Three years too long?
In hindsight, we can determine that 1985 was the last glorious year for Hennie Kuiper. He triumphs that year in Milan-Sanremo, is the strongest rider in the Tour of Flanders, where he finishes third, and once again shows a glimpse of the old Kuiper on April 28 in the Grote Prijs Europabrücke in Innsbruck, which he - just like in 1982 - wins. After that, the decline seems to have definitively begun. In the following three seasons, we occasionally see glimpses of the great Kuiper of yesteryear. But nowhere does he achieve a major result. “Hennie has gone on for three years too long,” says his friend and advisor José De Cauwer.
But Hennie cannot stop. He still loves cycling too much.
It resembles somewhat the end of the career of one of the greatest speed skaters that the Netherlands has ever known: Ard Schenk. After his triumph in the Olympic year 1972 in Japan (three gold medals!) and the world championship of that year in Oslo (four distance victories), Schenk never reached the level of his great years again. Nevertheless, he continued to skate in major tournaments. “I have experienced the top, I also want to experience the decline,” he would always reply when asked why he continued his illustrious career with such modest results. He simply could not stop; he was not mentally ready for it yet. Something similar is happening with Hennie. When sponsor Verandalux runs into major financial problems after the successful 1985 season, Hennie is approached by Henny Libregts, brother of Piet and team manager at Frisol, where Kuiper became world champion in 1975. Libregts has two backers: Skala and Skil, who invest a lot of money in a cycling team. He believes that the old Kuiper is still capable of much. Hasn’t this fighter won Milan-Sanremo last year? Wasn’t he also near the front in other races? No, Kuiper must be capable of surprises. The old fox, with his always rosy cheeks, is still a rider to be reckoned with.
The reality is different. He wins some criteriums, maintains a decent position in the Giro d’Italia (22nd), but otherwise rides rather anonymously. He is forced to skip the Tour de France. Tour director Félix Lévitan does not select Kuiper’s team. Anyone who thinks that after the failed 1986 season Hennie will definitively retire his professional license does not know the ambitious Kuiper well. Hennie simply does not want to say goodbye. He loves his sport so much that he wants to continue. Now, for the third consecutive year, Kuiper is one of Roger Swerts’ assets: in 1985 under the Verandalux-Dries-Rossin banner, in 1986 he defends the colors of Skala-Skil and now it’s Roland-Skala on the jerseys.
In February 1987, Hennie will blow out no less than 38 candles on his birthday cake. Countless times over the past month he has had to answer the same question: “When will you stop?” He is starting to get a bit irritated by it. Stop? Are you crazy! Hennie still has days when he can keep up with the best. In an interview with Het Parool, he initially says: “I don’t expect anything this year anymore.” But later on: “I want to compete at a top level this year.”
He looks at his sport differently than in the past. “I experience it all more intensely. They ask me if I think about winding down. But that’s not possible in cycling at all. If you have signed a contract, you must want to perform at a top level. You can wind down with veterans or recreational cyclists.”
He is as passionate as when he stood soaked at the starting line of the wild Ronde van Wierden as a boy. “As long as I enjoy the sport, I want to put all my temperament into it; attack like in the old days and see where it takes me. That’s what makes cycling so beautiful.”
He tests himself in Omloop Het Volk, now known as Omloop Het Nieuwsblad. When they reach the foot of Wolvenberg, he goes all out like in the old days. He puts all his power into climbing. Behind him, riders are gasping for air and struggling. At the top, the “elderly” rider surveys the havoc he has caused. The peloton is shattered. American great Greg LeMond has been dropped easily. Hennie himself barely felt his pedals, but from the faces of the riders around him, he can tell that he has hurt them. It’s a shame that he only realizes now how good he still is; otherwise, he would have saved his strength for later. But hey: ‘den Kuiper’ is back. He showcases his class also in Paris-Roubaix where he just misses out on top ten (11th) and on May 1st when the German classic Rund um den Henninger Turm is on schedule. His fifth place tied with winner Dag Otto Lauritzen from Norway is a result worth noting. In the Giro d’Italia, he doesn’t stand out but uses it as preparation for the Tour de France. Meanwhile, sponsors have big plans for the team. They ask Hennie to come for internal discussions. The seasoned rider lays out his plans on the table. “Should Roger Swerts oversee all this?” is what sponsors ask. Hennie doesn’t want to criticize Swerts; instead, he praises his qualities but hints that there might be a better sports director available: José De Cauwer.
Swerts gets his revenge
Kuiper expects the discussion to stay behind closed doors. But reality proves otherwise. Eight days before the Tour starts in Berlin, he is informed that there is no place for him in the team. Roger Swerts has secretly been made aware of Kuiper’s plea for De Cauwer. Swerts gets his revenge. He leaves out his most experienced Tour rider from the team for the world’s biggest cycling event. Publicly, Swerts states that Kuiper has not been able to convince him in the past months. He claims Kuiper is no longer capable of riding the Tour at a competitive level.
However, Swerts is not entirely wrong. In the Giro, the former lieutenant of Eddy Merckx observed how much Hennie struggled to get over the mountains. Too often, he was the first to drop when the road went uphill. Swerts justifies not selecting Kuiper for the Tour as self-protection. Nevertheless, the seasoned rider is left out. Shock in the Kuiper household, incomprehension in the peloton and among the public. The world collapses for Hennie. Since the start of the season, he was determined to make something beautiful out of his twelfth Tour. And now he has to threaten legal action to force his way into the Tour. Upon further consideration, he decides against it. Hennie watches the Tour from the sidelines. Through columns, he shares his perspective on the race. And so, what initially seemed like a promising season in 1987 ends ingloriously for him.
Despite the fact that in 1986 the desire is still there, the big victories continue to elude Skala-Skil. Hennie Kuiper has to settle for a handful of wins in the criterium circuit.
Hennie Kuiper during the third Profronde van Friesland between Gert-Jan Theunisse on the left and teammate Adri van Houwelingen on the right. The wind remains calm, making the race not very selective. Hans Daams wins in Joure. Hennie Kuiper cycles neatly among the first seven.