# Richard Groenendaal

Richard Marinus Anthonius Groenendaal (born 13 July 1971) is a Dutch former professional cyclo-cross cyclist. Groenendaal won the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2000 and the overall titles in the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup 1997–1998, 2000–2001 and 2003–2004 and in the Cyclo-cross Superprestige in 1997–1998 and 2000–2001.

## Early career

Groenendaal's father Reinier was an Elite cyclo-cross cyclist and was Dutch Elite champion in 1985. Groenendaal began to ride as a junior in 1987. He was Dutch Junior champion in 1987–1988 and 1988–89 where he also won the Junior World Cyclo-Cross championships. The following season he joined the Amateur category which he stayed until the 1993–94 season when he turned professional. Early in his career he showed promise as a road rider by finishing in the top ten in the 1992 Tour de l'Avenir, the year he also took part in the Summer Olympics road race. At the start of Groenendaal's career he was often compared to his father Rein and one commentator in Belgium sometimes referred to him as Reintje. However, after two seasons, Groenendaal had stood on more international podiums than his father and the comparisons stopped.
In 1996 Groenendaal joined the newly formed Dutch cycling team Rabobank which he would stay with until the end of the 2006–07 season when he choose to ride for an individual sponsor. Groenendaal's greatest achievements include winning the Cyclo-Cross World Cup in 1998, 2001 and 2004 and becoming Cyclo-Cross World Champion in 2000. Groenendaal attacked during the first lap and was chased by defending cyclo-cross world champion Mario De Clercq who was followed by Groenendaal's Rabobank teammate Sven Nys. Nys would not cooperate in the chase of his commercial teammate and as a result De Clercq never caught Groenendaal enabling Groenendaal to become World Champion. In the following season, Groenendaal dominated cyclo-cross with wins in the Superprestige series and the World Cup as well as being number one UCI ranked rider. Groenendaal also won the Dutch National Cyclo-cross championships. Groenendaal started as a big favourite for the World Championships but suffered a crash during the race and did not recover and as a result lost his Rainbow jersey. In the 2001–02 season, Groenendaal lost the national cyclo-cross jersey to teammate Gerben de Knegt but did win the final World Cup of the season in Heerlen which made him a favourite for the World Championships which were taking place a week later. However, Mario De Clercq won ahead of Nys and Vannoppen. Groenendaal finished fourth and as best non-Belgian. Groenendaal won the first race of the Gazet van Antwerpen trophy of the 2002–03 season with the Koppenbergcross ahead of Nys and Wellens. He also won a World Cup.
For the 2003–04 season, Groenendaal suffered from a knee injury at the start of the season. At the end of the season, he recovered some form and won the Dutch national champions jersey. In an unexpected finale, Groenendaal took the 2003–04 World Cup classification after the final event of the season. Groenendaal won the final world cup race where there were double points on offer in Pijnacker, while teammate and World Cup leader Sven Nys finished further back and lost the lead in the World Cup classification. Groenendaal kept up his form to win the final Gazet van Antwerpen race.
In the 2008 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships Groenendaal helped Dutch National teammate Lars Boom to launch his attack at the start of the final lap and win the gold medal. Groenendaal finished in twelfth place.

## Major results
### 1988–1989

    1st UCI World Junior Championships
    1st National Junior Championships

### 1990–1991

    2nd Soestduinen

### 1991–1992

    2nd Sint-Michielsgestel

### 1992–1993

    1st Soestduinen
    Superprestige
       2nd Valkenswaard
    3rd Rambrouch

### 1993–1994

    1st National Championships
    1st Telleriarte
    2nd UCI World Championships
    2nd Steinmaur
    Superprestige
       3rd Overijse
       3rd Westouter-Zillebeke
       3rd Harnes
    UCI World Cup
       3rd Eindhoven

### 1994–1995

    2nd Overall Superprestige
       1st Wetzikon
       1st Harnes
       2nd Diegem
       3rd Overijse
    1st Sint-Michielsgestel
    1st Vossem
    1st Azpeitia
    1st Telleriarte
    1st Soestduinen
    1st Zeddam
    2nd UCI World Championships
    2nd National Championships
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       2nd Niel
       2nd Oostmalle
    UCI World Cup
       2nd Loenhout
    2nd Koksijde
    3rd Surhuisterveen
    3rd Steinmaur

### 1995–1996

    1st National Championships
    1st Tábor
    1st Zeddam
    2nd Overall Superprestige
       1st Harnes
       3rd Asper-Gavere
       3rd Milan
       3rd Overijse
       3rd Sint-Michielsgestel
       3rd Wetzikon
    2nd Overall UCI World Cup
       2nd Wangen
       2nd Heerlen
       2nd Loenhout
       5th Igorre
       5th Variano di Basiliano
    2nd Surhuisterveen
    2nd Praha
    3rd Berlin
    3rd Soestduinen

### 1996–1997

    2nd Overall UCI World Cup
       1st Eschenbach
       1st Prata di Pordenone
       1st Nommay
       3rd Koksijde
       4th Heerlen
    1st Steinmaur
    1st Zürich
    1st Soestduinen
    1st Vossem
    2nd National Championships
    3rd Overall Superprestige
       1st Asper-Gavere
       2nd Overijse
       2nd Sint-Michielsgestel
       2nd Harnes
       3rd Milan
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       2nd Kalmthout
    2nd Woerden
    2nd Loenhout
    2nd Surhuisterveen
    3rd Fronsac

### 1997–1998

    1st National Championships
    1st Overall UCI World Cup
       1st Eschenbach
       1st Koksijde
       1st Heerlen
       2nd Solbiate Olona
       2nd Pontchâteau
       3rd Praha
    1st Overall Superprestige
       1st Asper-Gavere
       1st Sint-Michielsgestel
       1st Gieten
       1st Overijse
       1st Harnes
       2nd Silvelle
       2nd Milan
       2nd Diegem
       2nd Wetzikon
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       1st Essen
       1st Kalmthout
       2nd Hoogstraten
    1st Hägendorf
    1st Steinmaur
    1st Zürich
    1st Dijon
    1st Brouilly
    1st Vossem
    2nd Tábor
    2nd Zeddam
    3rd Fronsac

### 1998–1999

    UCI World Cup
       1st Eschenbach
    1st Praha
    1st Zürich
    Superprestige
       2nd Ruddervoorde
       2nd Gieten
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       2nd Kalmthout
       3rd Essen
    2nd Montévrain
    2nd Steinsel
    3rd Pijnacker

### 1999–2000

    1st UCI World Championships
    1st National Championships
    2nd Overall Superprestige
       1st Asper-Gavere
       1st Overijse
       1st Diegem
       1st Harnes
       1st Heerlen
       2nd Ruddervoorde
       2nd Wetzikon
       3rd Gieten
       3rd Hoogstraten
    2nd Overall UCI World Cup
       2nd Safenwil
       2nd Leudelange
       2nd Nommay
       3rd Tábor
       3rd Zeddam
    1st Hoogerheide
    1st Loenhout
    1st Pijnacker
    1st Zürich
    2nd Baal
    2nd Steinsel
    3rd Harderwijk
    3rd Vossem

### 2000–2001

    1st National Championships
    1st Overall UCI World Cup
       1st Bergamo
       1st Leudelange
       1st Pontchâteau
       2nd Tábor
       3rd Zeddam
       5th Heusden-Zolder
    1st Overall Superprestige
       1st Ruddervoorde
       1st Sint-Michielsgestel
       1st Gieten
       2nd Asper-Gavere
       2nd Hoogstraten
       2nd Harnes
    1st Hoogerheide
    1st Zonnebeke
    1st Heerlen
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       2nd Niel
       2nd Kalmthout
       2nd Essen
    2nd Vorselaar
    2nd Steinmaur
    2nd Contern
    2nd Berlin
    2nd Vossem
    2nd Wetzikon
    3rd Koppenberg
    3rd Ronse

### 2001–2002

    UCI World Cup
       1st Heerlen
       1st Vorselaar
       3rd Nommay
       4th Monopoli
       4th Wetzikon
       5th Igorre
    1st Koksijde
    1st Pijnacker
    2nd Overall Superprestige
       1st Harnes
       3rd Asper-Gavere
    2nd National Championships
    2nd Koppenberg
    2nd Surhuisterveen
    2nd Huijbergen
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       3rd Kalmthout
    3rd Vossem
    4th UCI World Championships

### 2002–2003

    1st National Championships
    UCI World Cup
       1st Kalmthout
       2nd Liévin
       4th Frankfurt
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       1st Koppenberg
       2nd Loenhout
    1st Hofstade
    1st Pijnacker
    1st Zeddam
    1st Woerden
    1st Huijbergen
    1st Steinmaur
    Superprestige
       2nd Ruddervoorde
       2nd Sint-Michielsgestel
    2nd Heerlen

### 2003–2004

    1st National Championships
    1st Overall UCI World Cup
       1st Pijnacker
       2nd Koksijde
       2nd Nommay
       4th Turin
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       1st Oostmalle
    2nd Zeddam
    3rd Surhuisterveen
    3rd Huijbergen

### 2004–2005

    1st National Championships
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       1st Niel
       2nd Koppenberg
       2nd Lille
       3rd Essen
    1st Surhuisterveen
    1st Heerlen
    UCI World Cup
       2nd Pijnacker
       2nd Lanarvily
       4th Wetzikon
       5th Hofstade
    2nd Overall Superprestige
       2nd Ruddervoorde
       3rd Gieten
       3rd Vorselaar
    2nd Sint-Niklaas
    3rd Eeklo

### 2005–2006

    Superprestige
       1st Gieten
    1st Surhuisterveen
    1st Woerden
    UCI World Cup
       2nd Pijnacker
       2nd Wetzikon
       3rd Hooglede-Gits
    Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       2nd Essen
    2nd National Championships
    2nd Hasselt
    2nd Neerpelt
    2nd Heerlen
    2nd Wachtebeke
    2nd Lebbeke
    3rd Sint-Niklaas
    3rd Harderwijk

### 2006–2007

    1st Surhuisterveen
    2nd National Championships
    Superprestige
       2nd Hoogstraten
       3rd Sint-Michielsgestel
    3rd Overall Gazet van Antwerpen Trofee
       2nd Koppenberg
       2nd Niel
       2nd Lille
    2nd Wachtebeke
    2nd Heerlen
    3rd Sint-Niklaas
    3rd Hamburg I
    3rd Hamburg II
    UCI World Cup
       4th Pijnacker
       4th Nommay

### 2007–2008

    2nd Surhuisterveen
    2nd Antwerpen
    3rd National Championships
    3rd Woerden
    UCI World Cup
       5th Igorre
       5th Hoogerheide

### 2008–2009

    3rd National Championships
    3rd Sint-Michielsgestel
    UCI World Cup
       4th Nommay