Jan Janssen facts for kids
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Janssen at the 1967 Tour de France
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Johannes Adrianus Janssen | ||
| Born | 19 May 1940 Nootdorp, South Holland, Netherlands |
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| Height | 1.74 m (5 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 76 kg (168 lb; 12 st 0 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Johannes Adrianus "Jan" Janssen (born on May 19, 1940) is a famous Dutch former professional cyclist. He became a world champion and won both the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España. He was the first Dutch rider ever to win either of these major races.
Jan Janssen competed in the Tour de France eight times. He finished every race except his very first one. He won seven individual stages and wore the famous yellow jersey, which shows the race leader, for two days during his career. People could easily spot him in the race because of his blond hair and his glasses.
Contents
Early Life and Cycling Start
Jan Janssen was born in Nootdorp, a small town in the Netherlands, on May 19, 1940. This was just five days after the Netherlands gave up to the Nazis during World War II. Later, his family moved to Putte, a village right on the border with Belgium.
When he was young, Jan worked with his parents. Their family business built foundations for buildings, which meant a lot of hard digging in the ground. At 16, he joined a cycling club in Delft. As a new rider, he quickly showed his talent by winning 25 races in just two years!
Jan Janssen's Cycling Career
Jan Janssen became a professional cyclist after a successful time as an amateur. As an amateur, he won several Dutch classic races. He also rode for the Netherlands in the Tour de l'Avenir, a race for young and developing riders.
He often rode for French cycling teams. One of his most well-known teams was Pelforth-BP, which was sponsored by a brewing company and an oil company. Jan's natural talent, his leadership skills, and his ability to speak French quickly made him the team leader.
At first, Jan was known as a fast sprinter. But he soon became a strong rider who could compete well in longer, multi-day races. He even competed in the individual road race at the 1960 Summer Olympics.
Winning the Tour de France
Jan Janssen rode his first Tour de France in 1963. He won a stage that year, but a crash made him leave the race early. In 1964, he won the Paris–Nice race. He also won two stages and the green jersey (for the points leader) in the Tour de France that year. Later in 1964, he became the world champion in Sallanches, France.
He wore the green jersey again in the 1965 Tour de France. In 1966, he came very close to winning the entire Tour. But his biggest victory came in 1968 when he became the first Dutch rider to win the Tour de France! He beat Belgian rider Herman Van Springel by only 38 seconds. This was the smallest winning difference until 1989.
In 1968, Jan Janssen did not wear the yellow jersey as the overall leader until the very end of the race. He finally took the lead in Paris after the last stage, which was an individual time-trial.
The Tour de France in 1968 used national teams instead of regular trade teams. This meant riders who were usually rivals had to work together. This caused some problems, and the Dutch team had its own challenges. Despite these issues, Jan Janssen won the Tour while wearing the orange jersey of the Netherlands. This made his victory even more special and popular back home.
Life After Racing
Jan Janssen decided to stop racing after a race in Luxembourg. He felt embarrassed when he heard his name listed among the riders who were far behind.
He realized, "I knew then that I was Jan Janssen, winner of the Tour de France and the championship of the world, and that it was time for me to stop."
After retiring, he started a business that builds bicycle frames. His company is in the village of Putte, which is split by the border with Belgium. His company still uses his name today. Another world champion cyclist, Hennie Kuiper, was one of his neighbors there. Jan Janssen continued to ride his bike for fun and still makes appearances with other Dutch cyclists from his time. He enjoys being recognized by people when he is out riding.
Jan Janssen's Personality
Charles Ruys, a Dutch race organizer, described Jan Janssen as a serious, honest, and direct person. He said that if anyone tried to cause trouble for Jan, whether in a race or about money, they would find him a very tough opponent. Like many successful cyclists, Jan understood the value of money.
In a 2007 interview, Jan shared a story about the British rider Tom Simpson. He said that sometimes Tom could be annoying during races, attacking when others wanted to ride calmly. But Jan also remembered a time when Tom walked into a restaurant dressed like a gentleman, with a cane and a bowler hat. Everyone laughed, and any frustration from the race was forgotten. This shows that Jan had respect for his fellow riders, even when they were rivals.
Thoughts on Modern Cycling
Jan Janssen spent most of his career with a French sponsor. He said that back then, riders had to be good all the time, from February to October. This was because it was their job to get publicity for their sponsors. If they had a bad day, they felt like they were letting their sponsors down.
He believes that sports sponsorship has changed a lot since his time. Now, companies can buy a good team with good management and public relations to get their name known. He also thinks that the reasons why professional cyclists ride have changed. He mentioned riders who would stop racing after the Tour de France because they did not want to bother with smaller races. Jan felt this was not as exciting for the public.
Career Highlights
Jan Janssen had many impressive wins during his career. Here are some of his major achievements:
- 1960
- Won the Ronde van Midden-Nederland
- Won the Ronde van Overijssel
- 1962
- Won the Züri-Metzgete
- Won Stage 4 of Olympia's Tour
- Won Stages 1, 4 & 7 of Tour de l'Avenir
- 1963
- Won Stages 2b (Team Time Trial) & 7 of the Tour de France
- Won Stages 3 & 5 of the Grand Prix du Midi Libre
- Finished 2nd in La Flèche Wallonne
- Finished 3rd in Paris–Roubaix
- 1964
- Became
World Champion in the Road Race - Won the
Overall Paris–Nice (and the Points classification) - Won the
Points classification in the Tour de France - Won Stages 7 & 10a of the Tour de France
- Finished 2nd in La Flèche Wallonne
- Became
- 1965
- Won the
Overall Ronde van Nederland - Won the Points classification in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- Won the Points classification in the Tour de France
- Won the
- 1966
- Won the Brabantse Pijl
- Won the Bordeaux–Paris race
- Finished 2nd Overall in the Tour de France
- Finished 2nd in Paris–Roubaix
- 1967
- Won the Overall Vuelta a España (and the Points classification)
- Won the Overall Paris–Luxembourg
- Won Paris–Roubaix
- Won Genoa–Nice
- Finished 2nd in the
World Championships Road Race - Won the Points classification in the Tour de France
- Won the
- 1968
- Won the Overall Tour de France
- Won Stages 14 & 22b (Individual Time Trial) of the Tour de France
- Won the Points classification in the Vuelta a España
- Finished 3rd in the Tour of Flanders
- Finished 3rd in La Flèche Wallonne
- Won the
- 1969
- Won the Overall Vuelta a Mallorca
- Won the Grand Prix d'Isbergues
- Won the Points classification in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- Won the
- 1970
- Won Stage 3a of the Tour of the Basque Country
- Won Stage 2 of the Grand Prix du Midi Libre
- 1972
- Won Stage 2 of the Tour de Luxembourg
Images for kids
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Janssen at the 1967 Tour de France
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Janssen with his wife and daughter Karin during his retirement ceremony on September 23, 1972
See also
In Spanish: Jan Janssen para niños
