Erik Dekker (born August 21, 1970, Hoogeveen) is a Dutch professional cyclist since 1992. He is a member of the Rabobank cycling team since 1996. August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Hoogeveen is a municipality and a town in the northeastern Netherlands. ... A cyclist is a person who engages in cycling whether as a sport or rides a bicycle for recreation or transportation. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Dekker rode his first race at an age of 8, and soon became a successful cyclist. In 1985 he was invited to join the national selection for juniors. As an amateur, his most important results were second places at the youth world championships in Bergamo in 1987 and at the road race in the 1992 Summer Olympics. Directly after the Olympic games, he became a professional cyclist. 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Bergamo is a town in Italy, in Lombardy, about 40km northeast of Milan. ... 1987 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Games of the XXV Olympiad were held in 1992 in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain. ...

His first win as a professional was a stage in the Tour of the Basque Country of 1994. In that year he also entered the Tour de France for the first time. In 1997 Erik Dekker wins the Tour of the Netherlands, but a large part of 1998 was lost because of injuries. 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ... The (Le) Tour de France (French for Tour of France), also simply known as Le Tour, is an epic long distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. ... 1997 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ...

The year 2000 was the best year for Dekker up to now. He won 3 stages in the 2000 Tour de France, a great achievement for a cyclist who is neither a sprinter nor a favourite for the overall win. In the autumn of that year, Dekker won his first classic race, the Clásica de San Sebastián. 2000 is a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 2001 Dekker won the Amstel Gold Race and the UCI World Cup. In the 2001 Tour de France he took a stage, after having helped his team mate Marc Wauters to a stage win earlier on. 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Amstel Gold Race is a road cycling race held (mostly) in the southern part of the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. ... The UCI World Cup was a season-long competition for European professional racing cyclists, organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), the governing body of competitive cycling. ... The Tour de France of 2001 was relatively short, but also difficult, with a number of heavy mountain stages, a team time trial and a climbing time trial. ...

The years 2002 and 2003 were less successful for Erik Dekker because of injuries. He came back strong in 2004, with some top finishes in the spring classics and an impressive victory in Paris-Tours. 2002 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2003 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Major results

• 1994
  • Tour of Sweden
• 1995
  • Tour of Sweden
• 1996
  • Dutch championship, time trial
• 1997
  • Tour of the Netherlands
• 1999
  • Grand Prix Eddy Merckx (with Marc Wauters)
• 2000
  • Dutch championship, time trial
  • Tour de France: 3 stages
  • Tour of the Netherlands
  • Classica San Sebastian
• 2001
  • Tour de France: 1 stage
  • Ruta del Sol
  • World cup
• 2002
  • Dutch championship, time trial
  • Tirreno Adriatico
• 2003
  • Grand Prix Erik Breukink
• 2004
  • Dutch championship, road race
  • Paris-Tours

Erik Dekker was Dutch Sportsman of the year in 2001. The Dutch Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year are chosen annually by Dutch sports journalists. ...