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1979 World Championships, Official Race Poster, Race Winner - Jan Raas
1979 World Championships, Official Race Poster, Race Winner - Jan Raas - Image 2
1979 World Championships, Official Race Poster, Race Winner - Jan Raas - Image 3
1979 World Championships, Official Race Poster, Race Winner - Jan Raas - Image 4

1979 World Championships, Official Race Poster, Race Winner – Jan Raas

$710.00

Wielrennen WK 79 – 1979 UCI World Championships

At first glance, you’re hit with yellow lettering thick enough to stop a freight train: “WIELRENNEN WK 79.” Beneath it, three helmeted riders hunch over their bars in bright colors, red, blue, and yellow. Each helmet is banded by the rainbow stripes that only the World Champion may wear. Look away from the faces and closer towards the handlebars, and you’ll see the Heineken logo subtly and politely photobombing the bottom edge. Local brewery pride? Absolutely, but also a reminder that cycling in the Netherlands is practically a national beverage. 

At the bottom of the poster, a bright blue strip rattles off dates and places: Valkenburg first, and Amsterdam second. It reads less like a schedule and more like a train timetable urging you to hop aboard: two cities, rainbow jerseys, and enough flat terrain to make even a pure climber feel cocky. 

This vibrant official poster promotes the 1979 UCI Road World Championships (Wielrennen WK 79), hosted in the Netherlands at two locations: Valkenburg, which held the amateur and junior events from August 22–26, and Amsterdam, which hosted the Elite Men’s and Women’s Road Races from August 28 to September 2.

The 1979 Men’s Professional Road Race, held on a flat and technical circuit in Amsterdam, was won by Jan Raas of the Netherlands, who claimed victory in front of a home crowd after a powerful sprint. Dietrich Thurau (West Germany ) finished second, and Jean-Rene Beraudeau (France) placed third.

This poster has been archivally and professionally linen-backed.

Virtually all original vintage posters of this era were viewed as temporary advertising and were printed on very thin paper. While expensive, linen backing is a conservation method used to mount, stabilize, preserve, and protect vintage posters so they can be displayed or framed without compromising value.

This poster is an original first printing, not a reproduction.

Year: 1979
Artist: N/A

Size: 49 x 69 cm (19 ¼ x 27 ¼  inches) – Linen Backed Archival Mounting

Posters are sold unframed. Framed images are display ideas only.

This is a one-of-a-kind item; please review the photos carefully to determine the condition.

In stock

SKU: PT-200137 D9-L Category: Tags: , , ,

Description

Jan Raas

Jan Raas (born November 8, 1952, in Heinkenszand, Netherlands) is a retired Dutch professional cyclist known for his dominance in one-day classics and his tactical racing style. He turned professional in 1975 and quickly became one of the most successful riders of his era. Raas won the UCI Road World Championship in 1979 on home soil in Amsterdam, outsprinting Giuseppe Saronni and Dietrich Thurau after a fast and flat race. This victory was a highlight of a career that included 10 Tour de France stage wins, a Tour de France points classification title in 1978, and five victories at the Amstel Gold Race (1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982), a record that stood for decades.

Raas also claimed major victories in other monuments and classics, including Paris–Roubaix (1982), Milan–San Remo (1977), and the Tour of Flanders (1979 & 1983), Gent-Wevelgem (1981), and many more. Known for his explosive finishing kick and sharp racing sense, he was a key figure in the rise of Dutch cycling in the late 1970s and early 1980s. After retiring in 1985, he transitioned into team management, most notably leading the Rabobank team from the mid-1990s through the early 2000s.

Additional information

Weight 3 lbs

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