This Champion Mondial, in ’80s scarlet Amstel Bier team livery, was ridden by the most flamboyant and storied Dutchman the pro peloton has ever seen. An absolute demon in the mountains, Gert-Jan Theunisse may not hold the crown as the most successful climber in the 1980s, but he was a fierce contender.
Career highlights include winning the 1988 Clásica de San Sebastián and taking home the maillot à pois rouges in the 1989 Tour de France, remembered as one of the greatest of all time thanks to the battle between Frenchman Laurent Fignon and American Greg Lemond.
Theunisse’s achievement in Le Tour was all the sweeter for a remarkable Stage 17 w
