Fedor den Hertog

Fedor Iwan den Hertog (20 April 1946 – 12 February 2011) was a Dutch racing cyclist.

His sporting career began with De Ijsselstreek Wezep.

An accident with a car in the Belgian Ardennes on 17 August 1967 came close to ending his career.

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

He won the Olympic 100 km team time trial in 1968 with Joop Zoetemelk, René Pijnen and Jan Krekels.

He was national road champion in 1968 and pursuit champion in 1968 and 1971.

As an amateur, he 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.

In 1969 and 1970, Hertog won the Grand Prix des Nations, and in 1969 won the Tour of Belgium.

He came third in the Olympic team time trial in 1972, but the team was disqualified for a doping offense.

In 1974, Den Hertog finally turned professional but he had passed his peak.

He first rode the Tour de France in 1974.

His brother, Nidi, was a professional cyclist from 1974 to 1980.

He also won the national road championship in 1977.

Hertog was born to a Dutch father and Russian mother.

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 a España in 1977 but retired soon afterwards.

He opened a bicycle business in Dilsen in Belgium but closed it for "personal circumstances".

In 2007, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, from which he died in February 2011.

He dropped out with knee pain in the 13th stage.

He also rode for Lejeune-BP and the Belgian team, IJsboerke-Warncke Eis, but never with the success he had as an amateur.