Peter Post (born November 12, 1933 in Amsterdam, Noord-Holland) was a Dutch professional cyclist whose career lasted from 1956 to 1972. Post competed in road and track racing. As a rider he is best remembered for Six-day racing, having competed in 155 races and won 65.

Because of this success he was known as “De Keizer van de Zesdaagse” or “The Emperor of the Six Days”. He was a very strong rider behind the Derny pacing motorbikes. In road racing his main achievements were winning the 1964 Paris-Roubaix and becoming national road race champion in 1963.

He was on the podium three times at the La Flèche Wallonne but never won. Post’s other nickname was “de Lange” or “Big Man” because he was tall for a cyclist. After retiring from racing he had success as a Directeur sportif.

Post turned professional in 1956 with the small Dutch team R.I.H. He rode for the first few years with Gerrit Schulte, a track rider who also rode on the road and was an inspiration to him. Notable early career successes on the road came when he won the Ronde van Nederland in 1960 and the 1962 Deutschland Tour. In 1963 he became national road race champion as well as winning the Tour of Belgium.

In 1964 Post had his finest moment in road racing when he became the first Dutchman to win Paris-Roubaix. The race was run at top speed from the start and favourites Rik van Looy, Raymond Poulidor and Rudi Altig were caught out by the fast pace and missed the decisive break at Arras. Post’s team mate, Willy Bocklant, was in the break and sacrificed his chances by keeping the pace high for his leader.

Five riders entered the velodrome at Roubaix with Post winning the sprint by beating the world champion Benoni Beheyt in the finishing straight. The high pace ensured that Post was also awarded the Ruban Jaune for the highest speed in a classic, the 265 km run at 45.131 km/h. This 1964 record still stands as the fastest Paris-Roubaix although the route has been altered since then.

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