Jo de Roo
Encyclopedia
Johan De Roo is a Dutch
former professional road racing cyclist between 1958 and 1968. During 11 seasons as a professional he had six victories in single-day classics, three stages of the Tour de France
and one stage of the Vuelta a España
. He had 46 wins as a professional. He was the most successful rider from Zeeland until the emergence of Jan Raas
.
as leader. He rode for five years with Anquetil at Helyett and then at St-Raphaël.
In 1960 he rode his first Tour de France, abandoning after stage 14 and saying the Tour was not for him. 1962 was De Roo’s best year as a professional. He won the Gerrit Schulte Trophy as Dutch cyclist of the year after winning Paris–Tours, the Giro di Lombardia and Bordeaux–Paris. De Roo’s Autumn Double of Paris–Tours and the Giro di Lombardia in the same year is a rare achievement as the races are different in style and topography. In winning the 1962 Paris–Tours, De Roo was awarded the Ruban Jaune
for setting a record speed for a professional race of 44.903kmh over 267 km. In 1962 De Roo also won the Super Prestige Pernod International
, a season-long competition to find the best rider in the classics and top stage races.
De Roo did not go to the 1962 world championship after a disagreement over expenses with the Dutch cycling federation.
De Roo repeated the Autumn Double in 1963. In 1964 he was Dutch road race champion and then returned to the Tour de France after a three-year hiatus to win the stage between Montpellier
and Perpignan
. In 1965 De Roo left Anquetil’s team and signed a two-year contract with the Dutch Televizier squad, which included Gerben Karstens
. 1965 saw victory in the Ronde van Vlaanderen when he escaped with Ward Sels on the Valkenberg and then won the sprint. Another stage win came at that year's Tour de France, into Bordeaux
. 1966 saw victory at the Omloop "Het Volk"; he won another stage in the Tour de France on his birthday (between Montpellier and Aubenas
) and a stage in the Vuelta a España between Madrid
and Calatayud
.
De Roo spent the last two years of his career (1967 and 1968) with Willem II-Gazelle, riding in the company of Rik van Looy
and Peter Post
in the last days of their careers. He rode the 1967 Tour de France as part of the Dutch national team and finished 76th. Jo de Roo retired at the end of 1968 at 31. His last victory was on the 25 June 1968 in Zomergem
.
1959
1960
1961
1962
1963
1964
1965
1966
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
former professional road racing cyclist between 1958 and 1968. During 11 seasons as a professional he had six victories in single-day classics, three stages of the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
and one stage of the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
. He had 46 wins as a professional. He was the most successful rider from Zeeland until the emergence of Jan Raas
Jan Raas
Jan Raas is a Dutch former professional cyclist whose 115 wins include the 1979 World Road Race Championship in Valkenburg, he also won the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1979 and 1983, Paris–Roubaix in 1982 and Milan – San Remo in 1977. He won ten stages in the Tour de France...
.
Career details
De Roo caught the eye in 1957 as a 20-year-old amateur when he took two stages in the Olympia’s Tour as well as winning the Omloop van de Kempen. The following year he turned professional with the Dutch Magneet-Vredestein team, with which he stayed for two season. In 1960 he moved to the Helyett, which had Jacques AnquetilJacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
as leader. He rode for five years with Anquetil at Helyett and then at St-Raphaël.
In 1960 he rode his first Tour de France, abandoning after stage 14 and saying the Tour was not for him. 1962 was De Roo’s best year as a professional. He won the Gerrit Schulte Trophy as Dutch cyclist of the year after winning Paris–Tours, the Giro di Lombardia and Bordeaux–Paris. De Roo’s Autumn Double of Paris–Tours and the Giro di Lombardia in the same year is a rare achievement as the races are different in style and topography. In winning the 1962 Paris–Tours, De Roo was awarded the Ruban Jaune
Ruban Jaune
The Ruban Jaune is a cycling trophy created in 1936 by Henri Desgrange, awarded to the rider recording the fastest average speed in a professional cycling race or stage longer than 200km. The trophy’s name is thought is to have come from comparison with the Blue Riband trophy awarded to the...
for setting a record speed for a professional race of 44.903kmh over 267 km. In 1962 De Roo also won the Super Prestige Pernod International
Super Prestige Pernod International
The Super Prestige Pernod International was a season-long competition in road bicycle racing between 1958 and 1988.Disagreements between the organisers of the similar Challenge Desgrange-Colombo led to its demise and a gap in season-long competitions. In 1958, the publicity division of Pernod...
, a season-long competition to find the best rider in the classics and top stage races.
De Roo did not go to the 1962 world championship after a disagreement over expenses with the Dutch cycling federation.
De Roo repeated the Autumn Double in 1963. In 1964 he was Dutch road race champion and then returned to the Tour de France after a three-year hiatus to win the stage between Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
and Perpignan
Perpignan
-Sport:Perpignan is a rugby stronghold: their rugby union side, USA Perpignan, is a regular competitor in the Heineken Cup and seven times champion of the Top 14 , while their rugby league side plays in the engage Super League under the name Catalans Dragons.-Culture:Since 2004, every year in the...
. In 1965 De Roo left Anquetil’s team and signed a two-year contract with the Dutch Televizier squad, which included Gerben Karstens
Gerben Karstens
Gerben Karstens is a former professional racing cyclist from the Netherlands, who won the gold medal in the 100 km team trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, alongside Bart Zoet, Evert Dolman, and Jan Pieterse...
. 1965 saw victory in the Ronde van Vlaanderen when he escaped with Ward Sels on the Valkenberg and then won the sprint. Another stage win came at that year's Tour de France, into Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...
. 1966 saw victory at the Omloop "Het Volk"; he won another stage in the Tour de France on his birthday (between Montpellier and Aubenas
Aubenas
Aubenas is a commune in the southern part of the Ardèche department in the Rhône Valley in southern France.It is the seat of several government offices...
) and a stage in the Vuelta a España between Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and Calatayud
Calatayud
Calatayud is a city and municipality in the province of Zaragoza in Aragón, Spain lying on the river Jalón, in the midst of the Sistema Ibérico mountain range. It is the second-largest city in the province after the capital, Zaragoza, and the largest town in Aragón other than the three provincial...
.
De Roo spent the last two years of his career (1967 and 1968) with Willem II-Gazelle, riding in the company of Rik van Looy
Rik Van Looy
Henri van Looy is a Belgian former professional cyclist of the post-war period, nicknamed the King of the Classics or Emperor of Herentals...
and Peter Post
Peter Post
Peter Post was a Dutch professional cyclist whose career lasted from 1956 to 1972. Post competed in road and track racing. As a rider he is best remembered for Six-day racing, having competed in 155 races and won 65. Because of this success he was known as “De Keizer van de Zesdaagse” or “The...
in the last days of their careers. He rode the 1967 Tour de France as part of the Dutch national team and finished 76th. Jo de Roo retired at the end of 1968 at 31. His last victory was on the 25 June 1968 in Zomergem
Zomergem
Zomergem is a municipality located in the Flanders and in the province of East Flanders, in Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Oostwinkel, Ronsele and Zomergem proper. On January 1, 2006 Zomergem had a total population of 8,011. The total area is 38.78 km² which gives a population...
.
Major results
1957- Omloop van de Kempen
1959
- Six days of Antwerp (with Jean Palmans)
1960
- Giro di Sardegna
1961
- GP Monaco
1962
- Paris–Tours
- Bordeaux–Paris
- Giro di Lombardia
1963
- Paris–Tours
- Giro di Lombardia
1964
Dutch National Road Race ChampionshipDutch National Road Race ChampionshipThe Dutch National Road Race Championships take place annually, on the weekend prior to the start of the Tour de France. First held in 1888, today it is organized by the Top Sports Group, commissioned by the KNWU.- Men:...- Tour de France1964 Tour de FranceThe 1964 Tour de France was the 51st Tour de France, taking place June 22 to July 14, 1964. The total race distance was 22 stages over 4504 km, with riders averaging 35.419 km/h. Stages 3, 10 and 22 were all two part stages with one the first half being a regular stage and the second half...
:- Winner stage 12
1965
- Ronde van Vlaanderen
- Dutch National Road Race ChampionshipDutch National Road Race ChampionshipThe Dutch National Road Race Championships take place annually, on the weekend prior to the start of the Tour de France. First held in 1888, today it is organized by the Top Sports Group, commissioned by the KNWU.- Men:...
- Tour de France1965 Tour de FranceThe 1965 Tour de France was memorable for a number of reasons. In his first year as a professional, Felice Gimondi, a substitute replacement on the Salvarani team, captures the overall title ahead of Raymond Poulidor, last year's second place finisher...
:- Winner stage 8
1966
- Dr. Tistaert Prijs
- Omloop Het Volk
- Tour de France1966 Tour de FranceThe 1966 Tour de France was the 53rd Tour de France, taking place June 21 to July 14, 1966. It consisted of 22 stages over 4303 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.760 km/h....
:- Winner stage 14A
- Vuelta a España1966 Vuelta a EspañaThe 21st Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 28 to May 15, 1966. It consisted of 18 stages covering a total of 2,949.5 km, and was won by Francisco Gabica of the Kas-Kaskol cycling team...
:- Winner stage 6