Kim Kirchen
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Kim Kirchen |
| Nickname | Grim Kim[1] |
| Born |
3 July 1978 Luxembourg City, Luxembourg |
| Team information | |
| Current team | None |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | All-rounder |
| Amateur team(s) | |
| 1999–2000 | De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 2001–2005 | Fassa Bortolo |
| 2006–2009 | T-Mobile Team |
| 2010 | Team Katusha |
| Major wins | |
| |
|
Infobox last updated on 4 January 2008 | |
Kim Kirchen (born 3 July 1978 in Luxembourg City) is a former Luxembourg road racing cyclist.
Career
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[2] and wearing the coveted 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.[3] He suffered a suspected heart attack during the 2010 Tour de Suisse, in June 2010.[4] He did not race in 2011 because of the heart condition and later retired from the sport altogether.[5][6]
Since 2011, Kirchen co-commentates all cycling races broadcast on RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg, along with former Cofidis cyclist Tom Flammang.
Major results
- 1999
- 1st
National Road Race Champion - 2001
- 1st Stage 3 Tour de Luxembourg
- 2002
- 1st
Overall Ronde van Nederland - 1st Overall Tour de Berne
- 2003
- 1st Paris–Brussels
- 4th Overall Tour de Suisse
- 2004
- 1st National Road Race Champion
- 1st Stage Tour de Luxembourg
- 6th Summer Olympics Road Race
- 2005
- 1st Overall Tour de Pologne
- 1st Stage 7
- 1st
Points Classification
- 1st Gran Premio di Chiasso
- 1st Trofeo Laigueglia
- 1st Stage 4 Settimana Ciclistica Internazionale "Coppi e Bartali"
- 2nd La Flèche Wallonne
- 2nd Coppa Placci
- 2006
- 1st National Road Race Champion
- 1st Prologue Tour de Luxembourg
- 2007
- 2nd Overall Tour de Suisse
- 2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 3rd Milano–Torino
- 3rd Overall Tour de Pologne
- 3rd Brabantse Pijl
- 7th Overall Tour de France
- 1st Stage 15
- 2008
- 1st National Time Trial Champion
- 1st La Flèche Wallonne
- 1st Stage 2 Vuelta al País Vasco
- 1st Stage 4 Vuelta al País Vasco
- 1st Stage 6 Tour de Suisse
- 7th Overall Tour de France
- Held maillot jaune Stages 6-9
- Held maillot vert Stages 6-7 and 9
- 1st Stage 4
- Held maillot jaune
- 2009
- 1st National Time Trial Champion
- 1st Stage 7 Tour de Suisse
- 10th Stage 15 Tour de France
Grand Tours performance
Tour de France
- 2004: 63rd Overall
- 2005: abandoned in the 11th stage
- 2007: 6th Overall
- 2008: 7th Overall
- 2009: 57th Overall
Giro d'Italia
- 2003: 29th Overall
References
- ↑ Cavendish, Mark (June 2009). Boy Racer. Ebury Press. ISBN 978-0-09-193275-6.
- ↑ "Tour de France 2008". BBC News. 2008-07-27. Retrieved 27 April 2009.
- ↑ http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/kirchen-katusha-bound-in-2010
- ↑ Kirchen suffers suspected heart-attack cyclingnews.com
- ↑ Kirchen unlikely to race again Cyclingnews
- ↑ "Das neue Leben des Ex-Profis Kim Kirchen". lessentiel.lu (in German). 9 July 2015. Retrieved 5 September 2016.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Kim Kirchen. |
- VELOBIOS Rider profile
- Kim Kirchen.com, official website
- Kim Kirchen at Trap-Friis.dk. Archive copy at the Wayback Machine (archived 24 May 2011)
- Palmares at CylingBase (French)