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Monday, November 4, 2024 at 10:25 AM
Interview ‘The final chord of Raleigh’ has no fewer than 720 pages. A painstaking work about the most successful Dutch cycling team in history. Peter Post’s team who, in the spirit of Ajax, introduced the so-called ‘total cycling’ into the peloton. The authors Joop Holthausen and Jacob Bergsma made a complete makeover of the book ‘The Secret of Raleigh’, published almost twenty years ago. This version exceeds all expectations and is the most complete document ever created about the Raleigh crew.
Today the book ‘The final agreement of Raleigh’ will be presented in Den Bosch and we will reflect on one of the most special teams the cycling peloton has ever known. Author and former Parool journalist Joop Holthausen is now approaching eighty years old, but as soon as he starts talking about the Raleigh team, the enthusiasm about this era in cycling from 1974 to 1983 can be heard in his voice.
“For me, the Raleigh years are the highlight of my years in sports journalism. The most enjoyable time. Raleigh’s course was a sight to behold. They rode from one victory after another. I remember that the team only managed to win four stages in the Tour de France in one year. It was written in the newspapers at the time that this was very poor. We were so spoiled in terms of successes back then.”
Was it a team where you could work well as a journalist?
“The riders were very approachable. In any case, it was very different from the last decades. There were no team buses yet and we were welcome everywhere. Henk Lubberding called us newspaper journalists the men from the edge of the bed. There were no press people where you had to request an interview. After a ride, we simply drove to the hotel and could knock on the room door. It was never a problem getting in. I remember knocking on Hennie Kuiper and José de Cauwer’s door. Then I asked Hennie a question and José told me one wonderful story after another.”
Peter Post and Joop Holthausen 19 years ago at the presentation ‘The Secret of Raleigh’ – photo Cor Vos
“After Raleigh, I left sports journalism for years to do reporting work. In 1997 I returned to the peloton. It seemed like I ended up in a completely different world. It was no longer easy to get to the riders. The television and radio always had priority over the newsboys, so only by the grace of God did we get to speak to a rider.”
“Personally, I think Lance Armstrong has dealt a death blow to cycling journalists. He was assisted by bodyguards who literally snapped at you whenever you came anywhere near Lance. It became very difficult to work, because contact with the riders was minimized.”
What prompted you to write “The Secret of Raleigh” almost twenty years ago?
“I had just retired from Het Parool and didn’t want to get bored. Publisher Matty Verkamman indicated that he was open to a book if I had a good subject. The idea of making a book about Raleigh was immediately embraced. I then approached the riders and staff from those years and it felt like stepping into a warm bath. Everyone was enthusiastic and had a great time talking about that time. The book already had 304 pages at the time and was awarded the Nico Scheepmaker Cup as the best sports book of the year.”
What else has the book ‘The Secret of Raleigh’ achieved?
“Of course it is a wonderful recognition that it was voted sports book of the year. There was also a lot of appreciation. I received messages from complete strangers with compliments. And the riders from the Raleigh team also thought it was fantastic. Peter Post was a bit hesitant at first, but eventually called it the most beautiful book he has ever owned.”
Why now a much more complete book about the Raleigh era?
“In 2017, Jacob Bergsma and I published the book about Hennie Kuiper. Then Jacob kept getting me excited about creating a new book. I kept it off for two years. When I finally told him that I wanted to make the Raleigh book different and better again, we left.”
So what makes this book different and better?
“After the publication of ‘The Secret of Raleigh’, riders, staff but also ordinary people came with stories that were not yet in that book. Later, while making the books by Joop Zoetemelk and Hennie Kuiper, we also heard new stories. Those beautiful stories had to be written again. And again everyone was enthusiastic to participate. Jacob then delved deeper and collected a lot of new data. And he also unearthed the history of Raleigh, De Firma as Post said, which gives you a good idea of the sponsorship of the team.”
The authors Jacob Bergsma and Joop Holthausen – photo Cor Vos
“In terms of photography, Cor Vos was immediately enthusiastic when he heard that Jacob and I were going to make the book again and in a much more extensive way. In the past, photography was done on negatives. After the ride, a few photos were selected and developed. All negatives then went into the so-called dust folders. Cor delved into those dust folders and spent months digitizing previously unknown photos. This provides unique images in this book. This has become the most complete work on the Raleigh team ever.”
Finally, Dutch cycling has also been successful in the last decade (from 2014) with eleven Monuments, a world title and a Grand Tour. Does this time sometimes remind you of the Raleigh period?
“No, anyone who experienced the Raleigh period in cycling will agree with that. That is why this book is so wonderful for those who followed cycling in that period. Of course, Tom Dumoulin’s victory in the Giro d’Italia was wonderful, but what it brought about was only a fraction of the euphoria that prevailed in the country after Joop Zoetemelk’s Tour de France victory in 1980.”
“When you talk about Ajax, for many people the era with Cruijff, Keizer, Haan, Krol, Hulshoff, Neeskens and Swart will stand out. All Dutch people who claimed a leading role, as was the case with Raleigh. Very different from the last few years at Jumbo-Visma. Of course it is great how that team performs, but last year they did not win the Grand Tours with compatriots but with a Slovenian, Dane and American.”
The 720-page Final Accord of Raleigh can be pre-ordered in a luxury cassette for 99 euros through publisher Kick Uitgevers: The book can be ordered via this link
Jan Janssen (right) at the presentation of the book – photo: Cor Vos
