Due to the prominent bull-tattoo on his arm and his roots from the peninsula of Zuid-Beveland he is nicknamed the "Bull of Beveland".[3][4] He had a reputation of being an aggressive rider who took part in long breakaways.[5] His most notable victory was the overall classification of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen in 2009, where he also won a stage.[6]
Maintaining his love of the sport, post retirement, Hoogerland participated in the first UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Scotland in 2023, as part of the inaugural UCI Cycling World Championships. Riding in the men's 40-44 years age class, Hoogerland won his career first rainbow jersey in the Gran Fondo road race.[7]
At the 2011 Tour de France Hoogerland won the Mountain jersey in the 6th stage. After losing it in the 8th stage, Hoogerland managed to recapture it in the 9th stage. In that same stage, he was then involved in a dramatic crash after a fellow breakaway rider, Team Sky's Juan Antonio Flecha, was sideswiped by a France Télévisions car, causing Hoogerland to crash into a barbed wire fence. Despite deep cuts to his legs, requiring 33 stitches,[10] Hoogerland finished the stage, losing nearly 17 minutes as a result of the crash.[11] Flecha and Hoogerland were jointly awarded the Combativity award for the day.[12] In November 2014 Hoogerland announced that he had reached a compensation agreement with insurance company AIG over the incident.[13]
In early February 2013, Hoogerland collided with a car while he was training in Spain, preparing for the Tour Méditerranéen.[5] He was hospitalized and it was announced that he suffered five fractured ribs, a bruised liver and bone fractures to his spine. It was believed that he would miss the whole classics season.[14] On 23 June 2013 he unexpectedly won the National Championship of the Netherlands.
Hoogerland joined Androni Giocattoli–Venezuela for the 2014 season, after his previous team – Vacansoleil–DCM[15] – folded at the end of the 2013 season.[1]
In August 2014, Hoogerland was announced as the first signing for the new Dutch Pro-Continental Team Roompot, which formed for the 2015 season.[16][17]
^"Christian Meier to retire at end of 2016 season - Transfer shorts". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 7 September 2016. Retrieved 17 May 2017. The Dutch Pro-Continental squad have been busy in the transfer market adding Tim Ariesen (SEG Racing), Elmar Reinders (Cyclingteam Jo Piels), Martijn Budding (Rabobank Continental) and Pim Ligthart (Lotto Soudal) and farewelling Antwan Tolhoek (LottoNL-Jumbo), Maurits Lammertink (Katusha), Wesley Kreder (Wanty - Groupe Gobert), and Ivar Slik, while Marc de Maar and Johnny Hoogerland retire.
