Juan José Cobo

Juan José Cobo

Personal information
Full name Juan José Cobo Acebo
Nickname El Bisonte de La Pesa
Born (1981-02-21) 21 February 1981
Torrelavega, Cantabria, Spain
Height 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight 69 kg (152 lb)
Team information
Current team Torku Şekerspor
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type Climber/Time-Trialist
Amateur team(s)
2002 Saunier Duval
2003 Vini Caldirola-So.Di (stagiaire)
Professional team(s)
2004–2009 Saunier Duval–Prodir
2010 Caisse d'Epargne
2011 Geox–TMC
2012–2013 Movistar Team[1]
2014– Torku Şekerspor
Major wins

Grand Tours

Tour de France
1 individual stage (2008)
Vuelta a España
General classification (2011)
Combination classification (2011)
2 individual stages (2009, 2011)

Stage Races

Vuelta al País Vasco (2007)
Infobox last updated on
5 May 2014
This name uses Spanish naming customs: the first or paternal family name is Cobo and the second or maternal family name is Acebo.

Juan José Cobo Acebo (born 21 February 1981 in Torrelavega, Cantabria) is a Spanish professional road racing cyclist who currently races for Torku Şekerspor.[2] He won the 2011 Vuelta a España as a Geox–TMC rider, his first major title.[3]

He is considered a climber who also is able to time trial.

Biography

In 2003, Cobo won the Spanish under-23 time-trial championships. He was selected for the national team in the European Championships, in Athens in August, and for the World Championships in Hamilton, Canada, in October. At the European Championships, he finished fourth, 30 seconds behind the winner Markus Fothen. At the World Championships, he participated, with Isidro Nozal, in the time-trial in which he took the 33rd place. In September, he joined the professional team Vini Caldirola as a trainee.

In 2004, Cobo became professional in the new Spanish team Saunier Duval–Prodir, led by Mauro Gianetti, manager of Vini Caldirola in 2003 . His best result this season was ninth place in the Japan Cup.

In 2005, he participated in his first grand tour, the Giro d'Italia.

In 2007, he won the Tour of the Basque Country, taking two stage victories in the process. He grabbed the leader's jersey on the first stage, which he won, and had to relinquish it to Relax–GAM's Ángel Vicioso on Stage 3. Another victory on stage 5 netted him the overall lead once again and he did resist the time trial on stage 6 to take the Tour's honors.[4] Cobo then participated in the Tour de France with hopes for a stage victory. That did not materialize, but he finished the Tour in 20th position.

In 2008, still with Saunier Duval, he made a quieter start to the season but finished second in the Tour de France Hautacam stage, behind his teammate Leonardo Piepoli. Despite this strong performance, in what was the first major mountain stage of the Tour de France, Cobo was forced to leave the Tour with his team following the positive control of the Italian Riccardo Riccò. He later was attributed the stage win since Piepoli has been stripped of it for doping.[5] Saunier Duval became Scott-American Beef late in the season, but this team was not invited to the Vuelta a España.

The team became Fuji-Servetto at the beginning of the 2009 season. Cobo stayed faithful, which allowed him to assume responsibility as a team leader, finishing 10th at the Vuelta a España. He did not participate in the Tour de France as his team was not invited by the organizers. He represented Spain in the 2009 UCI Road World Championships – Men's time trial in Mendrisio.

In 2011, his team Geox–TMC started the Vuelta a España with a wildcard invitation. Cobo was selected to ride the race as a helper for team leader Denis Menchov. After winning the 15th stage on the steep ascent of the Angliru he became the leader of both the race and his team. Cobo kept the lead for the rest of the race resisting attacks by Chris Froome who finished second by just 13 seconds. Especially fierce was the attack Froome produced in the last kilometer of the seventeenth stage, Cobo was dropped for some time before he rallied and made the juncture very shortly before the finish line.[6][7][8]

After Geox–TMC folded at the end of 2011, Cobo joined Movistar Team for the 2012 season.[1] He had a year without victories, participating in the Tour de France and landing a 30th general classification placing. He was slated to be his team's leader at the Vuelta a España to defend his title, but the leadership was soon shifted to Alejandro Valverde, after the latter performed better than Cobo in the early stages.[9] Cobo helped Valverde finish in second position, while he finished 67th.[10]

Cobo left the Movistar Team at the end of the 2013 season, and joined Torku Şekerspor for the 2014 season.[2]

Palmarès

2003
1st National Under-23 Time Trial Championships
1st Stage 5b (ITT) Vuelta a Navarra
2004
9th Japan Cup
2005
10th Coppa Placci
2007
1st Overall Vuelta al País Vasco
1st Stages 1 & 5
3rd Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
3rd Subida a Urkiola
5th Gran Premio Miguel Indurain
9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2008
1st Stage 10 Tour de France
2nd Subida a Urkiola
4th Overall Volta a Portugal
1st Stage 9
6th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
1st Stage 5
2009
9th Giro di Lombardia
10th Overall Vuelta a España
1st Stage 19
10th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
1st Stage 4
10th National Road Race Championships
2011
1st Overall red jersey Vuelta a Espana
1st Combination classification
1st Stage 15
3rd Trofeo Deià
3rd Overall Vuelta a Burgos
8th Trofeo Inca
9th Memorial Marco Pantani
2014
6th Overall Tour of Turkey
13th Overall Tour d'Azerbaïdjan

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Pink jersey Giro WD 116
Yellow jersey Tour 20 WD 30
red jersey Vuelta WD 10 1 67

WD = Withdrew; In Progress = IP

References

  1. 1 2 "Cobo joins Valverde at Movistar". Yahoo! Eurosport (TF1 Group). Reuters. 30 December 2011. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Former Vuelta winner Cobo moves to Torku team: "Given the circumstances, I am very satisfied to keep racing"". VeloNation (VeloNation LLC). 6 December 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2013.
  3. Cobo brings home his first Grand Tour victory
  4. "Spain's Cobo wins Tour of Basque Country". IOL Sports (Independent Online). 14 April 2007. Retrieved 16 April 2016.
  5. Andrew Hood (6 September 2011). "Wiggins gives Cobo benefit of doubt". Velo News (2012 Competitor Group, Inc.). Retrieved 14 December 2012.
  6. "Britain's Chris Froome and Bradley Wiggins on Vuelta a España podium". Guardian. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  7. "Cobo secures maiden Vuelta crown". ABC News. 11 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  8. "Cobo celebrates his Vuelta win in Madrid". Cycling News. 12 September 2011. Retrieved 12 September 2011.
  9. Will Protheroe (20 August 2012). "2012 Vuelta a España: Alejandro Valverde Wins Stage 3, Takes Overall Lead". Bleach Report (2012 Bleacher Report, Inc.). Retrieved 15 December 2012.
  10. "Vuelta a Espana 2012 Overall standings". Cycling Central (SBS 2012). Retrieved 15 December 2012.

External links

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