1970 / Caballero - Laurens / Jacques Frijters

Year: 1970

Team: Caballero - Laurens

Classification: Dutch champion

In the 70’s, Dutch cycling was flourishing. The Netherlands was producing a growing generation of strong professional riders, while cycling itself became increasingly tied to television, commercial sponsorship and national identity.

One of the most recognizable Dutch teams of that period was Caballero-Laurens. Sponsored by Caballero cigarettes and Laurens tobacco, the team reflected a time when tobacco companies played a major role in financing professional cycling. The squad carried a distinctly Dutch identity and was especially visible in national races and criteriums, where local heroes attracted enormous crowds. In an era before global superteams, squads like Caballero-Laurens were closely connected to regional pride and Dutch sporting culture.

The standout figure connected to this jersey was Jacques — better known as Jaak — Frijters. In 1969 he became Dutch national road champion, earning the right to wear the prestigious red, white and blue champion’s jersey in 1970. For a rider from a relatively modest domestic team, winning the national title was a career-defining achievement and brought Frijters into the spotlight of Dutch cycling. Although he was not among the international superstars of the peloton, he was admired for his consistency and determination in the tough Dutch and Belgian races of the era.

What makes this story particularly charming is how representative it is of cycling in the early 1970s. Riders like Frijters often balanced fame and anonymity at the same time: national heroes at home, yet hardworking domestiques or outsiders in the biggest international races. The Caballero-Laurens team itself also perfectly captures the atmosphere of the period — local sponsors, passionate supporters and a cycling culture deeply woven into everyday Dutch life.