Roy Schuiten facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Roy Schuiten

Roy Schuiten in 1974
Personal information
Born	(1950-12-16)16 December 1950 Zandvoort, Netherlands
Died	19 September 2006(2006-09-19) (aged 55) Praia do Carvoeiro, Portugal
Height	1.84 m
Weight	83 kg
Team information
Discipline	Road and track
Rider type	Time-trialist, pursuit
Major wins
World Individual Pursuit Champion (1974, 1975) Grand Prix des Nations (1974, 1975) Rund um den Henninger Turm (1975)

Roy Schuiten (born December 16, 1950 – died September 19, 2006) was a famous Dutch track and road racing cyclist. After he stopped racing, he became a team manager. Later, he opened his own restaurant.

Early Life and Amateur Cycling Career

Roy Schuiten was a tall and skilled rider. He was very good at cycling even before he became a professional. In 1972, he won the national championship for pursuit cycling. This is a race where two cyclists start on opposite sides of the track and try to catch each other.

He also set a new amateur record for the 4,000-meter indoor track race. Roy won many team time-trials, where a team of cyclists races against the clock. He competed in the 1972 Summer Olympics, finishing fifth in both the individual pursuit and team pursuit events.

In 1973, Roy took a break from cycling. His father passed away, and Roy helped his mother with their family business. The next year, his younger brother, Fred, took over the business. On July 17, 1974, Roy Schuiten became a professional cyclist. He joined the TI–Raleigh team, which was managed by Peter Post.

Track Cycling Achievements

Roy quickly made a name for himself with the Raleigh team. In September 1974, he won the world pursuit championship. He beat Ferdinand Bracke from Belgium in the final race. Roy won this championship again in 1975, this time against Knut Knudsen from Norway.

He also won silver medals in the world championships in 1976 and 1978. Roy was the national champion in track cycling six times in his career.

In 1975, his manager, Peter Post, encouraged Roy to try and break the world hour record. This record is for how far a cyclist can ride in one hour. The current record was held by the famous cyclist Eddy Merckx. Roy used a very light bicycle, weighing only 5.7 kilograms (about 12.5 pounds). He tried twice in Mexico City, but the thin air there made it very difficult. Roy was not able to break the record. After these attempts, Roy focused more on road cycling.

Key Track Wins

• World championship: Individual pursuit, 1st place (1974, 1975)
• World championship: Individual pursuit, 2nd place (1976, 1978)
• World championship: Team pursuit (amateurs), 3rd place (1973)
• European championship: Team pursuit, 3rd place (1974)
• Sixdays of Berlin (Germany), 1st place (1974) (with René Pijnen)
• National championship: Individual pursuit (amateurs), 1st place (1972, 1973)
• National championship: Individual pursuit, 1st place (1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1980)
• National championship: 50 km, 1st place (1975)
• National championship: Motor-paced, 1st place (1978)
• National championship: Track, Scratch, 1st place (1975)
• National championship: Track, Omnium (amateurs) (1975)
• National championship: Track, Omnium (1975)

Road Cycling Success

Roy Schuiten (left) and Gerben Karstens in Rotterdam in 1978

Roy Schuiten competed in some of the biggest road cycling races. He rode in the Tour de France twice, which is one of the most famous bicycle races in the world. He finished second and third in time trials during these Tours. He also rode in the Giro d'Italia five times.

In 1975, he won the Rund um den Henninger-Turm race in Germany. He also won the Grand Prix des Nations in both 1974 and 1975. This race is a time trial, where cyclists race alone against the clock. Roy was especially good at these types of races.

He also won the Trofeo Baracchi twice (in 1974 with Francesco Moser and in 1978 with Knut Knudsen). Other important wins include the GP Kanton Aargau Gippingen in 1976 and the GP Forli in 1979. After leaving the Raleigh team in 1976, Roy changed teams often. He performed well in shorter stage races, but his best results were always in time trials.

Key Road Wins

• 1974: 1st in 9th and 10th stages of Milk Race (Great Britain)
• 1974: 1st in Overall Classification of Milk Race (Great Britain)
• 1974: 1st in Prologue of Milk Race (Great Britain)
• 1974: 1st in Overall Classification of Olympia's Tour (Netherlands)
• 1974: 1st in 7th stage (part b) of Olympia's Tour (Netherlands)
• 1974: 1st in 2nd stage (part a and b) of Étoile des Espoirs (France)
• 1974: 1st in Overall Classification of Étoile des Espoirs (France)
• 1974: 1st in GP des Nations (France)
• 1974: 1st in Trofeo Baracchi (Italy)
• 1975: 1st in Made (Netherlands)
• 1975: 1st in 2nd stage (part b) of Tour d'Indre-et-Loire (France)
• 1975: 1st in Overall Classification of Tour d'Indre-et-Loire (France)
• 1975: 1st in Rund um den Henninger Turm (Germany)
• 1975: 1st in Zele (Belgium)
• 1975: 1st in Köln (Germany)
• 1975: 1st in Maldegem (Belgium)
• 1975: 1st in GP des Nations (France)
• 1975: 1st in 4th stage of Étoile des Espoirs (France)
• 1975: 1st in GP Lugano, Chrono (Switzerland)
• 1976: 1st in GP Aix-en-Provence (France)
• 1976: 1st in GP Kanton Aargau Gippingen (Switzerland)
• 1976: 1st in 1st and 2nd stages (part b) of Tour Méditerranéen (France)
• 1976: 1st in Overall Classification of Tour Méditerranéen (France)
• 1976: 1st in Poiré-sur-Vie (France)
• 1976: 1st in 6th stage (part b) of Criterium du Dauphiné Libéré (France)
• 1976: 1st in Bussières (France)
• 1977: 1st in 5th stage (part a) of Paris – Nice (France)
• 1977: 1st in 5th stage (part b) of Quatre jours de Dunkerque (France)
• 1978: 1st in 3rd stage of Ruota d'Oro (Italy)
• 1978: 1st in Levanger (Norway)
• 1978: 1st in Trofeo Baracchi (Italy)
• 1979: 1st in Essen (Belgium)
• 1979: 1st in Ulvenhout (Netherlands)
• 1979: 1st in GP Forli (Italy)
• 1981: 1st in 5th stage of Tirreno – Adriatico (Italy)
• 1981: 1st in Acht van Chaam (Netherlands)
• 1982: 1st in Overall Classification of Costa del Azahar (Spain)
• 1982: 1st in Prologue of Costa del Azahar (Spain)

Retirement and Later Life

Roy Schuiten retired from professional cycling in 1982. In 1986, he became a team manager for PDM–Concorde for one year. After that, he moved to Portugal and opened his own restaurant. Roy Schuiten passed away on September 19, 2006, in Praia de Carvoeiro, Portugal. He was 55 years old.

See also

In Spanish: Roy Schuiten para niños

• List of Dutch Olympic cyclists