A successful amateur, Henk Cornelisse’s best year came in 1962, winning several Dutch amateur races. In 1964 he won a stage in Olympia’s Tour, the main Dutch stage race. That same season he formed part of the Dutch team pursuit squad that captured a bronze medal at the 1964 Olympics, narrowly beating Australia in the bronze medal match. Cornelisse turned professional after the Games, cycling for various small Dutch pro teams through 1970. He won two minor Belgian criterium races in 1965. A paver by trade, Cornelisse comes from a cycling-minded family. His brother Rink was a professional in the 1970s, while his son Michel followed in his footsteps, notably winning the 1989 Tour of Luxembourg.