At the Paris podium of the 1980 Tour de France, Hennie Kuiper receives warm congratulations from Prime Minister Dries van Agt for his second place in the final standings behind Joop Zoetemelk

Foreword

There is a resemblance between Hennie Kuiper and Piet Hein. The latter is still celebrated after centuries in the song “His name is small but his deeds are great, he won the silver fleet.” Small is also the man about whom this book is written, and great are his deeds, but they have not been sufficiently celebrated until now. This beautiful book sounds the trumpet.

Hennie has always been a quiet boy. He does not have the chat of Gerrie Knetemann, never asserted himself like Jan Raas, and never opened his mouth like Gerben Karstens. In the Raleigh team, he remained the mostly silent philosopher, reasonable and modest. Even now, many years later, he shows that trait. Even about Peter Post, his team leader who withheld the recognition – and the money – he deserved, he judges mildly and with self-criticism. He has won almost everything, but it could have been even more because, he says, he underestimated himself.

Hennie’s list of achievements is phenomenal: Olympic gold, world champion, twice just shy of winning the Tour de France but a series of glorious victories in Belgian and Italian classics, and again here, many near-victories. Too many to list in the introduction to this book.

In 1976, Hennie lost the Vuelta on the last day due to a fall. Shortly afterward, he redeemed himself by winning the Tour de Suisse. A year later, he won the stage to the top of l’Alpe d’Huez and then came just a few seconds short of winning the Tour.

Then came the disastrous year of 1978. That year, Hennie was again declared the winner on l’Alpe d’Huez (after it was revealed that the Belgian Pollentier had committed doping fraud). After the following rest day, the queen stage was held: eight Alpine cols! I followed that stage, together with race director Felix Lévitan in his car. The Tour boss told me he was convinced that Kuiper (Kwiepèr) would “today” conquer the yellow jersey and thus win the Tour. Then disaster struck. In the descent of the Col de Granier, the front wheel of the presumptive winner ended up in a concrete groove next to the road. Crash, ambulance, hospital in Chambéry. My son Frans and I visited him there the same day. He was in bad shape, but he stayed strong.

In 1980, Hennie (riding for a French team at the time) finished second in Paris at the end of the Tour. Right behind Joop Zoetemelk, but Joop, of course, received all the attention.

Cycling has become extremely popular in our country, and that is excellent. The rapid spread of this sport throughout the population has changed our society for the better: the class society that still existed in my youth hardly exists anymore. Our top cyclists have become heroes to everyone. Naturally, those who perform best deserve the most honor. For a long time, Jan Janssen and Joop Zoetemelk have stood on the highest podium. Tom Dumoulin may join them since his victory in this year’s Giro. And our modest friend Hennie Kuiper? This book unequivocally shows that he also belongs to our top stars.

August 2017

Dries van Agt