Joseba Beloki facts for kids
Joseba Beloki on Col de Peyresourde in 2005
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro | ||
| Born | 12 August 1973 Lazkao, Basque Country, Spain |
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| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) | ||
| Weight | 68 kg (150 lb; 10 st 10 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Climbing specialist | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (born 12 August 1973) is a Spanish Basque former professional road bicycle racer. He was known for being a strong climber in the mountains and good at individual time trials.
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Amazing Tour de France Results
Joseba Beloki started his professional cycling career in 1998. He quickly became a top rider. He joined different teams, including Euskaltel, Festina, and ONCE.
He achieved great success in the Tour de France, one of the biggest cycling races in the world. He finished on the podium in his first three attempts:
- In 2000, he came in 3rd place.
- In 2001, he again finished 3rd.
- In 2002, he achieved his best result, finishing 2nd.
Beloki also won the overall title at the Volta a Catalunya race in 2001.
A Difficult Crash and Recovery
On July 14, 2003, during the 9th stage of the 2003 Tour de France, Joseba Beloki was in second place overall. He was very close to the leader, only 40 seconds behind. While going down a hill fast, he lost control of his bike. His rear tire slipped on a soft patch of road.
Beloki fell very hard. He broke his right femur (the big bone in his leg) in two places. He also broke his elbow and his wrist. This serious crash greatly affected his career as a top cyclist.
After the crash, Beloki worked hard to recover. He tried to return to racing in 2004 with a new team. However, his injuries took longer to heal than expected. He had to stop during a race in his home region, the Tour of the Basque Country, because of pain.
He switched teams again and continued to try and race. In 2005, he completed the 2005 Tour de France, finishing in 75th place. He also finished the Vuelta a España that year.
Personal Life
Joseba Beloki's son, Markel Beloki, has also become a professional cyclist.
Major Career Achievements
Here are some of Joseba Beloki's most important results:
- 2000: 3rd overall in the 2000 Tour de France. He also won the Vuelta a Asturias race.
- 2001: 3rd overall in the 2001 Tour de France. He won the overall title at the 2001 Volta a Catalunya.
- 2002: 2nd overall in the 2002 Tour de France. He finished 3rd overall in the 2002 Vuelta a España.
- 2003: He won the overall title at the Clasica Alcobendas.
Images for kids
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The road segment where the crash happened
See also
In Spanish: Joseba Beloki para niños
