Samuel Sánchez

This name uses Spanish naming customs; the first or paternal family name is Sánchez and the second or maternal family name is González.

Samuel Sánchez

Sánchez in the Polka Dot Jersey at the 2011 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	Samuel Sánchez González
Nickname	Samu
Born	February 5, 1978 (1978-02-05) Oviedo, Spain
Height	1.81 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight	68 kg (150 lb)
Team information
Current team	Euskaltel-Euskadi
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Professional team(s)
2000–	Euskaltel-Euskadi
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France Mountains classification (2011) 1 individual stages Vuelta España 5 individual stages Stage Races Vuelta a Burgos (2010) Single-Day Races and Classics Olympics Men's Road Race (2008) Züri-Metzgete (2006) Escalada a Montjuïc (2004, 2005) GP Llodio (2009) GP Miguel Indurain (2011) Klasika Primavera (2010)
Medal record Competitor for Spain Road bicycle racing Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing Men's road race
Infobox last updated on April 08, 2010

Samuel Sánchez González (born February 5, 1978 in Oviedo, Asturias) is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer. He was the gold medal winner in the 2008 Beijing Olympics Men's Road Race. In recent years Sánchez has proven himself in hilly classics and stage races as one of the most important riders in the peloton. He's also known as one of the best descenders in the peloton.

Career

He started his professional career in 2000 at the Spanish team Euskaltel-Euskadi and still rides there today.

Early career

In 2003, Sánchez finished 6th in Liège–Bastogne–Liège and third overall in the Tour of the Basque Country. The following year, he came 4th in Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and came 15th overall in his first Vuelta a España. He recorded his first major victory in 2005 when he won the 13th stage in the Vuelta a España, finishing 11th in the general classification. After winner Roberto Heras was erased from the results for doping use, Sánchez shifted up to the 10th place.

2006

In 2006 the Asturian added two stage wins in the Vuelta al País Vasco and a second place on the steep finishing climb of the Belgian spring classic La Flèche Wallonne. Sánchez won two stages in the Tour of the Basque Country. He finished 4th overall in Paris-Nice, winning the points jersey in the process. In the Vuelta a España he won the 13th stage (just like the year before) with a daring attack in a downhill section and finished 7th in the general classification. At the World Championships in the Austrian city of Salzburg Sánchez played a major part by creating the decisive break in the final kilometer for his leader Alejandro Valverde. Sánchez himself finished 4th behind Paolo Bettini, Erik Zabel and Valverde. One week later he won Züri-Metzgete, his first classic. With 12 km to go he attacked to solo into Zurich with half a minute to spare over Stuart O'Grady and Davide Rebellin. Two weeks later he finished second in the Giro di Lombardia, and secured his second place in the final UCI ProTour classification.

2007

The next season Sánchez started with a 9th place in Paris–Nice and he won the final time trial in the Vuelta al País Vasco, finishing third in the final classification. After a winless classics season Sánchez won the final stage in the Volta a Catalunya. In the Vuelta a España he won the 15th stage ahead of Manuel Beltrán, after attacking in Alto de Monachil, showing his fast downhilling skills to catch Beltrán in the descent to Granada. Beltrán asked Samuel to let him win, but the Euskaltel rider denied him such satisfaction because he wanted to dedicate this win to his son, expected to be born in March 2008. Sánchez won some meters and reached the finish line excited as if holding a baby in his arms. He also won the last mountain stage up to Alto de Abantos and the last time trial, allowing him to move into 3rd overall. This meant he became the first rider of Euskaltel-Euskadi to achieve a podium in a Grand Tour.

2008

Sánchez rode the Tour de France for the first time, and finished 6th overall.

2008 Olympic Men's Road Race

Main article: Cycling at the 2008 Summer Olympics – Men's road race

On August 9, 2008, Sánchez won the men's Olympic road race in 90% humidity and smog, a race that ran twice each lap through stone gates in The Great Wall of China. About a quarter of the way through the race, a breakaway group of 26 riders ahead of the peloton were the first viable group to have a chance of winning the race, but Sánchez was not among them.

Sánchez and his Spanish teammates, along with strong help from the Italians and Russians, drove the peloton at a tough pace to catch the group of 20 or so remaining members of the breakaway; and, with 20 km to go, Sánchez and a group of two others escaped ahead and were only caught when Swiss rider Fabian Cancellara, Russian Alexander Kolobnev and Australian Michael Rogers latched onto the group with only a few kilometres left. At the sprint finish of six men, after an uphill section that ran through a gate in The Great Wall one last time, Sánchez finished a wheel ahead of Italy's Davide Rebellin to take gold, with Cancellara taking the bronze.

2009

Sánchez in the 2009 UCI Road World Championships.

Sánchez's won the GP Llodio. He came third overall in the Tour of the Basque Country, winning the Points Classification. Sánchez came second in the Giro di Lombardia, before also finishing second to Alejandro Valverde in the Vuelta a España, his second podium finish in the event.

2010

Sánchez came first overall in the Vuelta a Burgos, as well as winning two stages and the Points Classification in the event. He also won the Tour of the Basque Country (winning the Points Classification for that event as well). Sánchez carried his good form into the Tour de France where he finished 4th overall (after losing out on a podium place to Denis Menchov in the final time trial).

2011

Sánchez was among the favorites heading into the 2011 Tour de France, but a series of crashes in the first week saw him well down the classification as the race entered the Pyrenees. On Stage 12, the first summit finish of the Tour, Sánchez attacked the GC contenders on the final climb, to win the stage and gain back some time. The revised scoring system for the King of the Mountains competition also meant that Sánchez took the polka dot jersey. However, Jeremy Roy took the jersey the next day. On Stage 14, the next summit finish, Sánchez again attacked the GC contenders, and finished second on the stage to move up to sixth overall. He moved up to fifth on Stage 16, as he, Cadel Evans and Alberto Contador took time out of the other favorites on the descent into Gap. However on Stage 18, Sánchez lost time on the Col du Galibier and dropped to 8th overall. On the following stage though, he and Contador attacked on Alpe d'Huez, with Sánchez finishing second to Pierre Rolland. This result moved him up to 7th overall, and meant he had effectively King of the Mountains competition as there were no climbs remaining in the Tour. Sánchez moved ahead of Damiano Cunego in the final Time Trial to finish the Tour 6th overall, and winner of the Polka Dot Jersey.

Palmares

2003

2nd Overall Tour du Haut Var

3rd Overall Tour of the Basque Country

6th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

2004

1st Escalada a Montjuïc

4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

2005

1st Escalada a Montjuïc

10th Overall Vuelta a España

1st Stage 13

2006

1st Stage 2 Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stage 3 Tour of the Basque Country

1st Züri-Metzgete

1st Stage 3 Vuelta a Asturias

2nd Giro di Lombardia

2nd La Flèche Wallonne

4th Road World Championships

4th Overall Paris–Nice

1st Points Classification

7th Overall Vuelta a España

1st Stage 13

2007

1st Stage 7 Volta a Catalunya

3rd Overall Vuelta a España

1st Stage 15

1st Stage 19

1st Stage 20 (ITT)

3rd Overall Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stage 6

3rd Giro di Lombardia

2008

1st Olympics Men's Road Race

1st Stage 2b Vuelta a Asturias

6th Overall Tour de France

2009

1st GP Llodio

2nd Overall Vuelta a España

2nd Giro di Lombardia

3rd Overall Tour of the Basque Country

1st Points Classification

4th La Flèche Wallonne

4th Road World Championships

2010

1st Klasika Primavera

1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos

1st Stage 2

1st Stage 5

1st Points Classification

1st Stage 4 Tour of the Basque Country

1st Points Classification

4th Overall Tour de France

4th Overall Paris–Nice

6th Giro di Lombardia

9th Clásica de San Sebastián

3rd Criterium Chihuahua

2011

1st GP Miguel Indurain

3rd La Flèche Wallonne

5th Overall Paris–Nice

6th Overall Tour de France

1st Mountains Classification

1st Stage 12

6th Overall Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stage 4

4th Overall Vuelta a Burgos

1st Stage 1

Grand Tour General Classification results timeline

Grand Tour	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011
Giro	-	-	-	17	-	-	-	-	-	-
Tour	WD	WD	-	-	-	-	6	-	4	6
Vuelta	-	-	15	10	7	3	-	2	-

WD = withdrew

External links

• Official website
• Samuel Sánchez at Trap-Friis.dk