Erik Dekker announced today that he retires as a pro rider effective immediately. Tomorrow's crit in Emmen, Netherlands and the Curaçao Race later in the year will be his last appearances as a rider. The Tour stage where he fell heavily was his last official UCI race. In his own words, he doesn't have the fighting spirit and motivation left to come back to the top level once again. His fear of falling again also played a role in the decision. The fall hurt him quite a lot more than just physically. He will take take place in the Rabobank team car right after tomorrow, as preparation for his DS job next year.
Thanks Dekkertje, you've been really great! A special kind of rider with a special place in my heart.
Erik Dekker announced today that he retires as a pro rider effective immediately. Tomorrow's crit in Emmen, Netherlands and the Curaçao Race later in the year will be his last appearances as a rider. The Tour stage where he fell heavily was his last official UCI race. In his own words, he doesn't have the fighting spirit and motivation left to come back to the top level once again. His fear of falling again also played a role in the decision. The fall hurt him quite a lot more than just physically. He will take take place in the Rabobank team car right after tomorrow, as preparation for his DS job next year.
Thanks Dekkertje, you've been really great! A special kind of rider with a special place in my heart.
"Ewoud Dronkert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Erik Dekker announced today that he retires as a pro rider effective immediately. Tomorrow's crit in Emmen, Netherlands and the Curaçao Race later in the year will be his last appearances as a rider. The Tour stage where he fell heavily was his last official UCI race. In his own words, he doesn't have the fighting spirit and motivation left to come back to the top level once again. His fear of falling again also played a role in the decision. The fall hurt him quite a lot more than just physically. He will take take place in the Rabobank team car right after tomorrow, as preparation for his DS job next year.
Thanks Dekkertje, you've been really great! A special kind of rider with a special place in my heart.
He is a great racer. I hope that he has success in whatever is next for him. I love the way that he would continue to attack. My favorite memory is from the 2001 Amstel Gold race when he was in a break with LA. His team car was telling him something and he just rode away..and won the race. It was reported that the DS was telling to stop working and wait. That takes a lot of guts. Imagine the wrath if he came in 2nd!
"Ewoud Dronkert" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
Erik Dekker announced today that he retires as a pro rider effective immediately. Tomorrow's crit in Emmen, Netherlands and the Curaçao Race later in the year will be his last appearances as a rider. The Tour stage where he fell heavily was his last official UCI race. In his own words, he doesn't have the fighting spirit and motivation left to come back to the top level once again. His fear of falling again also played a role in the decision. The fall hurt him quite a lot more than just physically. He will take take place in the Rabobank team car right after tomorrow, as preparation for his DS job next year.
Thanks Dekkertje, you've been really great! A special kind of rider with a special place in my heart.
He is a great racer. I hope that he has success in whatever is next for him. I love the way that he would continue to attack. My favorite memory is from the 2001 Amstel Gold race when he was in a break with LA. His team car was telling him something and he just rode away..and won the race. It was reported that the DS was telling to stop working and wait. That takes a lot of guts. Imagine the wrath if he came in 2nd!
the tour was really bad for crashes this year.... everyone who wasn't nailed for doping crashed out- valverde, dekker, rodriguez. I was always a big fan of Dekker's. Too bad his last race ended with a big face plant!
Erik Dekker announced today that he retires as a pro rider effective immediately. Tomorrow's crit in Emmen, Netherlands and the Curaçao Race later in the year will be his last appearances as a rider. The Tour stage where he fell heavily was his last official UCI race. In his own words,he doesn't have the fighting spirit and motivation left to come back to the top level once again. His fear of falling again also played a role in the decision. The fall hurt him quite a lot more than just physically. He will take take place in the Rabobank team car right after tomorrow, as preparation for his DS job next year.
Thanks Dekkertje, you've been really great! A special kind of rider with a special place in my heart.
He is a great racer. I hope that he has success in whatever is next for him. I love the way that he would continue to attack. My favorite memory is from the 2001 Amstel Gold race when he was in a break with LA. His team car was telling him something and he just rode away..and won the race. It was reported that the DS was telling to stop working and wait. That takes a lot of guts. Imagine the wrath if he came in 2nd!
Erik Dekker was always an animator of the race, one who makes it interesting. He had a number of great moments in the Tour. There was the year he won three stages, and the infamous long-breakaway stage in the rain in 2001 (the one where the peloton gave Francois Simon and company 30 minutes), where in the finale Dekker and Servais Knaven worked over Aitor Gonzalez, who fought bravely. I think my favorite was one he didn't win: in 2002 to Plouay, when Dekker still hadn't fully come back from his broken leg in Milano-Sanremo. He was in a break with Karsten Kroon and about five other people, and he was getting dropped on the final bumps in the road, but he kept clawing back and going to the front, making desperate attacks, not to win but to force the others to chase. So they were all softened up and Kroon, a decent sprinter, won the sprint handily (oddly, it was Knaven again who lost out). It was a rare demonstration of tactical nous and unselfishness.
<[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Frank Drackman said:
Ewoud Dronkert said:
Erik Dekker announced today that he retires as a pro rider effective immediately. Tomorrow's crit in Emmen, Netherlands and the Curaçao Race later in the year will be his last appearances as a rider. The Tour stage where he fell heavily was his last official UCI race. In his own words, he doesn't have the fighting spirit and motivation left to come back to the top level once again. His fear of falling again also played a role in the decision. The fall hurt him quite a lot more than just physically. He will take take place in the Rabobank team car right after tomorrow, as preparation for his DS job next year.
Thanks Dekkertje, you've been really great! A special kind of rider with a special place in my heart.
He is a great racer. I hope that he has success in whatever is next for him. I love the way that he would continue to attack. My favorite memory is from the 2001 Amstel Gold race when he was in a break with LA. His team car was telling him something and he just rode away..and won the race. It was reported that the DS was telling to stop working and wait. That takes a lot of guts. Imagine the wrath if he came in 2nd!
Erik Dekker was always an animator of the race, one who makes it interesting. He had a number of great moments in the Tour. There was the year he won three stages, and the infamous long-breakaway stage in the rain in 2001 (the one where the peloton gave Francois Simon and company 30 minutes), where in the finale Dekker and Servais Knaven worked over Aitor Gonzalez, who fought bravely. I think my favorite was one he didn't win: in 2002 to Plouay, when Dekker still hadn't fully come back from his broken leg in Milano-Sanremo. He was in a break with Karsten Kroon and about five other people, and he was getting dropped on the final bumps in the road, but he kept clawing back and going to the front, making desperate attacks, not to win but to force the others to chase. So they were all softened up and Kroon, a decent sprinter, won the sprint handily (oddly, it was Knaven again who lost out). It was a rare demonstration of tactical nous and unselfishness.
Thanks for pointing out another example or Erik Dekker being a great bike racer. I was sad when Ludo retired but he was not in the same class as Erik. I read that he will become a DS. I hope that he finds tactics to motivate the young riders and doesn't get frustrated with the process.
Erik Dekker announced today that he retires as a pro rider effective immediately. Tomorrow's crit in Emmen, Netherlands and the Curaçao Race later in the year will be his last appearances as a rider. The Tour stage where he fell heavily was his last official UCI race. In his own words, he doesn't have the fighting spirit and motivation left to come back to the top level once again. His fear of falling again also played a role in the decision. The fall hurt him quite a lot more than just physically. He will take take place in the Rabobank team car right after tomorrow, as preparation for his DS job next year.
Thanks Dekkertje, you've been really great! A special kind of rider with a special place in my heart.
"John Forrest Tomlinson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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email hidden said:
It was a rare demonstration of tactical nous and unselfishness.
I think he demonstrated tactical cleverness quite often.
A perfect exemple was his win in Lausanne (Tour 2000), when with three or four kilometres to go Dekker broke free with Mario Aerts. When they passed the red banner Aerts glued on Dekker's wheel. With 500 to go, the bunch came dangerously close. Dekker looked back, seemed to capitulate and sat up straight for a a fraction of a second. Aerts saw his chance and sprinted forwards. Which was exactly what Dekker had expected. Now it was he who glued on the wheel of the Belgian and when Aerts's forced were spent, Dekker pulled out ahead and passed the finishline a few metres before the pack
"John Forrest Tomlinson" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
Quoted message said:
email hidden said:
It was a rare demonstration of tactical nous and unselfishness.
I think he demonstrated tactical cleverness quite often.
A perfect exemple was his win in Lausanne (Tour 2000), when with three or four kilometres to go Dekker broke free with Mario Aerts. When they passed the red banner Aerts glued on Dekker's wheel. With 500 to go, the bunch came dangerously close. Dekker looked back, seemed to capitulate and sat up straight for a a fraction of a second. Aerts saw his chance and sprinted forwards. Which was exactly what Dekker had expected. Now it was he who glued on the wheel of the Belgian and when Aerts's forced were spent, Dekker pulled out ahead and passed the finishline a few metres before the pack
Sweet!
Rabobank is getting to be a very substantial team and with Dekker in the team car I'm thinking they'll become even better. We're going to enjoy watching them.
It was a rare demonstration of tactical nous and unselfishness.
I think he demonstrated tactical cleverness quite often.
I can only remember an obvious mistake from Dekker. It was a day of rare tactics at RVV in 2002 when he misestimated his own strength and started the sprint too late to overtake final winner Bortolami. Easily the biggest disappointment of his career, not winning a Monument.
I can only remember an obvious mistake from Dekker. It was a day of rare tactics at RVV in 2002 when he misestimated his own strength and started the sprint too late to overtake final winner Bortolami. Easily the biggest disappointment of his career, not winning a Monument.
I can only remember an obvious mistake from Dekker. It was a day of rare tactics at RVV in 2002 when he misestimated his own strength and started the sprint too late to overtake final winner Bortolami. Easily the biggest disappointment of his career, not winning a Monument.
Yes. Man that was agony! There was another big prize he just missed out on, Worlds in Portugal. Although one could say he didn't have a realistic chance, he came mighty close for a non-obvious sprinter.
I can only remember an obvious mistake from Dekker. It was a day of rare tactics at RVV in 2002 when he misestimated his own strength and started the sprint too late to overtake final winner Bortolami. Easily the biggest disappointment of his career, not winning a Monument.
Yes. Man that was agony! There was another big prize he just missed out on, Worlds in Portugal. Although one could say he didn't have a realistic chance, he came mighty close for a non-obvious sprinter.
If I remember correctly, that day he was the first to start the sprint, not wanting to see a repeat of RVV (which had been the same year, in 2001, not 2002 as I wrote above).
He is a great racer. I hope that he has success in whatever is next for him. I love the way that he would continue to attack. My favorite memory is from the 2001 Amstel Gold race when he was in a break with LA. His team car was telling him something and he just rode away..and won the race. It was reported that the DS was telling to stop working and wait. That takes a lot of guts. Imagine the wrath if he came in 2nd!
Dumbass -
He didn't just ride away. His DS was telling him to sit on Armstrong, but Dekker disobeyed orders and took equal pulls. The two stayed away and Dekker tooled him in the sprint.
Basically, Dekker didn't want to win the BoogerD way. It was quite a display of character.
Erik Dekker announced today that he retires as a pro rider effective immediately. Tomorrow's crit in Emmen, Netherlands and the Curaçao Race later in the year will be his last appearances as a rider. The Tour stage where he fell heavily was his last official UCI race. In his own words, he doesn't have the fighting spirit and motivation left to come back to the top level once again. His fear of falling again also played a role in the decision. The fall hurt him quite a lot more than just physically. He will take take place in the Rabobank team car right after tomorrow, as preparation for his DS job next year.
Thanks Dekkertje, you've been really great! A special kind of rider with a special place in my heart.
I still remember when he beat Armstrong at the Amstel Gold Race, just incredible ... He was/is a great rider !
debe
I remember reading about it after that, Dekker was describing how during the race he thought, "I can lose this". He said that it's when you think "I can win this" is when you're most likely to lose. Great advice! And it's kind of funny,because it seems to be true a lot of times. I have an old Procycling magazine which shows Igor Galdeano on the cover saying, "Of course I can win the vuelta." ANd that year he crashed and bailed out! Or Paulo Bettini said "I can win the world championships (in verona) and of course, he didn't. I think when you say, I can win, you're more likely to get careless.
