Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Kim Kirchen |
Nickname | Grim Kim [1] |
Born | Luxembourg City, Luxembourg | 3 July 1978
Team information | |
Current team | None |
Discipline | Road |
Role | Rider |
Rider type | All-rounder |
Amateur team | |
1999–2000 | De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa |
Professional teams | |
2001–2005 | Fassa Bortolo |
2006–2009 | T-Mobile Team |
2010 | Team Katusha |
Major wins | |
Grand Tours
|
Kim Kirchen (born 3 July 1978 in Luxembourg City) is a Luxembourgish former road racing cyclist. He is the son of cyclist Erny Kirchen and the great-nephew of cyclist Jeng Kirchen. [2]
Kim Kirchen was born on July 3, 1978, in Luxembourg. His father, Erny Kirchen, was a cyclist, notably winning the Flèche du Sud and being the national vice-champion in 1974. [3]
Kim Kirchen started cycling at the age of 13 in 1992, with the Amis du Cyclisme de la Commune de Contern (ACC Contern), a renowned Luxembourgish club presided over by Marcel Gilles, where he notably rode alongside Fränk Schleck. [4]
Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join Fassa Bortolo in 2001. For the 2006 cycling season, he joined the T-Mobile Team following the demise of the Fassa Bortolo team.
His first recorded race was in Dommeldange in 1999, and he had to wait until 2000 for his first professional victory when he won the Piva Col trophy. Kirchen was named the Luxembourgian Sportsman of the Year in 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2007 and 2008, surpassing the achievement of fellow cyclist Charly Gaul and putting him fourth in the all-time stakes.
In July 2008 he showed good form during the Tour de France, placing 7th in the general classification [5] and wearing the yellow jersey for a total of four stages.
In 2010, Kirchen joined Team Katusha, after he was unable to agree with Team Columbia–HTC on a contract extension. [6] He suffered a suspected heart attack during the 2010 Tour de Suisse, in June 2010. [7] He did not race in 2011 because of the heart condition and later retired from the sport. [8] [9]
Since 2011, Kirchen co-commentates all cycling races broadcast on RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg, along with former Cofidis cyclist Tom Flammang.
Grand Tour | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giro d'Italia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Tour de France | — | 63 | DNF | — | 7 | 7 | 57 |
Vuelta a España | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
— | Did not compete |
---|---|
DNF | Did not finish |
IP | In Progress |
Kim Kirchen married Caroline in 2007. [10] On July 8, 2010, just a few days after emerging from a coma, his wife gave birth to twins, Liam and Mike. [11]
Constant ("Stan") Ockers was a Belgian professional racing cyclist.
Sergei Valeryevich Ivanov is a former professional road bicycle racer, who competed between 1996 and 2011. Ivanov had been a member of six different teams, competing for CSKA Lada–Samara, TVM–Farm Frites, Fassa Bortolo, T-Mobile Team, Astana and Team Katusha. In this time he completed in five Grand Tours, and also won six national championship titles. He also won the Tour de Pologne 1998. He finished his sports career in 2009
Fassa Bortolo (2000–2005) was a professional road bicycle racing team founded in 2000 and led by Giancarlo Ferretti. Dubbed the 'Silver Team', it managed to be one of the most successful teams of the era, not in the least due to top sprinter Alessandro Petacchi. In its six competitive years, Fassa Bortolo won over 200 races, including stages in all three Grand Tours. It was one of the inaugural 20 UCI ProTour teams in 2005.
Volodymir Gustov is a Ukrainian professional road bicycle racer, who last rode for UCI ProTeam Saxo Bank–Tinkoff Bank. He began his career in 2000 with Italian team Fassa Bortolo.
Andy Raymond Schleck is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 2010 Tour de France, being awarded it retroactively in February 2012 after Alberto Contador's hearing at the Court of Arbitration for Sport. He has also been the runner-up at the Tour twice; in 2009 and 2011. He is the younger brother of Fränk Schleck, also a professional rider between 2003 and 2016. Their father Johny Schleck rode the Tour de France and Vuelta a España between 1965 and 1974.
Maurizio Fondriest is a retired Italian professional road racing cyclist.
Steven Rooks is a former Dutch professional road racing cyclist known for his climbing ability. His professional career ran from 1982–1995.
André Dierickx is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist who competed between 1969 and 1981. He competed in the individual road race at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He also won the La Flèche Wallonne in 1973 and 1975, the 1971 Tour de Luxembourg, the 1978 Tour of Belgium and the 1973 Züri-Metzgete among other races.
Dario Frigo is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer.
Jeng Kirchen was a Luxembourgish road racing cyclist who twice finished 5th in the Tour de France. Kirchen won his native race, the Tour de Luxembourg, in 1952, and took a total of 16 professional wins. He was the uncle and great-uncle of fellow cyclists Erny Kirchen and Kim Kirchen.
Michael Albasini is a Swiss former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2020, for the Phonak, Liquigas, HTC–Highroad and Mitchelton–Scott teams.
Robert Gesink is a Dutch professional cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam Visma–Lease a Bike. His major victories include the 2012 Tour of California, the 2011 Tour of Oman and the 2010 Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. Gesink also won the Giro dell'Emilia twice and offered some good performances on Grand Tours and one-week stage races, thanks in part to his climbing and time trialing abilities.
Rinaldo Nocentini is an Italian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 1999 and 2019 for the Mapei–Quick-Step, Fassa Bortolo, Formaggi Pinzolo Fiavé, Acqua & Sapone, AG2R La Mondiale and Sporting / Tavira teams.
Daniel John Martin is a British-Irish former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2021 for the Cannondale–Garmin, Quick-Step Floors, UAE Team Emirates and Israel Start-Up Nation teams.
Jakob Diemer Fuglsang is a Danish professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam Israel–Premier Tech. Before turning professional for Team Saxo Bank, he was a mountain biker racing for Team Cannondale–Vredestein, winning the Under-23 World Cup and Under-23 World Championships.
Fränk René Schleck is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016, for Team Saxo Bank and Trek–Segafredo. Schleck is the older brother of Andy, winner of the 2010 Tour de France. Their father, Johny Schleck, was a professional road bicycle racer between 1965 and 1974, as was their grandfather, Gustave Schleck, who contested events in the 1930s.
Laurent Didier is a Luxembourgish former professional road bicycle racer, who competed between 2006 and 2018 for the Kuota–Senges, Designa Køkken, Saxo Bank–SunGard and Trek–Segafredo teams.
Marcel Ernzer was a Luxembourgian cyclist. He competed in the individual and team road race events at the 1948 Summer Olympics.
Patrick Konrad is an Austrian racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Lidl–Trek.
Erny Kirchen is a former Luxembourgian cyclist. He competed in the individual road race at the 1972 Summer Olympics. He is the nephew of cyclist Jeng Kirchen and the father of cyclist Kim Kirchen.