Isidro Nozal facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Isidro Nozal | ||
| Born | 18 October 1977 Barakaldo, Spain |
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| Team information | |||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Isidro Nozal Vega (born 18 October 1977) is a Spanish former professional road racing cyclist. He was a very important helper, called a domestique, for his team.
Isidro Nozal finished second in the 2003 Vuelta a España, which is a major cycling race in Spain. He also helped his teammate, Roberto Heras, win the 2004 Vuelta a España.
Contents
Following the Rules in Cycling
In professional sports like cycling, there are strict rules about what athletes can and cannot do to improve their performance. These rules are in place to make sure everyone competes fairly.
In 2005, Isidro Nozal was suspended for two weeks. This happened because a test showed a result that was against the rules before a race called Dauphine Libere.
Later, in 2006, his name came up in a big investigation about unfair methods in cycling, known as the Operación Puerto doping case. At first, Spanish officials said he had not done anything wrong. However, he later said he had used methods that were not allowed before the 2005 race. He said he did not think he was doing anything wrong at the time.
For the 2008 and 2009 seasons, Nozal rode for a team from Portugal called Liberty Seguros. In September 2009, it was announced that Nozal and two of his teammates had tested positive for substances that were not allowed. These tests were taken during the Tour of Portugal race.
Because of this, Liberty Seguros immediately stopped sponsoring the team. The win by one of Nozal's teammates was taken away, and another rider was given the overall win instead. Nozal and his two teammates were suspended from cycling for two years.
Isidro Nozal's Race Achievements
Isidro Nozal had many strong performances during his cycling career. He was especially good in time trial races, where cyclists race against the clock individually or as a team.
Major Race Results
- 1998
- 7th Overall Circuito Montañés
- 1999
- 6th Overall Tour de Pologne
- 2000
- 1st Stage 1 (Team Time Trial) Volta a Catalunya
- 2001
- 6th Overall Vuelta Ciclista a la Rioja
- 2002
- Tour de France
- 1st Stage 4 (Team Time Trial)
- Wore the
White Jersey (for best young rider) after Stages 4–8
- 4th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
- 7th Overall Deutschland Tour
- 7th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Stage 3 (Team Time Trial)
- 7th Overall Vuelta a Asturias
- 8th Overall Clasica de Alcobendas
- 1st Stage 3 (Individual Time Trial)
- 2003
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st Stages 1 (Team Time Trial), 6 (Individual Time Trial) & 13 (Individual Time Trial)
- Wore the
Gold Jersey (for the overall leader) after Stages 4–19 - Wore the
Polka Dot Jersey (for the best climber) after Stage 9 - Wore the
Blue Jersey (for the points leader) after Stages 4–9 & 12–14
- 4th in the Time Trial at the UCI Road World Championships
- 6th Overall Deutschland Tour
- 2004
- 7th in the Time Trial at the Spanish National Road Championships
- 7th Overall Vuelta a España
- 10th Subida al Naranco
Grand Tour Race Results
Grand Tours are the three biggest and most famous cycling races: the Giro d'Italia (in Italy), the Tour de France (in France), and the Vuelta a España (in Spain). This table shows how Isidro Nozal finished in these races each year.
| Grand Tour | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia |
— | — | 68 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
 Tour de France |
— | — | — | 38 | 72 | 73 | — | — | — | — | — |
| / Vuelta a España |
— | — | — | — | 2 | 7 | DNF | — | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
See also
In Spanish: Isidro Nozal para niños
