Erik Zabel facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Erik Zabel

Zabel at the 2017 Rund um Köln
Personal information
Full name	Erik Zabel
Nickname	Ete
Born	(1970-07-07) 7 July 1970 (age 55) East Berlin, East Germany
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Weight	69 kg (152 lb; 10 st 12 lb)
Team information
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France Points classification (1996–2001) 12 individual stages (1995–1997, 2000–2002) Vuelta a España Points classification (2002–2004) 8 individual stages (2001, 2003, 2006, 2007) One-day races and Classics National Road Race Championships (1998, 2003) Milan–San Remo (1997, 1998, 2000, 2001) Paris–Tours (1994, 2003, 2005) Amstel Gold Race (2000) HEW Cyclassics (2001) Eschborn–Frankfurt (1999, 2002, 2005) Other UCI Road World Cup (2000)

Erik Zabel (born 7 July 1970) is a famous German former professional road bicycle racer. He rode for Team Telekom for most of his career. Many people think he is one of the best German cyclists and cycling sprinters ever. He won 152 professional races.

Zabel won a record nine points classifications in major cycling races called Grand Tours. This includes the points classification in the Tour de France six times in a row from 1996 to 2001. He also won the points classification in the Vuelta a España in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Zabel won the Milan–San Remo race four times. He also won many six-day track events. He was known for racing all year, even doing track cycling in winter. Erik Zabel is the father of cyclist Rick Zabel.

Early Life and Amateur Cycling

Zabel (left) applauding for Frank Seeland

Erik Zabel grew up in East Berlin, Germany. His father, Detlev, was also a professional cyclist. Erik's first big success as a young rider was at the track world championship. He finished third in the team pursuit with the East German team. In 1988, he placed fifth in the points race. In 1989, at 19, he joined the East German national track team for professionals. That year, he became the national champion of East Germany in the individual pursuit.

After the Fall of the Berlin Wall, he moved to Dortmund. He joined the amateur team RC Olympia Dortmund. In 1991, he was second at the first national road championship of a united Germany. He also won the regional championship of North Rhine-Westphalia. He was then chosen for the amateur German team for the World Championship. In 1992, he became known as a strong sprinter. He won the green jersey in the Peace Race and several stages in other races. In July, he finished fourth in the road race at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona. He won the sprint of the main group of riders there.

Professional Cycling Career

Starting Out: 1993–1995

In late 1992, Erik Zabel became a professional cyclist. He first rode for a small German team, Union-Frondenberg. In 1993, he moved to Team Telekom. This is where he really grew as a sprinter. In 1994, he won Paris–Tours. This was his first victory in a major one-day race, known as a classic.

In 1995, he won two stages in the Tour de France. These were his first big wins in a Grand Tour.

Winning Green Jerseys and Classics: 1996–1999

Zabel during Paris–Tours 2002

In 1996, Zabel won two more stages in the Tour de France. He also won the points classification, which earns the rider the green jersey. He wore the green jersey from stage 10 until the end of the Tour. That year, his Telekom team also had riders finish first and second overall.

In 1997, Zabel won his first "monument classic" race, Milan–San Remo. He was the only sprinter in a large group to reach the finish line. He easily won the sprint. Later that year, he won three stages in the Tour de France. He also secured his second green jersey.

In 1998, he won Milan–San Remo for the second time. He also became the national road champion of Germany. He won his third green jersey in the Tour de France, even without winning a stage.

In 1999, he finished second in Milan–San Remo. He won the sprint of the main group, but another rider had already broken away. He won the important German race Rund um den Henninger Turm in Frankfurt. He also won his fourth green jersey in a row at the Tour de France. This tied the record set by Sean Kelly.

World Number One: 2000–2002

In 2000, Zabel won two big races in the spring. He won Milan–San Remo for the third time. He also had a surprising win at the Amstel Gold Race. He beat Michael Boogerd in a group sprint. In the summer, he won an amazing fifth green jersey at the Tour de France. This broke Kelly's record. By the end of the year, he was the best overall in the World Cup. He was also ranked number two in the world.

In 2001, he won Milan–San Remo for the fourth time. This was the most wins since the cycling legend Eddy Merckx. People in Italy started calling him Signore Milano-Sanremo (Mr. Milan-San Remo). He won the points classification in the Tour de France for the sixth time in a row. He also won three stages. Zabel's amazing streak of six green jerseys was because he was a great all-around rider. He was one of the strongest sprinters. He could also climb hills quite well. This meant he could win stages and keep the green jersey. One memorable win was in the 2001 Tour de France. His competition with Australian Stuart O'Grady lasted until the very last stage in Paris. Zabel's better finish took the green jersey from O'Grady. Later that summer, he won the HEW Cyclassics. This was Germany's biggest one-day classic race. It was his seventh World Cup race win. In September, he won three stages in a row in the Vuelta a España. He also finished fifth in the World Championship road race.

The year 2001 was his most successful ever. He won 29 races and was ranked number one in the world.

In 2002, he missed the main group in Milan–San Remo. But he won Rund um den Henninger Turm for the second time. In the summer, he did not win a seventh green jersey in the Tour de France. He won one stage, his twelfth overall. But Australian Robbie McEwen beat him in the points classification. Instead, he won the points classification in the Vuelta a España. He did this without winning a stage. In Zolder, Belgium, he finished third at the World Championship. He was behind Mario Cipollini and Robbie McEwen in a group sprint. By the end of the year, he was still ranked number one in the world.

Vuelta Success and Podium Finishes: 2003–2005

Zabel in the national road championship, 2004

In 2003, Zabel became the national road champion of Germany for the second time. However, he did not win a stage in the Tour de France. He finished third in the points classification. He won two stages in the Vuelta a España. He also won the points classification of that race again. In October, he won Paris–Tours for the second time. He set a record for the fastest average speed in a one-day race. He ended the year ranked number two in the world.

In 2004, Zabel almost won his fifth Milan–San Remo. He celebrated too early and Óscar Freire passed him at the very end. He was third in the Tour de France points classification. He was first in the Vuelta a España points classification. This was his ninth points classification win in a Grand Tour, which is a record. At the 2004 Olympics in Athens, he was fourth in the road race again. He won the sprint of the main group but missed an Olympic medal. By the end of the year, he was second in the world championship in Verona.

In 2005, Zabel became the first rider to win Rund um den Henninger-Turm in Frankfurt three times. This was his first win of the season. In May, he rode the Giro d'Italia for the first time. He wanted to win the points classification there, but he did not win a stage. His team, T-Mobile, decided not to pick him for the Tour de France that year. Zabel was not happy about this. He rode the Vuelta, but could not win a stage or the points classification. In October, he won Paris–Tours for the third time. This tied the record for wins in that classic race.

Zabel at prologue of the Tour de France 2006 in Strasbourg

Team Milram and Retirement: 2006–2008

At 35, Zabel left Team Telekom after 13 years. In 2006, he joined the Italian-German team Milram. He teamed up with Alessandro Petacchi, who was considered the fastest sprinter. Petacchi got injured, so Zabel became the team leader. He won a stage in the Bayern Rundfahrt. In the Tour, he was second in the points classification. He won two stages in the Vuelta a España. In Salzburg, he finished second at the world championship. This was his third time on the podium at the world championships.

In 2007, he won two stages in the Bayern Rundfahrt and one in the Tour de Suisse. He was again the captain for the Tour de France team. He wore the green jersey for one day. He finished second twice and third once in stages. He was third in the final points classification. In July, he won a stage in the Deutschland Tour. This was his 13th stage win there. He also won the race's points classification for the seventh time. In September, he won the seventh stage in the Tour of Spain. This brought his total Vuelta stage wins to eight.

Zabel in 2009

In 2008, he won one race, a stage in the Tour of Valencia. In his last Tour de France, at age 38, he was third in the points classification. In September 2008, Erik Zabel announced he would retire the next month. He had been a professional cyclist for 16 years. He had 209 professional road victories and many more podium finishes. In December 2008, he joined the Columbia team as an advisor. He worked with riders like Mark Cavendish and André Greipel.

Major Results

Road Cycling Achievements

Grand Tour Results

Grand Tour	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	63	—	—	80
Tour de France	DNF	90	82	66	62	89	61	96	82	107	59	—	84	79	41
/ Vuelta a España	—	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	86	69	72	43	63	62	73	49

Classic Race Results

Six Day Track Cycling Results

See also

In Spanish: Erik Zabel para niños