jersey backwards, at least the old sponsor''s name is no longer visible.