Jan Raas

Jan Raas
	Raas in 1978
Personal information
Full name	Jan Raas
Born	8 November 1952 (age 71); Heinkenszand, Netherlands
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Classics specialist
Professional teams
1975–1976	TI–Raleigh
1977	Frisol–Thirion–Gazelle
1978–1983	TI–Raleigh–McGregor
1984–1985	Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko
Major wins
	Grand Tours Tour de France 10 individual stages (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1984) Stage races Étoile de Bessèges (1981) Ronde van Nederland (1979) One-day races and Classics National Road Race Championship (1976, 1983, 1984) Milan–San Remo (1977) Amstel Gold Race (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982) Paris–Brussels (1978) Paris–Tours (1978, 1981) E3 Prijs Vlaanderen (1979, 1980, 1981) Tour of Flanders (1979, 1983) Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne (1980, 1983) Omloop Het Volk (1981) Gent–Wevelgem (1981) Paris–Roubaix (1982)
Medal record
Representing the Netherlands
Men's road bicycle racing
World Championships

Jan Raas (born 8 November 1952) is a Dutch former professional cyclist whose 115 wins include the 1979 World Road Race Championship in Valkenburg, he also won the Tour of Flanders in 1979 and 1983, Paris–Roubaix in 1982 and Milan–San Remo in 1977. He won ten stages in the Tour de France. In six starts, Raas won the Amstel Gold Race five times.^[1] In his entire career he competed in 23 of the highly contested "Monument" Races and he finished on the podium in almost half of them: 1st place four times and 3rd place six times.

Raas was a tactician and clever sprinter. He struggled on the long steep climbs but excelled on the short climbs characteristic of the northern classics.

Career

Born in Heinkenszand, near Goes in Zeeland, Raas was the son of a farmer and one of 10 children. He showed no interest in cycling until leaving school at 16 when he acquired his first racing bike and started competing as a junior category, taking his first victory in Damme in Belgium on the 21 July 1969. Further success as an amateur, including stage wins in the Olympia Tour and the national championship, prompted Peter Post, the manager of TI–Raleigh, to offer Raas a contract for 1975

The 22-year-old had a good first season with two small victories and fourth in the Tour of Belgium. The following year (1976) saw him become national champion, but at the end of that year Raas parted company with TI–Raleigh, looking for more freedom to race.^[2]

In 1977 he rode for Frisol. Victories in Milan–San Remo and the Amstel Gold Race made Post rethink and Raas was back with TI–Raleigh for 1978. Raas became the influence behind the success of the team in the late seventies and early eighties. He was joint leader with Gerrie Knetemann, heading members such as Joop Zoetemelk, Ludo Peeters, Cees Priem and Henk Lubberding.

He played a major role in the victory of Zoetemelk in the 1980 Tour de France, as TI-Raleigh had one of the most dominant performances in all of TDF history not only containing Bernard Hinault, but also winning twelve stages, including seven in a row at one point.

Raas’ highlights for the rest of his career included his 1979 world championship on home soil in Valkenburg, where he outsprinted German "Didi" Thurau in front of 200,000 spectators (even with the help from team-mates that push him during the climb, grabbing service vehicle, and the fall of Giovanni Battaglin caused by Thurau and Raas himself on the last 200m). He had four more victories in the Amstel Gold Race to give a record of five. Raas regarded the Amstel Gold as his favourite race: “The Gold Race was made for me, I had no ability as a climber, but the short and hard Limburg hills were made for me”, he said. He won Paris–Roubaix at his seventh attempt in 1982 thanks to work by his team, especially Peeters.

Raas crashed in the 1984 Milan–San Remo, injuring his back and internal organs and was never the same, although he took a stage in the 1984 Tour de France. He found the training and recovery hard and retired on 28 May 1985 after a criterium at Hansweert the preceding day.

Raas’ know-how made for a natural move into team management and he became sporting director of Kwantum team. Raas found sponsors when old ones pulled out and the team received backing from SuperConfex, Buckler, WordPerfect, Novell and finally Rabobank.

Raas and his wife Anja suffered an armed raid on their house in March 1994^[3] and Raas decided he could no longer spend long periods away from home. He changed from sporting director to manager when Rabobank became the main sponsor in 1995. He spent eight years in this capacity until the end of 2003, the sponsor indicating that insoluble differences prompted Raas' departure.^[4]

Major results

Source:^[5]^[6]

1972

1st Stage 5 Olympia's Tour

1973

1st Ronde van Midden-Nederland

1974

Olympia's Tour

1st Stages 7a & 8

2nd Ronde van Drenthe

1975

1st Grote Prijs Stad Zottegem

5th Paris–Tours

6th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

6th Tour of Flanders

8th Omloop Het Volk

1976

1st

Road race, National Road Championships

1st Stage 4 Tour of Belgium

2nd Amstel Gold Race

2nd Tour du Haut Var

4th Brabantse Pijl

7th Paris–Roubaix

9th Omloop Het Volk

1977

1st Milan–San Remo

1st Amstel Gold Race

1st Stage 6 Tour de France

2nd Omloop Het Volk

3rd Tour of Flanders

4th Overall Tour Méditerranéen

1st Stage 1

5th Brabantse Pijl

6th Paris–Roubaix

7th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

8th Paris–Tours

10th Gent–Wevelgem

1978

1st Amstel Gold Race

1st Paris–Brussels

1st Paris–Tours

Tour de France

1st Prologue, Stages 1a & 21

1st Stage 2 Ronde van Nederland

1st Stage 3 Tour de Suisse

1st Stage 4 Four Days of Dunkirk

2nd E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

3rd Paris–Roubaix

3rd Omloop Het Volk

4th Gent–Wevelgem

1979

1st

Road race, UCI Road World Championships

1st

Overall Ronde van Nederland

1st Prologue

1st Stage 2

1st Amstel Gold Race

1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

1st Tour of Flanders

1st Stage 5 Tour de France

1st Stage 3 Paris–Nice

1st Stage 4 Deutschland Tour

1st Stage 1b Tour of Belgium

Tour Méditerranéen

1st Prologue & Stage 5a

2nd Omloop Het Volk

3rd Gent–Wevelgem

3rd Paris–Tours

5th Paris–Roubaix

1980

Tour de France

1st Stages 1a, 1b (TTT), 7b & 9

1st Amstel Gold Race

1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

1st Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

1st Stage 1b Paris–Nice

1st Stage 3 Ronde van Nederland

1st Stage 3 Tour of Belgium

Tour Méditerranéen

1st Prologue (with Gerrie Knetemann), Stages 2 & 3b

1st Stage 3 Étoile de Bessèges

Tour de Luxembourg

1st Prologue & Stage 1

1st Stage GP de Cannes

1st Six Days of Rotterdam (track) (with René Pijnen)

3rd Milan–San Remo

3rd Tour of Flanders

3rd Scheldeprijs Vlaanderen

4th Omloop Het Volk

6th Gent–Wevelgem

1981

1st

Overall Étoile de Bessèges

1st Prologue, Stages 1 & 3

1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

1st Gent–Wevelgem

1st Omloop Het Volk

1st Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

1st Stage 3b Tour Méditerranéen

3rd Tour of Flanders

5th Amstel Gold Race

1982

1st Amstel Gold Race

1st Paris–Roubaix

1st Dwars door België

2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland

1st Prologue

1st Prologue Étoile de Bessèges

Tour de France

1st Stages 6 & 9a (TTT)

5th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen

6th Omloop Het Volk

1983

1st

Road race, National Road Championships

1st Tour of Flanders

1st Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne

1st Ronde van Midden-Zeeland

1st Stage 1a Three Days of De Panne

2nd Gent–Wevelgem

2nd Omloop Het Volk

3rd Milan–San Remo

3rd Amstel Gold Race

1984

1st

Road race, National Road Championships

1st Stage 9 Tour de France

General classification results timeline

Source:^[5]

Grand Tour	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
Grand Tour general classification results
Giro d'Italia	Has not contested during his career
Tour de France	—	24	DNF	83	DNF	DNF	—	DNF	DNF	DNF	—
Vuelta a España	Has not contested during his career

Classics results timeline

Source:^[5]

Monument	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
Milan–San Remo	—	—	1	105	12	3	—	14	3	—	93
Tour of Flanders	6	11	3	22	1	3	3	13	1	—	—
Paris–Roubaix	40	7	6	3	5	—	—	1	—	—	—
Liège–Bastogne–Liège	—	—	13	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Giro di Lombardia	Has not contested during his career
Classic	1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
Amstel Gold Race	—	2	1	1	1	1	5	1	3	—	—
La Flèche Wallonne	—	—	—	31	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Gent Wevelgem	24	—	10	4	3	6	1	—	2	—	—

Major championship results timeline

Source:^[5]

Event		1975	1976	1977	1978	1979	1980	1981	1982	1983	1984	1985
World Championships	Road race	DNF	9	DNF	13	1	DNF	DNF	17	—	DNF	—
National Championships	Road race	—	1	—	2	3	5	—	4	1	1	—

Legend
—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish

Awards

Dutch Sportsman of the year: 1979

References

^ John Wilcockson (2010-04-16) Amstel Gold Race preview: Horner and Hesjedal are North America’s best chance Archived 2016-03-03 at the Wayback Machine. Velonews.competitor.com. Retrieved on 2013-01-16.
^ Boyce, Barry (2006). "Top 20 All Time Major Classics: Milan–San Remo 1977: Youthful Dutchman Wins a Monument". Cycling revealed. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
^ "Jan Raas" by Noel Truyers, ISBN 90-74128-45-9, Pages 39 and 40
^ Anthony Tan (2003-12-10) "I just want to kick ass!". Autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved on 2013-01-16.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Jan Raas (Netherlands)". The-Sports.org. Québec, Canada: Info Média Conseil. Archived from the original on 13 April 2012. Retrieved 23 April 2013.
^ "Jan Raas". Cycling Archives. de Wielersite. Retrieved 23 April 2013.

External links

Jan Raas at Cycling Archives

Sporting positions
Preceded by Hennie Kuiper	Dutch National Road Race Champion 1976	Succeeded by Fedor den Hertog
Preceded by Johan van der Velde	Dutch National Road Race Champion 1983–1984	Succeeded by Jacques Hanegraaf
Awards
Preceded by Gerrie Knetemann	Dutch Sportsman of the Year 1979	Succeeded by Joop Zoetemelk