Tour of 1997

On Thursday morning, January 2, 1997, chairman Henk Kroes uttered the liberating words, "It giet oan" (The race is on). Between the announcement and the start time, hard work was done on multiple fronts to overcome obstacles and ensure a safe ice surface. The board, regional managers, and thousands of volunteers worked on creating a good and safe track. For the first time, barriers were used to keep spectators off the ice in busy areas.

The race

From the start, participants faced the harsh elements of nature. Darkness, in particular, was a challenge. Forty kilometres into the race, in Sloten, the leading group had already thinned out significantly. In Bolsward, halfway through the course, a lead group of twelve riders was in charge of the now much smaller peloton. They had a five-minute advantage over a chasing group. After Harlingen, conditions worsened. The "Hell of the North" would cost the riders much energy. A strong headwind on the small canals made it difficult to stay upright, requiring great skill. Light digs and sprints were exchanged in the lead group, but the riders worked together in a six-man group to reach Dokkum, pushing hard against the wind. The real action began once the wind was behind them, starting from Aldtsjerk. After several attacks, it was Angenent who closed the gaps each time. Five grandmasters remained to fight for the win, making it a long sprint to the finish. With a final jump from Angenent in the last 10 metres, he slid across the finish line with a metre's lead over Erik Hulzebosch.

Meanwhile, a fierce battle was also taking place among the women. Klasina Seinstra and Gretha Smit alternated reaching the checkpoints in Sloten and Stavoren first. Between Bolsward and Harlingen, the two competitors found themselves in a large and stretched-out peloton. From that moment on, they kept a close eye on each other. It came down to a final sprint on the Bonkevaart, where Seinstra won the most important race of the year and of her life.