Gerardus Joseph (Joop) Zoetemelk is a Dutch cyclist.

Zoetemelk was born on December 3, 1946 in Rijpwetering, the Netherlands. After winning a gold medal at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, Zoetemelk turned professional. His career was threatened in 1974 because of a fractured skull suffered in a bicycle crash.

In his 18 year professional career (1969-87), he won many races including the 1980 Tour de France and the Vuelta de Espana in 1979. A testament to the competition at the time, most notably Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, Zoetemelk came in second in the Tour de France six times. Additionally, he set a record by completing the course sixteen times, a mark that still stands.

External link

Complete Palmarès (http://biciclopedia.com/palmares/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=88&Itemid=30)

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