# TI–Raleigh

TI–Raleigh was a Dutch professional track cycling and road bicycle racing team between 1972 and 1983. In that decade the team won over 900 races. The team was created and led by Peter Post. In his own cycling career, his nickname was the Six Days Emperor, being a track champion. He also won the 1964 fast edition of Paris–Roubaix. Post was pretty harsh on himself. He had no time to celebrate and was always looking ahead at the next race. That attitude might have been the key to the team's success.
The team was successful in classics and in stage races. Notable riders included Joop Zoetemelk, Jan Raas, Gerrie Knetemann, Hennie Kuiper, Urs Freuler, Henk Lubberding, René Pijnen, Johan van der Velde and Dietrich Thurau. The team was known for discipline; team time trials were a speciality. The frame-building was overseen by Jan le Grand at Raleigh's SBDU Ilkeston facility.

## Team Time Trials

TI–Raleigh was unbeatable in the team time trials of the 1978 to 1982 Tour de France. In those five years, they won eight Tour TTTs. Driving forces in those TTTs were Jan Raas and Gerrie Knetemann, who decided team tactics during the race. They gave directions and changed the order at will. In the last few kilometers before the finish, Raas began to shout and curse in order to wring out every last bit of energy. After the finish, the riders were exhausted, but it was also time to celebrate.
TI–Raleigh had changed its formation tactics, from the traditional double paceline to a single paceline. 1964 Olympic TTT champion Gerben Karstens came up with the idea, when they were faced with a 153 km (95 miles) long TTT in the 1978 Tour. In a single line formation, the riders get more time to recover. The duration of the pull is varied. Strong riders like time trial specialist Bert Oosterbosch should not increase the pace, but rather take longer turns. Stronger and weaker riders are mixed, which keeps a steadier pace. Knetemann could gently pick up the pace, without anyone noticing.
The team had a profound disgust for team members that did not do their utmost to help the team. It was not a problem when you were the weakest link, because in every team there are specialists for the mountain stages that won't be tough time trial riders. However, the team expected every rider to take their turns, until they could no longer keep up the pace. In that situation you'd take a last pull, and drop off the team. The only exception were the General Classement-riders that had to finish in the same time as the team.
When in 1978 Klaus-Peter Thaler could win the yellow jersey if he'd finish with the team, he refused to take his turns and kept last position, which slows the team down. After 30 km in the wheels, Knetemann and Lubberding were fed up with their selfish "team mate". They started to entice him to take over, and even deliberately gapped themselves, in order to shake him off. This didn't help and also slowed down the team. They were told to knock it off, and Thaler did get his career highlight: the yellow jersey.
The 1980 Tour de France had an early TTT. The prologue was the day before, and in the morning the riders had had a stage of 133 km (83 mi). Bert Pronk had jumped ahead, riding in the breakaway. That helped Jan Raas to win the stage. Pronk didn't recuperate fast, and like every TI–Raleigh rider who was not a TT specialist, or had a bad day, he did fear the TTT that afternoon. Pronk followed the team custom of pulling as long as he could, but he dropped off early in the 46 km (29 mi) long race. When your team is one of the last to start, there are not a lot of cars or teams behind you to pull yourself up to. TI–Raleigh won, but went so fast, that Pronk finished outside the time limit. The next TTT, Raas en Kneet decided to start slowly in order to not repeat the disaster, but they did not tell Zoetemelk or Post about it...

## Sponsorship

The team was sponsored by British cycling manufacturer Raleigh and Raleigh's holding company Tube Investments (TI). Raleigh's sponsoring goes back at least as far as 1893, when they had given Arthur Augustus Zimmerman two of their bicycles and advertised Zimmy riding them. Over the years, they've sponsored a whole range of cyclists and teams, based in Great Britain, the Netherlands, the United States of America, Switzerland, Canada and Argentina.
Subsponsors were
* Campagnolo, an Italian manufacturer of high-end bicycle components
* Creda, made cooking appliances and showers, was at the time a part of TI
* McGregor could be a sportswear brand
* Admiral Sports British sportswear manufacturer

## The end of the TI-Raleigh team

At the end of the 1983 season, the TI–Raleigh team split up because of tension between former world champion Jan Raas and team leader Peter Post, with seven cyclists following Post to the new Panasonic team and six cyclists joining Raas on the Kwantum team. Gerrie Knetemann (to Europ Decor) and Johan van der Velde (to Metauro) did not join the division. In the next nine years, the gap and the animosity grew, and it culminated into a breakaway standstill in the Tour de France of 1992. The backlash made perfectly clear that this could not go on. In the middle of the night, in the middle of a French forest, by shimmering torch lights, the men vowed to end the quarrels. The divorce was finally accepted and dealt with.

## Notable riders

* Joop Zoetemelk
* Jan Raas
* Peter Post
* Hennie Kuiper
* Cees Priem
* Johan van der Velde
* Roy Schuiten
* Gerben Karstens
* René Pijnen
* Dietrich Thurau
* Frank Hoste
* Peter Winnen
* Ludo Peeters
* Gerrie Knetemann
* Bert Oosterbosch
* Gordon Singleton 1982 track
* David Lloyd 1973 to 1975
* Sid Barras 1974
* Brian Jolly 1974

## Major wins
### 1974

    Grand Prix des Nations, Roy Schuiten
    World Champion, Individual Pursuit, Roy Schuiten
    European championship Madison, René Pijnen
    Six Days of Dortmund, René Pijnen
    Six Days of Rotterdam, René Pijnen
    Six Days of Berlin, René Pijnen with Roy Schuiten

### 1975

    Rund um den Henninger-Turm, Roy Schuiten
    World Champion, Individual Pursuit, Roy Schuiten
    Grand Prix des Nations, Roy Schuiten
    Six Days of Bremen, René Pijnen
    Six Days of Frankfurt am Main, René Pijnen with Günther Haritz
    Six Days of London, René Pijnen with Günther Haritz
    Six Days of Munich, René Pijnen with Günther Haritz
    Six Days of Münster, René Pijnen with Günther Haritz
    Six Days of Zurich, Günther Haritz

### 1976

    Tour de Suisse, Hennie Kuiper
    Tour de France: 4 stages (Hennie Kuiper, Gerben Karstens (2), Team time trial)
    European championship Madison, Réne Pijnen with Günther Haritz
    Six Days of Bremen, René Pijnen with Günther Haritz
    Six Days of Münster, René Pijnen with Günther Haritz
    Six Days of Grenoble, Günther Haritz

### 1977

    Four Days of Dunkirk, Gerrie Knetemann
    Rund um den Henninger-Turm, Gerrie Knetemann
    Tour de France: 8 stages (Dietrich Thurau (5), Gerrie Knetemann (2), Hennie Kuiper); 1st young rider classification (Dietrich Thurau), 1st team classification
    Six Days of Herning, René Pijnen
    Six Days of Cologne, René Pijnen with Günther Haritz
    Six Days of London, René Pijnen
    Six Days of Rotterdam, René Pijnen
    Six Days of Grenoble, René Pijnen

### 1978

    Amstel Gold Race, Jan Raas
    Paris–Nice, Gerrie Knetemann
    Paris–Brussels, Jan Raas
    Paris–Tours, Jan Raas
    Tour de Romandie, Johan van der Velde
    Tour de Suisse, Paul Wellens
    World Champion, Elite road, Gerrie Knetemann
    Tour de France: 10 stages (Jan Raas (3), Gerrie Knetemann (2), Paul Wellens, Klaus-Peter Thaler, Hennie Kuiper, Henk Lubberding, team time trial); 7 yellow jerseys (Jan Raas (3), Gerrie Knetemann (2), Klaus-Peter Thaler (2)); 1st (Henk Lubberding) young rider classification

### 1979

    Amstel Gold Race, Jan Raas
    Tour of Flanders, Jan Raas
    Tour de Suisse, Wilfried Wesemael
    World Champion, Elite Road, Jan Raas
    World Champion, Elite individual pursuit, Bert Oosterbosch
    Tour de France: 6 stages (Gerrie Knetemann (2), team time trial (2), Jan Raas, Leo van Vliet); 1 yellow jersey (Gerrie Knetemann)

### 1980

    Tour de France, Joop Zoetemelk
    Amstel Gold Race, Jan Raas
    Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Johan van der Velde
    Tour de Luxembourg, Bert Oosterbosch
    Gent–Wevelgem, Henk Lubberding
    Tour of Belgium, Gerrie Knetemann
    Tour de France: 11 stages (Jan Raas (3), Joop Zoetemelk (2), 2 x team time trial, Gerrie Knetemann, Bert Oosterbosch, Henk Lubberding, Cees Priem); 11 yellow jerseys (Joop Zoetemelk (10), Gerrie Knetemann); General classification: 1st (Joop Zoetemelk); 1st (Johan van der Velde) young rider classification

### 1981

    Omloop Het Volk, Jan Raas
    Gent–Wevelgem, Jan Raas
    Paris–Tours, Jan Raas
    Tour of Belgium, Ad Wijnands
    Tour de France: 7 stages (team time trial (2), Ad Wijnands (2), Johan van der Velde (2), Urs Freuler); 4 yellow jerseys (Gerrie Knetemann)

### 1982

    Amstel Gold Race, Jan Raas
    Paris–Roubaix, Jan Raas
    Gent–Wevelgem, Frank Hoste
    Four Days of Dunkirk, Frank Hoste
    Paris–Brussels, Jacques Hanegraaf
    Rund um den Henninger-Turm, Ludo Peeters
    Tour de France: 6 stages (Gerrie Knetemann (2), Jan Raas, Frank Hoste, Ludo Peeters, team time trial); 1 yellow jersey (Ludo Peeters)
    World Track Championships, Leicester England, Gordon Singleton Gold in Keirin, Silver in Sprint

### 1983

    Tour of Flanders, Jan Raas
    Gent–Wevelgem, Leo van Vliet
    Four Days of Dunkirk, Leo van Vliet
    Rund um den Henninger-Turm, Ludo Peeters
    Paris–Tours, Ludo Peeters
    Championship of Zurich, Johan van der Velde
    Tour de France: 4 stages (Bert Oosterbosch (2), Peter Winnen, Henk Lubberding); 1st team classification