Iwan de Verschrikkelijke part 2

Fedor Iwan den Hertog was a Dutch racing cyclist.
He won the Olympic 100 km team time trial in 1968 with Joop Zoetemelk, René Pijnen and Jan Krekels. He also won the national road championship in 1977.



As an amateur, Den Hertog won the British Milk Race in 1969 and 1971. His most outstanding performance was the Rheinland-Pfalz tour in Germany in 1969, when he won nine of 11 stages and overall, 36 minutes ahead of the field. He was national road champion in 1968 and pursuit champion in 1968 and 1971. He came third in the Olympic team time trial in 1972, won the Grand Prix des Nations in 1969 and 1970, and in 1969 won the Tour of Belgium.

Den Hertog or as the call him "Ivan the Terrible" was considered the best amateur of his time, and many professional teams wanted him, but he declined out of fear to lose his freedom.



In 1974, Den Hertog finally turned professional but he had passed his peak. He first rode the Tour de France in 1974. He rode three times for the Dutch team, Frisol, coming 27th, 18th and then not finishing, although in 1977 he won the stage to Rouen. He broke away from the field 21 km from the finish and won by 20 seconds.

He won a stage in the Vuelta à España in 1977 but retired soon afterwards. He opened a bicycle business in Dilsen in Belgium.

Fedor Den Hertog died after a long illness in Feb 2011.

From his estate came this white tandem and I was very lucky to buy it.

As all my bicycles have names, it's logical, to make a tribute and call this bicycle “Iwan the Verschrikkelijke”