Bjarne Riis
Riis at the 2007 Tour of California.
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| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Bjarne Lykkegård Riis |
| Nickname |
Ørnen fra Herning (The Eagle from Herning) |
| Born |
3 April 1964 Herning, Denmark |
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Team VéloCONCEPT |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider (retired) Team manager |
| Rider type | All-rounder |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 1986 | Roland |
| 1987 | Lucas |
| 1988 | Toshiba–Look |
| 1989 | Super U–Raleigh–Fiat |
| 1990–1991 | Castorama |
| 1992–1993 | Ariostea |
| 1994–1995 | Gewiss–Ballan |
| 1996–1999 | Team Telekom |
| Managerial team(s) | |
| 1999–2015 | Tinkoff–Saxo |
| 2016 | Team Virtu Pro–Véloconcept |
| Major wins | |
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Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (pronounced [bjɑrnə riːs]; born 3 April 1964), nicknamed The Eagle from Herning (Danish: Ørnen fra Herning), is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France. For many years he was the owner and later manager of Russian UCI WorldTeam Tinkoff–Saxo. Other career highlights include placing first in the Amstel Gold Race in 1997, multiple Danish National Championships, and stage wins in the Giro d'Italia. On 25 May 2007, he admitted that he placed first in the Tour de France using banned substances, and he was no longer considered the winner by the Tour's organizers. In July 2008, the Tour reconfirmed his victory but with an asterisk label to indicate his doping offences.
Born in Herning, Riis began cycling at local club Herning CK. When he was not selected for the 1984 Summer Olympics, former cyclist Kim Andersen advised Riis to start his professional career not in Italy, but in Luxembourg. His professional career started in 1986, his first result was a fifth-place finish in the GP Wallonie that year. Following a few years with no personal wins, he had yet to impress when his contract ran out in 1988.
At the 1988 Tour of European Community race, while riding for the Toshiba team, Riis and fellow Danish rider Kim Eriksen were contacted by the former Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon from the Système U team. Fignon was leading the Tour of European Community race, but he needed a few riders to help him secure the victory. In the hope of earning a contract with Système U, Riis helped Fignon achieve the victory and in December 1988 he moved to sports director Cyrille Guimard's Système U team as a support rider for Fignon. For the next three years Riis rode as Fignon's eternal helper in both flat and mountainous terrain, and they became close friends. Riis helped Fignon win the 1989 Giro d'Italia, while Riis himself won his first professional victory as he secured the 9th stage of the Giro.
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