Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Thomas Frischknecht |
Nickname | Frischi |
Born | Feldbach, Switzerland | 17 February 1970
Height | 1.76 m (5 ft 9 in) |
Weight | 69 kg (152 lb) |
Team information | |
Current team | Retired |
Discipline |
|
Role | Rider |
Professional teams | |
1990–2000 | Ritchey |
2001–2008 | Swisspower |
Major wins | |
| |
Medal record |
Thomas Frischknecht (born 17 February 1970 in Feldbach, Switzerland) is a former Swiss mountain bike and cyclo-cross racer, often called Europe's Elder Statesman of mountain biking, [1] because of his extraordinarily long career at the top level of the sport. A professional since 1990, he was on top of the Mountain Bike World Championship podium for the first time in 1996 and most recently in 2004. [2]
Frischi (as he is called) advocates staying 'fit for life' and dope free racing. He is considered an excellent example of a clean sportsman. [1] [3]
In 1996 he was second at the World Cross-country Mountain Bike Championships, but after France's Jérôme Chiotti confessed having used EPO when he won the title that year, he got the rainbow jersey from Chiotti, handed over as a friendly act in an unofficial ceremony. [4]
He won the Olympic silver medal in 1996. The next day he competed in the men's road race on a Ritchey cyclocross bike after fellow Swiss team member Tony Rominger fell ill. He finished the race in the middle of the pack. [5]
Frischknecht also competes in cyclo-cross, where he won an Amateur World Champion title, was Vice World Champion in 1997 and is a multiple-time Swiss Champion. [6]
Thomas first traveled to America in 1990 to compete in the then new genre of mountain biking. He became closely linked to Tom Ritchey, a major bike-components producer, who provided support and became a mentor and a good friend. Ritchey has sponsored him ever since. Ritchey's Swiss Cross frame draws its name from Fischknecht. Other major sponsors include Swisspower, an electric utility consortium, and Scott bicycles.
Frischknecht was author of a book on mountain biking, Richtig Mountainbiken. He is currently involved with the Frischi Bike School in the Engadin/St. Moritz area of Switzerland.
Hanka Kupfernagel is a retired German professional cycle racer. During most of her career her primary focus was cyclo-cross racing, however, she has also won major road, track and mountain bike races. She has won seven consecutive medals at the UCI Women's Cyclo-cross World Championships, including three gold medals in 2000, 2001 and 2005; two silver medals in 2002 and 2003; and the bronze medal in 2004. Her major career victories also include a gold medal in the individual time trial competition at the 2007 UCI Road World Championships in Stuttgart and a silver medal in the road race at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.
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Andri Frischknecht is a Swiss cross-country mountain biker. He is the son of Thomas Frischknecht, and the grandson of Peter Frischknecht, who were also professional cyclists.
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