Gianni Meersman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Gianni Meersman

Meersman at the 2013 Tour de l'Ain.
Personal information
Nickname	Merrie
Born	(1985-12-05) 5 December 1985 (age 39) Meulebeke, West Flanders, Belgium
Height	1.77 m
Weight	63 kg
Team information
Current team	Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal
Role	Rider (retired) Directeur sportif
Rider type	Attacker Stage hunter
Major wins
Grand Tours Vuelta a España 2 individual stages (2016) Stage races Tour de Wallonie (2014) One-day races and Classics Great Ocean Road Race (2015) Handzame Classic (2015)

Gianni Meersman (born December 5, 1985) is a former professional cyclist from Belgium. He raced bikes on both tracks and roads from 2007 to 2016. Gianni rode for several teams, including Quick-Step. Today, he helps manage a cycling team as a "directeur sportif." This means he guides and supports the riders.

Gianni started his professional cycling career in 2007. Early on, he had to stop a race due to a knee injury. He later became well-known in the cycling world. This happened after he won two stages in the 2016 Vuelta a España. The Vuelta a España is one of the biggest cycling races in the world. He won these stages by being very fast in the final sprint.

Sadly, Gianni had to stop racing professionally at the end of 2016. Doctors found a heart condition that made it unsafe for him to continue. He announced his retirement on December 30, 2016. After retiring from racing, Gianni stayed in the cycling world. In 2017, he became a "sporting director" for a cyclo-cross team. Cyclo-cross is a type of bike racing that combines road cycling with off-road riding.

Gianni's Cycling Achievements

Meersman (center) on the podium after winning the 2015 Handzame Classic.

Gianni Meersman had many great moments during his cycling career. He was known as an "attacker" and a "stage hunter." This means he often tried to break away from the main group of riders. He also aimed to win individual stages within longer races.

Here are some of his most important wins and achievements:

• In 2007, he won a stage in the Tour of Austria.
• He won stages in the Tour de Wallonie in 2008 and 2014.
• In 2011, he won the overall title of the Circuit des Ardennes. He also won a stage in that race.
• He had a very strong year in 2012. He won a stage in Paris–Nice and another in the Volta ao Algarve. He also finished third in the Clásica de San Sebastián, a famous one-day race.
• In 2013, Gianni won multiple stages in big races. These included two stages in the Volta a Catalunya and two stages in the Tour de Romandie. He also won the prologue (a short opening time trial) of the Tour de l'Ain.
• He won the overall title of the Tour de Wallonie in 2014. He also won the Trofeo Muro-Port d'Alcúdia.
• In 2015, he won the Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race. This is a well-known one-day race in Australia. He also won the Handzame Classic in Belgium.
• His biggest wins came in 2016 at the 2016 Vuelta a España. He won two stages in this major "Grand Tour" race.

Grand Tour Races

Grand Tours are the three most famous and longest cycling races. They are the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España. Gianni Meersman competed in these tough races several times.

Here is how he did in the overall standings of these races:

Grand Tour	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Giro d'Italia	—	—	—	—	DNF	—	—	DNF	—
Tour de France	—	—	—	77	—	—	—	—	—
Vuelta a España	DNF	—	98	—	57	58	—	—	111

See also

In Spanish: Gianni Meersman para niños