Erik Zabel

Personal information
Full name	Erik Zabel
Nickname	Mr Milan-Sanremo, Ete
Date of birth	July 7, 1970 (age 36)
Country	Germany
Height	1.78 m
Weight	69 kg
Team information
Current team	Milram
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Professional team(s)
1993-2005 2006-	Telekom Milram
Major wins
Tour de France, 12 stages 6 Points Competitions (1996-2001) Vuelta a España, 7 stages Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 398 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2000 × 3008 pixel, file size: 1. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... 3 Points Competitions (2002-2004) UCI Road World Cup (2000) Milan-Sanremo (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001) Paris-Tours (1994, 2003, 2005) Amstel Gold Race (2000) HEW Cyclassics (2001)
Infobox last updated on:
January 10, 2007

Erik Zabel (born July 7, 1970 in Berlin) is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTour Team Milram. With 192 career wins he is considered to be one of the greatest German cyclists and best sprinters of cycling history. Zabel has won a record nine points classification titles at Grand Tours including wearing the final green jersey in the Tour de France a record six consecutive years between 1996 through 2001 and the points jersey at the Vuelta a España in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Beyond his Grand Tours accomplishments, Zabel has won the Classic race Milan-Sanremo four times and numerous six-day track cycling events. January 10 is the 10th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini (common) era. ... July 7 is the 188th day of the year (189th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 177 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... Road bicycle racing is a popular bicycle racing sport held on the road (following the geography of the area), using racing bicycles. ... The UCI ProTour logo The UCI ProTour is a competition under the International Cycling Union (UCI). ... Team Milram is a professional cycling team participating in the 2006 edition of the UCI ProTour race series, taking over the ProTour licens of the Domina Vacanze team. ... Italian sprinter Alessandro Petacchi beating Óscar Freire at a stage of the 2005 Tirreno-Adriatico. ... The Points Classification is an award category in road bicycle racing that recognizes the most consistent finisher in a stage race. ... The maillot vert (French for green jersey) is the jersey worn by the leader of the Tour de Frances points classification. ... The Tour de France is the worlds best known cycling race, a three week long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France, and sometimes neighbouring countries. ... The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France and the Giro dItalia, is the third most important road cycling stage race in the world. ... The Classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional cycling road races in the international calendar. ... Milan - San Remo, nicknamed la primavera, is an annual cycling race between Milan and San Remo. ... Six-day racing is a track cycling specialism, which - as the name suggests - involves racing over six days. ...

Career

Erik Zabel in the 2005 German national championships.

Zabel grew up in East Berlin. After good results as an amateur cyclist, he became a professional in 1992 for a small German team. In 1993 he changed teams to Team Telekom (the later T-Mobile Team). There he became a good sprinter. His biggest strength was his all-round ability: whereas specialist sprinters such as Mario Cipollini would leave the big stage races before the mountain stages, Erik Zabel could climb reasonably well. This meant that, apart from being able to take the yellow jersey (maillot jaune) in the Tour de France thanks to the time bonuses, he could pick up further victories in latter stages, when other sprinters had retired, and take the green jersey (maillot vert) to Paris. One of his most memorable victories in securing the green jersey was in the 2001 Tour de France when his competition with Australian Stuart O'Grady continued all the way to the final stage in Paris, where Zabel's better placing finally took the green jersey off O'Grady's shoulders. However, in recent seasons he has been beaten by Australian Robbie McEwen in 2002, 2004 and 2006 and Baden Cooke in 2003. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2112 × 2816 pixel, file size: 976 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: Germany Mannheim Deutsche Meisterschaft im Einer-Straßenfahren T-Mobile Team Erik Zabel Date: 2005-06-26 photographer: Heidas Wikipedia account All... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (2112 × 2816 pixel, file size: 976 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Description: Germany Mannheim Deutsche Meisterschaft im Einer-Straßenfahren T-Mobile Team Erik Zabel Date: 2005-06-26 photographer: Heidas Wikipedia account All... East Berlin was the name given to the eastern part of Berlin between 1949 and 1990. ... Presentation of the 2006 team in Mallorca. ... Mario Cipollini. ... Commercial version of maillot jaune, 2004 Maillot jaune (French for yellow jersey, pronounced my-oh zhohn) is the jersey worn by the current overall leader of many bicycle races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. ... The maillot vert (French for green jersey) is the jersey worn by the leader of the Tour de Frances points classification. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... 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. ... Stuart OGrady is an Australian cyclist, born on 6 August 1973 in Adelaide, South Australia. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) Paris Eiffel tower as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... Robbie McEwen (born June 24, 1972, Brisbane, Queensland) is an Australian professional road bicycle racer, specializing in fast sprint finishes. ... Cooke contesting a criterium at Melbourne Docklands during the 2006 Bay Cycling Classic. ...

In 2004, Zabel began the season losing what would have been his fifth Milan-Sanremo to Óscar Freire because he lifted his arms to celebrate too soon. Then, after 9 victories throughout the season (and 18 second places) Zabel ended it just as he had begun it: second behind Freire, this time in the World Cycling Championship in Verona. Milan - San Remo, nicknamed la primavera, is an annual cycling race between Milan and San Remo. ... Óscar Freire Gomez (born 1976) is a Spanish cyclist. ... The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). ... Verona is an ancient town, episcopal see, and province in Veneto, Northern Italy. ...

Zabel is well-known for his discipline in training, and admits that he really enjoys riding a bicycle and training. He is one of the few current road cyclists who race all year long, including track cycling events in the winter. For this character, he is often compared to the other star of his former team, Jan Ullrich. Walter Godefroot, manager of T-Mobile Team, commented that if only Ullrich had the discipline of Zabel, his team would have won many editions of the Tour de France. In return, Zabel commented that his approach to training is not universally applicable to all cyclists, and that he appreciates the presence of a star of Ullrich's popularity on the team to take the pressure off of him. Zabel also said in a recent interview that he has always admired Godefroot's race results, and that he considers Godefroot as a father figure. Track cycling is a bicycle racing sport usually held on specially-built banked tracks or velodromes (but many events are held at older velodromes where the track banking is relatively shallow) using track bicycles. ... Jan Ullrich (born December 2, 1973 in Rostock, East Germany, now Germany) is a retired German professional road bicycle racer. ... Walter Godefroot (born 2 July 1943) is a retired Belgian professional road bicycle racer and former directeur sportif of the T-Mobile Team, a professional cycling team. ...

He was not selected for the 2005 Tour de France, possibly because T-mobile team wanted to go fully for Ullrich's chances in the General Classification. The 92nd Tour de France was held from July 2 to July 24, 2005. ... The General Classification (or GC) in bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for bicycle riders in multi-stage bicycle races. ...

For the 2006 season he is riding for Team Milram. Zabel had a strong season, claiming two victories in the 2006 Vuelta. More surprisingly, he finished 2nd at the World Championship. At the age of 36, Zabel is still able to ride for big victories. Team Milram is a professional cycling team participating in the 2006 edition of the UCI ProTour race series, taking over the ProTour licens of the Domina Vacanze team. ...

On 27 April 1994 Erik Zabel tested positive for Clostebolmetabolin in Veenendal. After he made a plea he was fined 3000 Swiss franc and cut back 50 points in his points record. A suspension on probation was cancelled.^[1] April 27 is the 117th day of the year (118th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 248 days remaining. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ...

Major achievements

In all, Zabel has 192 victories as a professional, more than any other active rider.^[2] The 2006 edition of the mens UCI Road World Championships Road Race took place on September 24, 2006, in the Austrian city of Salzburg. ... The professional World Cycling Championship is a one-day cycling event organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), and is a single massed start road race, the winner being the first across the line at the completion of the full race distance. ...

Major Victories

Grand Tours

• Tour de France: 12 stages, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002,
  • Maillot vert: Points classification (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2nd 2006, 3rd 2004)
  • 2 days in maillot jaune: General classification leader (1998, 2002)
• Vuelta a España: 7 stages, 2001, 2003, 2006
  • Blue with yellow fish jersey: Points classification (2002, 2003, 2004)

Other one-day classics and stage races

• UCI Road World Cup: (2000)
• Deutschland Tour: Points classification (2002, 2006)
• Tour de Suisse: Points classification (2002)
• Tirreno-Adriatico: Points classification (2002)
• Milan-Sanremo: (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001)
• HEW Cyclassics: (2001)
• Amstel Gold Race: (2000)
• UCI Road World Championships: Silver Medal (2nd 2002, 2nd 2006)
• Paris-Tours: (1994, 2003, 2005)
•  Germany National Cycling Championship - Road Race: (1998, 2003)
• Rund um den Henninger Turm: (2002, 2005)
• Grote Scheldeprijs: (1997)
• Tour of the Netherlands: Points classification (2002)

Six Day track cycling

• Six Days of Munich: (1995 with Etienne de Wilde, 2001 with Silvio Martinello, 2005 with Robert Bartko, 2006 with Bruno Risi)
• Six Days of Dortmund: (1996, 2000, 2001, 2005 with Rolf Aldag; 2006 with Bruno Risi)

• SixDayNight, Büttgen: (2006 with Bruno Risi)

The Tour de France is the worlds best known cycling race, a three week long road race that covers a circuit of most areas around France, and sometimes neighbouring countries. ... The 1995 Tour de France was the 82nd Tour de France. ... The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, it took place June 29 - July 21, 1996. ... The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5–27, 1997. ... The 2000 Tour de France was won by Lance Armstrong. ... 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 Tour de France of 2002 started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. ... The maillot vert (French for green jersey) is the jersey worn by the leader of the Tour de Frances points classification. ... The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, it took place June 29 - July 21, 1996. ... The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5–27, 1997. ... The 1998 Tour de France was marred by doping scandals throughout, starting with the arrest of Willy Voet a soigneur in the French Festina team. ... The 1999 Tour de France was the 86th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2005. ... The 2000 Tour de France was won by Lance Armstrong. ... 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 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. ... The 91st Tour de France (July 3 - July 25, 2004). ... Commercial version of maillot jaune, 2004 Maillot jaune (French for yellow jersey, pronounced my-oh zhohn) is the jersey worn by the current overall leader of many bicycle races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. ... The 1998 Tour de France was marred by doping scandals throughout, starting with the arrest of Willy Voet a soigneur in the French Festina team. ... The Tour de France of 2002 started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. ... The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France and the Giro dItalia, is the third most important road cycling stage race in the world. ... The 61st Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, will be held from August 26 to September 17, 2006. ... The UCI Road World Cup was a season-long road bicycle racing competition comprised to ten one-day events. ... The Tour of Germany (German: Deutschland Tour or sometimes Deutschland-Rundfahrt) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. ... The Tour of Switzerland (Tour de Suisse) is a ProTour bicycle race held annually in June. ... Tirreno-Adriatico, the race of the two seas, is an elite cycle race following a route between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts of Italy. ... Milan - San Remo, nicknamed la primavera, is an annual cycling race between Milan and San Remo. ... Before the start of the 2004 HEW Cyclassics The HEW Cyclassics is an annual one-day pro and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg. ... The Amstel Gold Race is a road bicycle racing race held (mostly) in the southern part of the province of Limburg, The Netherlands. ... For the womens event, see UCI Road World Championships, Women. ... The 2006 edition of the mens UCI Road World Championships Road Race took place on September 24, 2006, in the Austrian city of Salzburg. ... Paris-Tours is a French single day classic cycling race which takes place in October towards the end of the European season. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Germany. ... Fabian Wegmann (Gerolsteiner) leads team mate Marcus Zberg into the final sprint of the 2005 race. ... The Grote Scheldeprijs is a Belgian semi classic cycling race which starts in the city of Antwerp and finishes in the town of Schoten. ... Six-day racing is a track cycling specialism, which - as the name suggests - involves racing over six days. ...

Tour de France record

• 2006: 86th overall; 2nd, points;
• 2004: 59th overall; 3rd, points;
• 2003: 107th overall
• 2002: 82nd overall; 1st, Stage 6; 1 day in yellow jersey (after Stage 3); 11 days in green jersey
• 2001: 96th overall; 1st, points green jersey; 1st, Stage 1; 1st, Stage 3; 1st, Stage 19
• 2000: 61st overall; 1st, points green jersey; 1st, Stage 20
• 1999: 89th overall; 1st, points green jersey;
• 1998: 62nd overall; 1st, points green jersey; 1 day in yellow jersey (after Stage 2)
• 1997: 66th overall; 1st, points green jersey; 1st, Stage 3; 1st, Stage 7; 1st, Stage 8
• 1996: 82nd overall; 1st, points, green jersey; 1st, Stage 3; 1st, Stage 10
• 1995: 90th overall; 5th, points; 1st, Stage 6; 1st, Stage 17

The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 23, 2006. ... The 91st Tour de France (July 3 - July 25, 2004). ... The Tour de France of 2003 started and ended in Paris. ... The Tour de France of 2002 started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. ... Commercial version of maillot jaune, 2004 Maillot jaune (French for yellow jersey, pronounced my-oh zhohn) is the jersey worn by the current overall leader of many bicycle races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. ... 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 maillot vert (French for green jersey) is the jersey worn by the leader of the Tour de Frances points classification. ... The 2000 Tour de France was won by Lance Armstrong. ... The 1999 Tour de France was the 86th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2005. ... The 1998 Tour de France was marred by doping scandals throughout, starting with the arrest of Willy Voet a soigneur in the French Festina team. ... The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5–27, 1997. ... The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, it took place June 29 - July 21, 1996. ... The 1995 Tour de France was the 82nd Tour de France. ...

References