Alexander Kristoff facts for kids
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Kristoff at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships
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| Personal information | |||
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| Full name | Alexander Kristoff | ||
| Nickname | The Stavanger Stallion | ||
| Born | 5 July 1987 Oslo, Norway |
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| Height | 1.81 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in) | ||
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb; 12 st 4 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Uno-X Mobility | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type |
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| Major wins | |||
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Alexander Kristoff (born 5 July 1987) is a professional road bicycle racer from Norway. He rides for the Uno-X Mobility team.
Alexander is known as a strong sprinter and a "classics rider." This means he is very fast in short bursts and good at winning tough, long one-day races. He has won nearly 100 races in his career, making him Norway's most successful cyclist by wins. He has won four stages in the famous Tour de France. He also won two very important one-day races, Milan–San Remo in 2014 and the Tour of Flanders in 2015. He is the only Norwegian rider to win a "cycling monument," which are the five oldest and most respected one-day races. Alexander has also won medals at big events like the Olympic Games (bronze in 2012), the UCI Road World Championships (silver in 2017), and the European Road Cycling Championships (gold in 2017).
Contents
- Alexander Kristoff's Cycling Journey
- Family Life
- Key Achievements
- Images for kids
- See also
Alexander Kristoff's Cycling Journey
Starting Out in Cycling
Alexander Kristoff was born in Oslo, Norway. When he was six, his family moved to Stavanger. His stepfather helped him get into cycling instead of football. He joined a local cycling club called Stavanger SK.
When he was 16, Alexander won the Norwegian youth cycling championship. He also placed fourth at the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival. He became a professional cyclist in 2006. In 2007, at just 19, he won the senior Norwegian National Road Race Championships. He beat famous cyclist Thor Hushovd in a close finish. He continued to win stages in smaller races like the Ringerike GP in 2008 and 2009.
Riding for BMC Racing Team (2010–2011)
In 2010, Alexander joined the BMC Racing Team team. His best result that year was a third-place finish in a race in Philadelphia. The next year, he won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships again. He also rode in his first "Grand Tour," the Giro d'Italia, where he finished third on one stage.
Years with Team Katusha (2012–2017)
First Wins and Olympic Medal (2012–2013)
Alexander joined Team Katusha in 2012. He won a stage at the Three Days of De Panne race. He also did well in the Giro d'Italia, finishing second on a stage.
A big moment came in 2012 at the London Olympics. Alexander won a bronze medal in the road race! This was a huge achievement for him and Norway. After the Olympics, he won a stage and the points competition at the Danmark Rundt. He also finished second in another race, the Grand Prix de Fourmies.
In 2013, Alexander started getting top results in the biggest one-day races. He finished eighth at Milan–San Remo and fourth at the Tour of Flanders. He also placed ninth at Paris–Roubaix, which is a very tough race. He won three stages at the Tour of Norway and his first UCI World Tour race stage at the Tour de Suisse. He rode in his first Tour de France and finished second on the first stage.
Monumental Victory and Tour de France Stages (2014)
The year 2014 was amazing for Alexander. He won his first "cycling monument," the Milan–San Remo race. This was a huge win for him and for Norwegian cycling. He also won the Eschborn–Frankfurt race. In May, he won two stages and the points competition at the Tour of Norway. Then, he won three stages and the overall race at the Tour des Fjords.
In July, Alexander won his first ever Grand Tour stage at the Tour de France. He won stage 12 and then another stage, stage 15. He finished second in the overall points competition at the Tour de France. He also won two stages and the points competition at the Arctic Race of Norway. He ended the season with 14 victories.
Dominating the Classics (2015)
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Alexander started 2015 strong, winning three stages at the Tour of Qatar. He also won stages at the Tour of Oman and Paris–Nice. He tried to win Milan–San Remo again but finished second. He then won three stages and the overall race at the Three Days of De Panne.
His biggest win of 2015 was the Tour of Flanders. He attacked with another rider and then beat him in a sprint to win this tough cobbled race. He was the first Norwegian to win it! A few days later, he won the Scheldeprijs race. He was a favorite for Paris–Roubaix but finished tenth. He continued to win stages at the Tour of Norway and Tour des Fjords. He finished the year with 20 victories.
More Wins and World Championships Silver (2016–2017)
In 2016, Alexander won three stages at the Tour of Qatar and two stages at the Tour of Oman. He finished second overall at the Three Days of De Panne. He won the Eschborn–Frankfurt race again. He also won a stage at the Tour of California and the opening stage of the Arctic Race of Norway. He won three stages and the overall race at the Tour des Fjords.
In 2017, Alexander won stages at the Étoile de Bessèges and three stages at the Tour of Oman. He won Eschborn–Frankfurt for the third time. He also won the RideLondon–Surrey Classic in a sprint.
A week later, he won the men's road race title at the UEC European Road Championships. He then won a stage at the Arctic Race of Norway. The biggest highlight was winning a silver medal at the UCI Road World Championships in Norway. He finished second in the road race, right behind the winner.
Time with UAE Team Emirates (2018–2021)
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Alexander joined UAE Team Emirates in 2018. He won the final stage of the Tour of Oman and the first stage of the Abu Dhabi Tour. He won Eschborn–Frankfurt for a record fourth time. His most famous win that year was on the final stage of the Tour de France on the Champs-Élysées in Paris.
In 2019, he won a stage at the Tour of Oman. He then won Gent–Wevelgem and finished third at the Tour of Flanders. He won the overall title at the Tour of Norway and won the Grand Prix of Aargau Canton for the third time. He also won stages at the Deutschland Tour and Okolo Slovenska.
In 2020, Alexander won the opening stage of the Tour de France in Nice. This meant he wore the famous yellow jersey for a day! He also finished third at the Tour of Flanders. In 2021, he won two stages at the Deutschland Tour.
Riding for Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux (2022)
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In 2022, Alexander joined Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux. He quickly won his first race with the team, the Clásica de Almería. He also won the Scheldeprijs race for the second time. He won a stage at the Tour of Norway in his home city of Stavanger. He also won the Circuit Franco-Belge and a stage at the Deutschland Tour. He finished sixth in the road race at the UCI Road World Championships.
Joining Uno-X Pro Cycling Team (2023–Present)
Since 2023, Alexander has been riding for the Norwegian team Uno-X Pro Cycling Team. He won a stage at the Volta ao Algarve in Portugal. He also won a stage at the Tour of Norway in Stavanger for the second year in a row. In 2024, he continued his winning streak, taking victories at the Elfstedenronde, Antwerp Port Epic, and Heistse Pijl. He also won two stages at the Arctic Race of Norway and two stages at the CRO Race. He won the final stage of the Tour of Norway for the third year in a row.
Family Life
Alexander Kristoff married Maren Kommedal in 2014. They have four children. His younger half-brother, Felix Ørn-Kristoff, is also a cyclist. Felix won a bronze medal in the junior road race at the 2023 World Championships and a gold medal at the 2024 European Championships.
Key Achievements
Here are some of Alexander Kristoff's most important wins and results:
- 2007: Won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships.
- 2011: Won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships again.
- 2012: Won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games road race.
- 2013: Won 3 stages at the Tour of Norway.
- 2014: Won Milan–San Remo (a "cycling monument"). Won 2 stages at the Tour de France. Won Eschborn–Frankfurt and Hamburg Cyclassics.
- 2015: Won Tour of Flanders (a "cycling monument"). Won Three Days of De Panne (overall and 3 stages). Won Scheldeprijs.
- 2016: Won Eschborn–Frankfurt again. Won the overall Tour des Fjords.
- 2017: Won the European Road Race Championships (gold medal). Won a silver medal at the World Championships. Won RideLondon–Surrey Classic.
- 2018: Won a stage at the Tour de France (Champs-Élysées). Won Eschborn–Frankfurt for the fourth time.
- 2019: Won Gent–Wevelgem. Won the overall Tour of Norway.
- 2020: Won a stage at the Tour de France (wore the yellow jersey).
- 2022: Won Scheldeprijs for the second time. Won Clásica de Almería.
- 2023: Won a stage at the Volta ao Algarve. Won a stage at the Tour of Norway.
- 2024: Won Elfstedenronde, Antwerp Port Epic, Heistse Pijl. Won 2 stages at Arctic Race of Norway and 2 stages at CRO Race.
Images for kids
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Kristoff at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships
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Kristoff celebrating his stage 2 victory at the 2013 Tour des Fjords
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Kristoff at the 2014 Tour des Fjords
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Kristoff after finishing second at the 2015 Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
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Kristoff (kneeling) celebrating his victory at the 2017 European Road Championships
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Kristoff at the 2018 European Road Cycling Championships
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Kristoff at the 2020 Tour de France
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Kristoff at the 2022 Volta ao Algarve
See also
In Spanish: Alexander Kristoff para niños
