André Greipel

André Greipel

Greipel at the 2013 Down Under Classic
Personal information
Full name André Greipel
Nickname The Gorilla
Born (1982-07-16) 16 July 1982
Rostock, East Germany
Height 1.84 m (6 ft 1⁄2 in)[1]
Weight 75 kg (165 lb; 11.8 st)[1]
Team information
Current team Lotto–Soudal
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type Sprinter
Amateur team(s)
 –2001 Polizei SV Rostock
2001 Jan Ullrich Nachwuchsteam
Professional team(s)
2002–2004 TEAG Team Köstritzer
2005 Wiesenhof
2006–2010 T-Mobile Team
2011 Omega Pharma–Lotto
2012– Lotto–Belisol
Major wins

Grand Tours

Tour de France
10 individual stages (2011–2015)
Giro d'Italia
3 individual stages (2008, 2010, 2015)
Vuelta a España
Points classification (2009)
4 individual stages (2009)

Stage races

Tour Down Under (2008, 2010)
Ster ZLM Toer (2015)

One-day races and Classics

National Road Race Championship (2013, 2014)
Vattenfall Cyclassics (2015)
Brussels Cycling Classic (2013, 2014)
Paris–Bourges (2009)
GP Impanis-Van Petegem (2012)
Münsterland Giro (2008), (2014)
Infobox last updated on
2 February 2016

André Greipel (born 16 July 1982) is a German professional road bicycle racer for UCI World Tour team Lotto–Soudal.[2]

Born in Rostock, East Germany, Greipel is a pure sprinter who is among the most prolific cyclists of his era with regard to the number of his wins. His major successes have included seventeen stage victories at Grand Tours: ten at the Tour de France, four at the Vuelta a España – where he won the points classification in 2009 – and three at the Giro d'Italia. He also prevailed in the classic Paris–Bourges and won the overall classification of the Australian race Tour Down Under twice, in 2008 and 2010.

Professional career

T Mobile Team (2006-2010)

Greipel (center) at the 2010 Tour Down Under, which he won

The 2008 Tour Down Under was to be the revelation for Greipel. He won the overall classification by a narrow margin of 7 seconds on the local Allan Davis of Team UniSA-Australia. He also earned the points classification thanks to an impressive 4 stage wins out of a possibility of 6.[3] Later in the season, he won his first Grand Tour stage in the Giro d'Italia.

In the 2009 Vuelta a España, Greipel competed as Team Columbia–HTC top sprinter benefiting from flat stages and the Columbia lead-out team. He won 4 stages including the prestigious last one after group sprints. He also won the "Green Jersey" Points Classification. Greipel finished the 2009 season with an impressive 20 wins, second in victories only to his teammate Mark Cavendish.[4]

In 2010, he started the year with his second overall victory at the Tour Down Under. He achieved that result thanks to 3 stages triumphs. The 4-second bonuses awarded to the winner of each stages helped him carry on to the top of the podium.[5] In April, Greipel completely dominated the Tour of Turkey in terms of stage wins, winning 5 stages out of 8 including the opening time trial. He finished eighth overall and earned the points classification jersey.[6] He later conquered his second Giro d'Italia stage.

Omega Pharma–Lotto (2011)

Griepel (right) on the podium at the 2011 UCI World Road Race Championships

In 2011, after moving to Omega Pharma–Lotto, he had his first Tour de France victory on stage 10, inching out his biggest rival and former teammate Mark Cavendish in a sprint in Carmaux.[7] Griepel later took the bronze medal at the World Road Race Championships in Copenhagen, after coming third in the mass sprint behind Cavendish and Matt Goss, another former HTC teammate.

Lotto Belisol (2012- present)

2012

Greipel at the 2012 World Ports Classic

At the Tour de France, Greipel and his Lotto–Belisol teammates had high hopes for stage victories. It almost happened on Stage 2, where he was edged on the line by Mark Cavendish despite having a "nearly perfect lead out train" by his own admission.[8] On the next bunch sprint stage (Stage 4 finishing in Rouen), a crash occurred with a little less than 3 kilometers to go, which included Cavendish among other riders. Greipel steered clear of the accident and won the sprint by beating Alessandro Petacchi (Lampre–ISD) and Tom Veelers (Argos–Shimano).[9] Greipel repeated the feat the very next day on Stage 5, taking his second win in a row while the peloton reached the escapees in Saint-Quentin inside the final kilometer. Cavendish was part of the sprint this time around, finishing fifth.[10] He was the victor again on Stage 13, surviving the short but steep category 3 climb Mont-Saint-Clair situated 23 km (14.3 mi) from the finish and clawed his way back to the bunch in the following flat section. A few late attacks were reeled in during the final kilometers and he edged Peter Sagan on the line to take his third win of the Tour.[11]

In August, Greipel took second place after winner Arnaud Démare (FDJ–BigMat) in the Vattenfall Cyclassics, the only World Tour event disputed in Germany, his home country.[12] He stated that the scorching heat did not help matters in the 245.6 km (152.6 mi) race, and that his "engine had some cooling problems".[13] He also announced after the race that he would not participate in the World Championships in Limburg, citing the course is not suited to his characteristics.[13]

Greipel followed his second place with victories in the first two stages of the Danmark Rundt.[14] In October, Greipel reacted to the Lance Armstrong-USADA affair: "[…] the fight against cheating and the falsely-earned successes must absolutely be continued! This fight for honesty and a fair sport has already proven itself, even if cycling's reputation seems to be continually damaged." the German wrote on his blog, supportive of the investigation.[15]

2013

Greipel started the 2013 campaign successfully in Australia by winning the Cancer Council Helpline Classic and the first stage of the Tour Down Under two days later. With that victory, Greipel equaled the record for most stage wins at this race with 12, which was held by Robbie McEwen.[16] He went on to win stages 4 and 6, establishing his own record and registering his 100th career victory in Adelaide, on the last day of the event.[17] During Stage 3 of the Tour of Turkey, it was announced to Greipel that his grandmother had died. He talked to his family after the stage and they chose to continue. The next day, he won Stage 4, surviving a climb in the final 10 kilometers to come up a victor of a group of 38 riders. He declared after the stage: "They [his family] supported me to stay here for racing. It's also good for me. It's an important race for my build-up for the Tour de France. I promised my dad that I'd win a stage for my grandmother. I'm happy I could make it."[18] He won another stage the next day.[19] In late June, Greipel won the German national road race ahead of Gerald Ciolek and John Degenkolb. He was part of an eighteen-man leading group as he won the sprint on a rainy day in Wangen im Allgäu.[20]

2014

Greipel at the Grote Prijs Jef Scherens in September 2014

In January, Greipel started his season with a couple of stage victories in Australia at the Tour Down Under, as has become his habit in recent years.[21] He then went on to compete in the Tour of Oman, winning three stages and the points classification.[22] He crashed heavily in the finale of Gent-Wevelgem with Tyler Farrar, dislocating his collarbone and tearing off the bone's ligaments. He was successfully operated upon that same evening, but that event greatly hindered his spring campaign.[23] Greipel made his return to racing at the Tour of Turkey, where he went winless since he was still recuperating from his injuries and trying to get his form back.[24] His next victory came on Stage 4 of the Tour of Belgium. He later participated to the Tour de Luxembourg to fine-tune his form before the Tour de France, amassing 2 stage wins in the process. On the last stage, Greipel soloed to the finish line, a rare feat for such a pure sprinter.[25] Right before the Tour, Greipel added another win to his tally at the Ster ZLM Toer. At the Tour, success came on the sixth stage in Reims after rival fast men Arnaud Démare and Marcel Kittel had been dropped from the peloton. Greipel outsprinted Alexander Kristoff (Team Katusha) and Samuel Dumoulin (Ag2r–La Mondiale) to claim the first step of the podium.[26]

2015

Griepel celebrating victory in Stage 21 of the 2015 Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées.

Greipel took his first victory of the season at the Volta ao Algarve. He then waited until the second stage of Paris–Nice to grab the next one, dedicating the victory to his mother, who he said "is going through a very hard time".[27] In April, he was denied his third victory of the season as he was edged by 3/10,000th of a second on the finish line by Alexander Kristoff at the Three Days of De Panne.[28] At the end of the month, he renewed with victory on the fourth stage of the Tour of Turkey. As some of his main rivals were dropped on a climb close to the finish, he won the sprint of the reduced group.[29] His next victory was Stage 6 of the Giro d'Italia ahead of Matteo Pelucchi and Sacha Modolo.[30] He then withdrew from the Giro ahead of stage 14.[31] He grabbed his next success on Stage 1 of the Tour de Luxembourg.[32]

At the Tour de France, Greipel was the victor of the second stage, a very windy affair that saw splits occur in the peloton. He was in the front group and out-sprinted Peter Sagan, Mark Cavendish and Fabian Cancellara.[33] On the fifth stage, a bunch sprint occurred and Greipel got the better of it by besting Sagan and Cavendish.[34] He also won the bunch sprints at the end of stages 15 in Valence and the final stage (stage 21) to Paris on the Champs-Élysées, giving him four stage victories — the most of any competitor at that year's Tour de France.[35][36]

Personal

He currently lives in Hürth, close to Cologne in Germany. After his win of the 2008 Tour Down Under, he was nicknamed the "Gorilla" by various sports media.[3]

Palmarès

2001
2nd Giessen
2002
3rd Augsburg
2003
1st U-23 GP Waregem
1st Stage 2 U-23 Thüringen-Rundfahrt
1st Stage 1 U-23 Berliner Rundfahrt
2004
GP Tell
1st Prologue & Stage 4b
1st Stage 3 Tour du Loir-Et-Cher
1st Stage 1 U-23 Thüringen-Rundfahrt
3rd National Under-23 Cyclo-Cross Championships
2005
1st Stage 6 Post Danmark Rundt
1st Gladbeck
1st Stadtlohn
3rd Braunschweig
2006
1st Stages 1 & 4 Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt
1st Stages 1 & 2 Cologne Classic
3rd Sinzig
2007
1st Stages 1 & 2 Sachsen Tour
2008
1st Down Under Classic
1st Overall Tour Down Under
1st Points classification
1st Stages 2, 4, 5 & 6
1st Stage 17 Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 4 Tour of Austria
1st Stage 4 Deutschland Tour
1st Münsterland Giro
2009
1st Points classification Vuelta a España
1st Stages 4, 5, 16 & 21
1st Stages 1, 3 & 5 Bayern-Rundfahrt
1st Stages 2, 3 & 5 Ster Elektrotoer
1st Stages 1, 6 & 8 Tour of Austria
1st Paris–Bourges
1st Stage 7 Tour de Pologne
1st Stage 1 Tour Down Under
1st Stage 6 Four Days of Dunkirk
1st Neuseen Classics
1st Philadelphia International Championship
1st Stage 1 Sachsen Tour
2010
1st Overall Tour Down Under
1st Points classification
1st Stages 1, 2 & 4
1st Points classification Tour of Turkey
1st Stages 1 (ITT), 2, 5, 6 & 8
1st Stages 1, 6 & 8 Tour of Britain
1st Points classification Tour of Austria
1st Stages 1 & 6
1st Stages 2 & 7 Tour de Pologne
1st Stages 2 & 6 Eneco Tour
1st Points classification Volta ao Algarve
1st Stage 2
1st Stage 18 Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Mallorca
3rd Vattenfall Cyclassics
2011
1st Points classification Tour of Belgium
1st Stages 2 & 5
1st Stages 1 & 2 Eneco Tour
1st Stage 10 Tour de France
1st Stage 4 Volta ao Algarve
1st Stage 1 Three Days of De Panne
1st Stage 6 Tour of Turkey
3rd Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
3rd World Road Race Championships
4th Gent-Wevelgem
2012
1st People's Choice Classic
1st ProRace Berlin
1st GP Impanis-Van Petegem
1st Points classification Tour of Belgium
1st Stages 1, 2 & 3
1st Stages 1, 3 & 6 Tour Down Under
1st Stages 4, 5 & 13 Tour de France
1st Points classification Tour de Luxembourg
1st Stages 1 & 2
1st Stages 1 & 4 Tour of Oman
1st Stages 1 & 2 Danmark Rundt
1st Stage 2 Tour of Turkey
1st Stage 2 Ster ZLM Toer
2nd Overall World Ports Classic
2nd Vattenfall Cyclassics
2013
1st National Road Race Championships
1st Cancer Council Helpline Classic
1st Ronde van Zeeland Seaports
1st Brussels Cycling Classic
1st Stages 1, 4 & 6 Tour Down Under
1st Points classification Tour of Turkey
1st Stages 4 & 5
1st Points classification Tour of Belgium
1st Stages 1 & 2
1st Stage 1 Tour Méditerranéen
1st Stage 6 Tour de France
1st Stage 4 Eneco Tour
2nd Overall Ster ZLM Toer
1st Points classification
2nd Vattenfall Cyclassics
2nd Grand Prix de Fourmies
3rd Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop
2014
1st National Road Race Championship
1st Brussels Cycling Classic
1st Grote Prijs Jef Scherens
1st Sparkassen Münsterland Giro
1st Points classification Tour of Oman
1st Stages 1, 3 & 6
1st Stages 4 & 6 Tour Down Under
1st Stages 1 & 4 Tour de Luxembourg
1st Stage 4 Tour of Belgium
1st Stage 4 Ster ZLM Toer
1st Stage 6 Tour de France
2nd People's Choice Classic
7th Overall World Ports Classic
1st Stage 1
10th Overall Tour of Qatar
1st Stage 5
2015
1st Stage 5 Volta ao Algarve
1st Stage 2 Paris–Nice
1st Stage 4 Tour of Turkey
1st Stage 6 Giro d'Italia
1st Stages 1 & 3 Tour de Luxembourg
1st Overall Ster ZLM Toer
1st Points classification
1st Stages 1 & 2
Tour de France
1st Stages 2, 5, 15 & 21
Held after Stages 2–7, 10
Eneco Tour
1st Points classification
1st Stage 2
1st Vattenfall Cyclassics
1st Stage 7 Tour of Britain
2nd Trofeo Playa de Palma[37]
10th Overall Three Days of De Panne
2016
1st Trofeo Felanitx-Ses Salines-Campos-Porreres
1st Trofeo Playa de Palma
1st Stage 3 Tour of Turkey
3rd Scheldeprijs

Grand Tour record

2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Giro DNE DNE 133 DNE DNS-18 DNE DNE DNE DNE DNS-14
Stages won - - 1 - 1 - - - - 1
Points classification - - 32 - - - - - - -
Tour DNE DNE DNE DNE DNE 155 123 129 149 128
Stages won - - - - - 1 3 1 1 4
Points classification - - - - - 7 2 3 7 2
Vuelta DNF-8 125 DNE 107 DNE DNE DNE DNE DNE
Stages won 0 0 - 4 - - - - -
Points classification - 12 - 1 - - - - -
Legend
1 Winner
2–3 Top three-finish
4–10 Top ten-finish
11– Other finish
DNE Did Not Enter
DNF-x Did Not Finish (retired on stage x)
DNS-x Did Not Start (no started on stage x)
DSQ Disqualified
N/A Race/classification not held
NR Not Ranked in this classification

References

  1. 1 2 "André Greipel profile".
  2. ↑ "Lotto Soudal (LTS) – BEL". UCI World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 6 January 2013.
  3. 1 2 Greg Johnson and Paul Verkuylen (27 January 2008). "'Gorilla' Greipel gets the stage – and the overall". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  4. ↑ "Cycling Quotient". Cqranking.com. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Sutton wins finale as Greipel takes Tour Down Under". Velo News (Competitor Group). 24 January 2010. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  6. ↑ Jean-François Quénet (18 April 2010). "Greipel takes the final stage". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  7. ↑ Farrand, Stephen (12 July 2011). "Greipel defeats Cavendish for stage win in Carmaux". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). Retrieved 24 July 2011.
  8. ↑ "Tour de France: Greipel pledges to try again after near miss on stage two". VeloNation Press (VeloNation). 3 July 2012. Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  9. ↑ Benson, Daniel (4 July 2012). "Greipel wins Tour de France stage in Rouen". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). Retrieved 4 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Greipel doubles up on Tour de France stage 5". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). 5 July 2012. Retrieved 5 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Greipel wins photo finish over Sagan in mid-Tour sprint". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). 14 July 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2012.
  12. ↑ Susan Westemeyer (19 August 2012). "Demare wins Vattenfalls Cyclassics". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  13. 1 2 "Greipel to miss World Championships in Limburg". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). 20 August 2012. Retrieved 20 August 2012.
  14. ↑ Greipel gav ny undskyldning for at sejre, Jyllands Posten, 23 August 2012. Retrieved 2012-08-23.
  15. ↑ "Greipel voices support of USADA investigation". Cycling News (Future Publishing Limited). 17 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  16. ↑ Peter Kogoy (22 January 2013). "Andre Greipel wins opening stage of Tour Down Under". The Australian. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  17. ↑ Alex Malone (27 January 2013). "100th career victory for Greipel in Adelaide City". CyclingNews (Future Publishing Limited). Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  18. ↑ Jean-François Quénet (24 April 2013). "Greipel wins stage 4 of the Tour of Turkey". Cyclingnews.com (Future plc). Retrieved 25 April 2013.
  19. ↑ Shane Stokes (25 April 2013). "Tour of Turkey Video: Greipel in press conference after stage five victory". VeloNation (VeloNation LLC). Retrieved 28 April 2013.
  20. ↑ Lukas Knöfler (23 June 2013). "Greipel wins rainy race for German title". cyclingquotes.com. Retrieved 24 June 2013.
  21. ↑ Brian Holcombe (25 January 2014). "Greipel wins stage 6 of Tour Down Under, Gerrans secures overall". VeloNews (Competitor Group, Inc.). Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  22. ↑ "André Greipel wins stage 6; Chris Froome wins Tour of Oman 2014". CyclingPerspective (Kim Hull). 23 February 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  23. ↑ Stephen Farrand (31 March 2014). "Greipel undergoes surgery after Gent-Wevelgem crash". Cyclingnews.com (Future plc). Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  24. ↑ "Andre Greipel returns to racing". DBM Endurance. 27 April 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  25. ↑ "André Greipel wins Stage 4; Matti Breschel wins Skoda Tour de Luxembourg 2014". CyclingPerspective (Kim Hull). 1 June 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  26. ↑ "Andre Greipel Wins Stage 6 Sprint". Bicycling (Rodale, Inc.). 10 July 2014. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  27. ↑ "Paris-Nice: Greipel wins in Saint-Amand-Montrond". Cyclingnews.com (Future plc). 10 March 2015. Retrieved 10 March 2015.
  28. ↑ "Kristoff strikes again at Driedaagse de Panne". Cyclingnews.com (Future plc). 2 April 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2015.
  29. ↑ "Greipel kicks into gear with stage 4 win in Turkey". VeloNews (Competitor Group, Inc.). 29 April 2015. Retrieved 29 April 2015.
  30. ↑ Spencer Powlison (14 May 2015). "Greipel wins Giro d’Italia stage 6; Contador crashes". VeloNews (Competitor Group, Inc.). Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  31. ↑ Nigel Wynn (23 May 2015). "Andre Greipel and Michael Matthews withdraw from Giro d’Italia". Cycling Weekly (IPC Media Sports & Leisure network). Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  32. ↑ "Tour de Luxembourg: Greipel secures stage 1 sprint victory". Cyclingnews.com (Future plc). 4 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2015.
  33. ↑ "Tour de France: Greipel wins storm-swept stage to Neeltje Jans". Cyclingnews.com (Immediate Media Company). 5 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2015.
  34. ↑ MacMichael, Simon (8 July 2015). "Tour de France Stage 5: André Greipel takes second win, Mark Cavendish third". RoadCC (Farrelly Atkinson Ltd). Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  35. ↑ "Tour de France: Greipel victorious in Valence". Cyclingnews.com (Immediate Media Company). 19 July 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2015.
  36. ↑ "Tour de France: Chris Froome wins Tour de France 2015". Cyclingnews.com (Immediate Media Company). 26 July 2015. Retrieved 31 August 2015.
  37. ↑ "Pelucchi sprints to Trofeo Palma victory". cyclingnews.com. 1 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.

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