Gerald Ciolek

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Gerald Ciolek
Gerald Ciolek-IMG 1865.jpg
Ciolek at the 2011 Tour de Romandie
Personal information
Full nameGerald Michael Ciolek
NicknameGerry
Born (1986-09-19) 19 September 1986 (age 35)
Cologne, West Germany
Height1.79 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight75 kg (165 lb)
Team information
Current teamDauner–Akkon
DisciplineRoad
Role
Rider typeSprinter
Amateur team
2003–2004Pulheimer SC
Professional teams
2005–2006Team Wiesenhof
2007–2008T-Mobile Team
2009–2010Team Milram
2011–2012Quick-Step
2013–2015MTN–Qhubeka
2016Stölting Service Group[1]
Managerial team
2019–Dauner–Akkon
Major wins
Grand Tours
Vuelta a España
1 individual stage (2009)

One-day races and Classics

National Road Race Championships (2005)
Milan–San Remo (2013)
Medal record
Representing  Germany
Road bicycle racing
UCI Road World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Salzburg Men's under-23 road race

Gerald Michael Ciolek (born 19 September 1986) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2016.[2] He currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team Dauner–Akkon.[3]

Career[]

Ciolek started racing at senior events in May 2005,[4] with Team Wiesenhof, where he had a very successful season. He won the German National Road Race Championships aged 18, the youngest ever rider to do so.[5] Ciolek was able to overcome seasoned sprinters Erik Zabel and Robert Förster without help from any team mates, ending the twelve-year domination of T-Mobile.[6] Besides winning the national championship, he secured three stage victories and the points competition at the Tour de Hongrie,[7] and a stage victory at the Mainfranken Tour.[8]

In 2006, Ciolek completed his training at the Ford Motor Company and was able to turn professional and devote his career to cycling.[9] Through the season, he rode strongly and secured a number of high placings in important races to prove he could challenge, and beat, the strongest sprinters in UCI ProTour teams. Ciolek had an excellent second placing at the Rund um den Henninger Turm, where he once again beat Erik Zabel.[10] Since Ciolek's AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit team merged with Team Wiesenhof at the beginning of the season[11] to be the strongest German team outside of the UCI ProTour, they were able to secure wild card entries to a number of ProTour events where Ciolek shone even more. At the Vattenfall Cyclassics, Ciolek secured fifth place.[12] A few weeks later, Ciolek won his first UCI ProTour event at the Tour of Germany, where he won stage three.[13] On 23 September he won U23 Road Race World Championship in Salzburg.[14]

For the 2007 season, Ciolek left Wiesenhof for the UCI ProTour with T-Mobile Team. After a relatively quiet early season, he came from behind to win the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt in May. He then caught fire in August, when he took three stages of the Deutschland Tour and was a fast-charging third in the Vattenfall Cyclassics.

In the 2008 season, Ciolek raced for Team High Road. During 2008, he was a stage winner in Sparkassencup Schwenningen, and won two stages in the Bayern–Rundfahrt. In the Tour de France, Ciolek was an instrumental figure in all four of Mark Cavendish's stage wins. On the final stage on the Champs-Élysées Ciolek managed to finish second to Gert Steegmans. He participated in the Olympic Games Road Race but had to abandon due to the effect the extreme conditions had on him. However, in September, he was able to bounce back and claim the fifth stage of the Deutschland Tour in an uphill sprint finish.

Ciolek parted ways with Omega Pharma–Quick-Step at the end of the 2012 season, and joined the MTN–Qhubeka squad for the 2013 season.[15] In his first year with the team, Ciolek won Milan–San Remo, in a time of 5 hours, 37 minutes and 20 seconds, holding off favourites Peter Sagan (Cannondale) and Fabian Cancellara (RadioShack–Leopard) in the sprint finish.[16]

Major results[]

Ciolek as champion of Germany at the 2006 Rund um den Henninger Turm, where he finished second
2004
9th Overall Niedersachsen–Rundfahrt Juniors
1st Stage 1
2005
1st MaillotAlemania.PNG Road race, National Road Championships
Tour de Hongrie
1st Jersey green.svg Points classification
1st Stages 3, 7 & 8
1st Stage 3 Mainfranken-Tour
8th Grand Prix de Waregem
2006
1st Jersey rainbow.svg Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships
1st Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt
1st Stage 3 Deutschland Tour
2nd Rund um den Henninger Turm
5th Vattenfall Cyclassics
6th Overall Istrian Spring Trophy
1st Stage 3
8th Overall Niedersachsen–Rundfahrt
1st Jersey white.svg Young rider classification
8th Neuseen Classics
2007
1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Rheinland–Pfalz Rundfahrt
1st Jersey green.svg Sprints classification
1st Jersey white.svg Young rider classification
Deutschland Tour
1st Stages 6, 7 & 9
Tour of Austria
1st Points classification
1st Stages 2 & 8
1st Stage 1 3-Länder-Tour
2nd Münsterland Giro
3rd Overall Niedersachsen–Rundfahrt
1st Stage 3
3rd Vattenfall Cyclassics
8th Overall Ster Elektrotoer
2008
1st Stage 5 Deutschland Tour
3rd Road race, National Road Championships
5th Overall Bayern–Rundfahrt
1st Stages 1 & 3
2009
1st Trofeo Calvia
1st Stage 2 Vuelta a España
2nd Sparkassen Giro Bochum
3rd Vattenfall Cyclassics
9th Neuseen Classics
2010
1st Stage 3 Bayern–Rundfahrt
5th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
5th Binche–Tournai–Binche
6th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge
2011
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
2nd Vattenfall Cyclassics
9th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
2012
1st Stage 4 Volta ao Algarve
1st Stage 2b (TTT) Tour de l'Ain
9th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
10th Trofeo Deià
2013
1st Milan–San Remo
1st Stage 2 Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen
1st Stage 2 Tour of Britain
1st Stage 6 Tour of Austria
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
5th Trofeo Laigueglia
5th Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop
6th Brussels Cycling Classic
10th Overall Bayern–Rundfahrt
1st Stage 3
10th Schaal Sels
2014
1st Stage 3 Vuelta a Andalucía
3rd Rund um Köln
5th Overall Tour of Norway
8th Le Samyn
9th Milan–San Remo
2015
6th Velothon Berlin
2016
5th Road race, National Road Championships
6th Rund um Köln

Grand Tour general classification results timeline[]

Grand Tour 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
A pink jersey Giro d'Italia — — — DNF — — —
A yellow jersey Tour de France 106 126 133 150 — — —
A red jersey Vuelta a España — DNF — — — — 139
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

References[]

  1. ^ "Cult Energy Pro Cycling". Retrieved 26 February 2015.
  2. ^ "Gerald Ciolek and Linus Gerdemann announce retirements". Cyclingnews. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  3. ^ "Team Dauner | Akkon". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 9 March 2021. Retrieved 9 March 2021.
  4. ^ www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling
  5. ^ Tan, Anthony; Jones, Jeff (9 September 2005). "Ciolek to Univest Grand Prix". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
  6. ^ www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling
  7. ^ www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling
  8. ^ www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling
  9. ^ www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling
  10. ^ www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling
  11. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2006-10-10. Retrieved 2006-09-02.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  12. ^ www.cyclingnews.com presents the Vattenfall Cyclassics
  13. ^ Eurosport Splash
  14. ^ www.cyclingnews.com presents the 2006 UCI Road World Championships, Salzburg, Austria
  15. ^ Stokes, Shane (14 September 2012). "Ciolek adds firepower to MTN Qhubeka lineup for next season". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  16. ^ Bull, Nick (17 March 2013). "Gerald Ciolek sprints to surprise Milan-San Remo win". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Limited. Retrieved 18 March 2013.

External links[]

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