Juan José Cobo facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Juan José Cobo

Cobo at the 2012 Critérium du Dauphiné
Personal information
Full name	Juan José Cobo Acebo
Nickname	El Bisonte de La Pesa
Born	(1981-02-21) 21 February 1981 (age 44) Torrelavega, Cantabria, Spain
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	69 kg (152 lb)
Team information
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Climber/Time-Trialist
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (2008) Stage Races Tour of the Basque Country (2007)

Juan José Cobo Acebo (born 21 February 1981) is a retired Spanish professional road racing cyclist. He was born in Torrelavega, Cantabria. Cobo was known as a strong climber and also good at time trials. He won the 2011 Vuelta a España, which was his biggest win. However, in 2019, he lost this title. This happened after he was found to have broken rules about fair play in sports by the UCI.

On June 13, 2019, the UCI announced that Cobo had been found guilty of a doping violation. This decision was based on information from his biological passport.

Juan José Cobo's Early Career

In 2003, Cobo won the Spanish under-23 time-trial championships. This was a big achievement for him. He was chosen to be part of the national team. He competed in the European Championships in Athens in August. He also went to the World Championships in Hamilton, Canada, in October. At the European Championships, he finished fourth. At the World Championships, he came in 33rd place in the time-trial. In September, he joined a professional team called Vini Caldirola as a trainee.

In 2004, Cobo officially became a professional cyclist. He joined a new Spanish team called Saunier Duval–Prodir. His best result that year was finishing ninth in the Japan Cup. In 2005, he rode in his first major multi-day race, the Giro d'Italia.

Winning the Tour of the Basque Country

In 2007, Juan José Cobo had a fantastic year. He won the Tour of the Basque Country. During this race, he also won two individual stages. He took the leader's jersey on the very first stage. He lost it for a short time but won another stage later. This helped him get the overall lead back. He held onto it to win the entire Tour. After this, Cobo rode in the Tour de France. He hoped to win a stage there. While he didn't win a stage, he finished the Tour in a good 20th place overall.

Challenges and Victories

In 2008, Cobo was still with the Saunier Duval team. He finished second in a tough mountain stage of the Tour de France. This stage was in Hautacam. However, his team had to leave the Tour early. This was because another rider on his team had a positive test for banned substances. Later, Cobo was given the stage win himself. This happened because the rider who originally won it was also found to have broken doping rules.

The team changed its name to Fuji-Servetto in 2009. Cobo stayed with them and became a team leader. He finished 10th in the Vuelta a España. He also won a stage during that race. He did not race in the Tour de France that year. This was because his team was not invited to the event.

The 2011 Vuelta a España

In 2011, Cobo's team, Geox–TMC, was invited to the Vuelta a España. Cobo was picked to help his team leader, Denis Menchov. But things changed when Cobo won the 15th stage. This stage had a very steep climb called the Angliru. After this win, Cobo became the leader of the race and his team. He kept the lead for the rest of the race. He managed to stay ahead of Chris Froome, who finished second by only 13 seconds. Froome tried hard to catch him, especially on stage 17. Cobo was dropped for a moment but fought back. He rejoined Froome right before the finish line.

Later Career and Retirement

After his team Geox–TMC closed down, Cobo joined Movistar Team for the 2012 season. He didn't win any races that year. He rode in the Tour de France and finished 30th overall. He was supposed to be the leader for his team at the Vuelta a España. However, another rider, Alejandro Valverde, performed better early on. So, Valverde became the team leader. Cobo helped Valverde finish second. Cobo himself finished 67th in that race.

Cobo left Movistar Team at the end of 2013. He then joined Torku Şekerspor for the 2014 season. He retired from professional cycling after that year.

On June 18, 2019, it was confirmed that Cobo's 2011 Vuelta victory was taken away. This was due to findings from his biological passport. These findings suggested he had used substances that were not allowed. He also lost other results from 2009 and 2011. This included his 10th place at the 2009 Vuelta. Cobo did not appeal the decision. So, on July 18, 2019, he officially lost his 2011 Vuelta win.

Career Achievements

Major Results

Grand Tour Results Over the Years

This table shows Juan José Cobo's results in the biggest cycling races, called Grand Tours.

Grand Tour	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013
Giro d'Italia	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	116
Tour de France	—	—	20	DNF	—	—	—	30	—
Vuelta a España	—	DNF	—	—	10	—	1	67	—

See also

In Spanish: Juanjo Cobo para niños