1972 / Rokado / Gerben Karstens

Year: 1972

Team: Rokado

Rider: Gerben Karstens

The 1972 cycling season was shaped by overwhelming dominance at the very top and fierce opportunism everywhere else. Eddy Merckx once again set the tone of the sport, winning both the Giro d’Italia 1972 and the Tour de France 1972, while also collecting major one-day victories throughout the year. His presence defined the rhythm of the peloton: when Merckx raced, everyone else raced for second place—or for the rare chance to escape his shadow in smaller, fragmented opportunities.

Within that intense landscape, the Rokado team represented the entrepreneurial spirit of West German cycling. Rokado, a bicycle manufacturer from West Germany, sponsored a professional squad that competed across Europe with a pragmatic and opportunistic approach. They were not among the super-teams of the era, but they were highly visible in breakaways, sprint stages, and smaller stage races where timing and courage could outweigh budget and depth. For Rokado, success came in fragments: a stage win here, a podium there, and constant presence in aggressive racing.

One of the team’s most notable riders was Gerben Karstens, a Dutch sprinter known for his sharp instincts and unpredictable flair. Karstens was the kind of rider who could turn chaotic finales into personal opportunities. In 1972, he continued to build on his reputation as a prolific stage hunter, adding further victories to an already impressive palmarès that included multiple Tour de France stage wins.

Karstens was never a conventional team leader in the general classification sense; instead, he thrived in the margins of the race—flat stages, transitional days, and sprints where positioning mattered more than power alone. His racing style reflected confidence and improvisation, sometimes bordering on audacity, which made him both dangerous and entertaining to watch.