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 famous Norwegian professional road bicycle racer. He currently rides for the UCI ProTeam Uno-X Mobility.
Kristoff is known as a strong sprinter and a "classics rider." This means he's great at winning races that are often one-day events with tough courses. He's the most successful Norwegian cyclist ever, with almost 100 wins! He has won four stages in the famous Tour de France. He also won big one-day races like Milan–San Remo in 2014 and the Tour of Flanders in 2015. He's the only Norwegian to win a "cycling monument," which are the five most important one-day races. Kristoff has also won medals at the Olympic Games (bronze in 2012), the UCI Road World Championships (silver in 2017), and the European Road Cycling Championships (gold in 2017).
Contents
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 started riding for a local club called Stavanger SK.
When he was 16, Kristoff won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships for young riders. He also did well at the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival. In 2006, he became a professional cyclist. A year later, at just 19, he won the senior Norwegian National Road Race Championships! He even beat the famous cyclist Thor Hushovd. Kristoff continued to win stages in smaller races like the Ringerike GP in 2008 and 2009.
Joining Big Teams
In 2010, Kristoff joined the BMC Racing Team team. His best result that year was third place at a race in Philadelphia. The next year, he won his second Norwegian National Road Race title. He also rode in his first Grand Tour, the Giro d'Italia. He finished third on one of the stages.
From 2012 to 2017, Kristoff rode for Team Katusha. In 2012, he won a stage at the Three Days of De Panne race. He also earned a bronze medal at the London Olympics in the road race. This was a huge achievement! After the Olympics, he won a stage and the points competition at the Danmark Rundt.
In 2013, Kristoff started getting top results in the big "classic" races. He finished eighth at Milan–San Remo and fourth at the Tour of Flanders. He also won three stages at the Tour of Norway. Later that year, he got his first win in a top-level race, the Tour de Suisse. He then rode in his first Tour de France.
Big Wins in 2014 and 2015
The year 2014 was amazing for Kristoff. He became the first Norwegian to win a "cycling monument" by taking first place at Milan–San Remo. He also won the Eschborn–Frankfurt race. May was a very successful month for him, as he won two stages and the overall points title at the Tour of Norway. He then won three stages and the overall race at the Tour des Fjords.
In July 2014, Kristoff won his first Grand Tour stage at the Tour de France. He won another stage later in the race, showing he was one of the best sprinters. He finished the year with 14 victories!
In 2015, Kristoff continued his winning streak. He won three stages at the Tour of Qatar. He also won stages at the Tour of Oman and Paris–Nice. He came very close to winning Milan–San Remo again, finishing second.
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Kristoff then won the Three Days of De Panne race, winning three stages and the overall title. 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. Just three days later, he won the Scheldeprijs. He was the first rider to win all three of these races in the same season! He finished the year with 20 victories.
More Success and New Teams
In 2016, Kristoff won three stages at the Tour of Qatar and two stages at the Tour of Oman. He also won the Eschborn–Frankfurt race again. He won the overall title and three stages at the Tour des Fjords.
Kristoff had another strong year in 2017. He won stages at the Étoile de Bessèges and three stages at the Tour of Oman. He won Eschborn–Frankfurt for the third time, matching a record. After the Tour de France, he won the RideLondon–Surrey Classic. The next weekend, he won the men's road race title at the UEC European Road Championships. He also won a silver medal at the UCI Road World Championships in Norway, his home country.
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In 2018, Kristoff joined the UAE Team Emirates team. He won a stage at the Tour of Oman and the Abu Dhabi Tour. He also won Eschborn–Frankfurt for a record fourth time! His biggest win that year was on the final stage of the Tour de France on the famous Champs-Élysées in Paris.
In 2019, Kristoff won the Gent–Wevelgem race. He also 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.
In 2020, Kristoff won the opening stage of the Tour de France and wore the yellow jersey for a day! This was a very special moment for him. He also finished third at the Tour of Flanders.
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In 2022, Kristoff moved to Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux. He won the Clásica de Almería and the Scheldeprijs. He also won a stage at the Tour of Norway in his home city of Stavanger. He finished sixth at the UCI Road World Championships.
Since 2023, Kristoff has been riding for Uno-X Pro Cycling Team. He won a stage at the Volta ao Algarve and another stage in Stavanger at the Tour of Norway. In 2024, he continued to win, taking victories at the Elfstedenronde, Antwerp Port Epic, and another stage in Stavanger at the Tour of Norway. He also won two stages at the CRO Race.
Personal Life
Alexander Kristoff is married to Maren Kommedal. They got married in 2014 and have four children. His younger half-brother, Felix Ørn-Kristoff, is also a cyclist. Felix won a bronze medal at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships for junior riders and a gold medal at the 2024 European Road Championships.
Images for kids
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Kristoff at the 2023 UCI Road World Championships
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Kristoff following 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, following his second-place finish 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
