Jos van der Vleuten, former professional cyclist, dies in Sosua

posted on: Dec 8 2011 9:56 by The Reporter. Viewed 730 times.


Dutch former professional cyclist Jos van der Vleuten died this week in a hospital in Sosua.

68 year-old, Van der Vleuten passed away during the night of December 5-6 at the CMC Medical Center, while in a coma after a cerebral hemorrhage.

“The Vleut” as he was known by his fans, was a professional cyclist from 1965 to 1973.

He competed in the Tour de France 6 times, along with well-known names such as Eddy Merckx.

His greatest personal achievements were recorded in the Tour of Spain, when in 1966 he won the points classification.

Jos had recently been spending the winters in the Dominican Republic where he could be seen cycling several times a week along the highway from Sosua to Gaspar Hernandez, along with his wife Tanja, and other cycling enthusiasts..

He was well-known in the local community and was the founder of the “Sosua Cycling Club” which brought cyclists together from many different nationalities.

Jos and his great enthusiasm for cycling will be sadly missed by all who knew him.

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