Preface

Foreword by Eddy Merckx

When I think of Hennie Kuiper, three concepts come to mind: dedication, strength, and a thirst for victory. His dedication is admirable and unmatched, the strength he could squeeze out of that stocky body is impressive, and his thirst for victory is unparalleled. Of course, dedication, strength, and a thirst for victory are qualities every cyclist must possess to play a leading role. But Hennie Kuiper had more of these qualities than anyone else. He never hesitated to push himself to the limit. When other riders would stop, he had the will and strength to keep going, always. Kuiper never wavered.

When Hennie entered the professional peloton in 1973, he was unknown to me. Naturally, I knew that a certain Kuiper had become Olympic champion in 1972, but I had no idea what face went with that name. By the time Hennie joined the professionals, I had already won the Tour de France four times. To me, he was just one of the many new pros in the peloton that year.

He must have caught my attention, especially in the Giro d’Italia of 1974. When manager Firmin Verhelst asked him that year to join my team, he must have discussed it with me. That offer was certainly a result of his performances in that Giro d’Italia. A rider like Kuiper would have been a welcome addition. However, I understand why he wanted to go his own way. When you’re young and ambitious, you choose to follow your own path first, to see how far you can go on your own.

When Hennie started to rise, my performances were on a downward trend. I only really dealt with him once more: at the 1975 World Championship in Yvoir. I was the outgoing champion. But as so often, we Belgians did not ride as a team. I had fallen early in that championship and was struggling. I did some work for Roger De Vlaeminck, but not much more. When Kuiper attacked, De Vlaeminck should have gone after him. But Roger kept waiting and waiting. There was some chasing, but it was not a coordinated hunt. Hennie maintained a steady pace; he just kept going. And then you deserve to become world champion.

Hennie Kuiper has compiled an impressive list of achievements. He could do it all: climbing, time-trialing, soloing. The only thing he couldn’t do was sprint. Early in his career, he made a name for himself as a stage racer, but it didn’t surprise me that he later became an excellent classics rider. He had the qualities and the mindset for it. Kuiper was always focused on his profession. That made him the rider he ultimately became.

August 2017

Eddy Merckx