Simon Gerrans facts for kids
Simon Gerrans (born 16 May 1980) is an Australian former professional road bicycle racer. He rode bikes professionally from 2005 to 2018. He raced for several teams, including AG2R Prévoyance, Crédit Agricole, Cervélo TestTeam, Team Sky, Orica–GreenEDGE (later Mitchelton–Scott), and BMC Racing Team. After retiring from racing, he worked in finance and now helps run a cycling company called The Service Course. He also commentates on cycling races for TV.
Gerrans was a two-time winner of the Australian National Road Race Championships, winning in 2012 and 2014. He also won the Tour Down Under a record four times. He was very good at one-day races, winning the 2009 GP Ouest-France, the 2012 Milan–San Remo, the 2012 and 2014 Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec, and the 2014 Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He also won stages in all three major cycling races called Grand Tours. In the 2013 Tour de France, Gerrans even wore the famous yellow jersey after his team won a special team race.
Gerrans at the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Simon Gerrans | ||
| Born | 16 May 1980 Melbourne, Australia |
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| Height | 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in) | ||
| Weight | 64 kg (141 lb; 10 st 1 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | Puncheur | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Contents
Early Life and Start in Cycling
Simon Gerrans was born in Melbourne, Australia. He grew up in a town called Mansfield, Victoria.
He started cycling after he hurt his knee. His neighbor, Phil Anderson, who used to wear the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France, helped him get into the sport. Simon also received a scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport to help him train.
In 2002, he finished fifth in the senior Australian National Road Race Championships. He also won the under-23 title that year. He then trained with a few teams before becoming a professional cyclist in 2005. He rode in his first Tour de France in the same year.
Professional Cycling Career
In 2006, Simon had a bad crash and broke his collarbone and shoulder. He also needed stitches in his head. But he recovered quickly and was back training just three weeks later. He even represented Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
Big Wins and Grand Tour Success
In 2008, Simon won a stage in the Tour de France. This was a huge moment in his career. He was part of a small group of riders who broke away from the main pack. He then sprinted ahead to win the stage.
In 2009, Simon joined a new team. Even though he had won a Tour de France stage, he wasn't chosen for the Tour de France that year. However, he still had a fantastic year. He won a stage in the 2009 Giro d'Italia, which is another major Grand Tour race. He attacked on a steep climb to take the win.
Later in 2009, he won a stage in the 2009 Vuelta a España, the third Grand Tour. This made him the first Australian cyclist to win a stage in all three Grand Tours: the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France, and the Vuelta a España.
Simon joined Team Sky in 2010. He had another crash during the 2010 Tour de France, breaking his arm and forcing him to leave the race. In 2011, he finished third in the 2011 Amstel Gold Race. He also won the 2011 Danmark Rundt race in Denmark.
2012: A Champion Year
The year 2012 was amazing for Simon Gerrans. In January, he became the Australian national road race champion for the first time. He then won the 2012 Tour Down Under for the second time. He secured this win on the fifth stage, taking the lead in the overall race.
On March 17, 2012, Simon won Milan–San Remo, one of cycling's most famous one-day races. He beat two other strong riders in a sprint finish. Later that year, he also won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec in Canada. He attacked near the end of the race and out-sprinted another rider to win.
2013: Wearing the Yellow Jersey
In 2013, Simon and his team had a great start to the 2013 Tour de France. He won the third stage in a close sprint finish. This was his team's first stage win at the Tour de France. The next day, his team also won the team time trial. Because of this, Simon got to wear the famous yellow jersey, which is given to the overall race leader. He was only the sixth Australian cyclist to ever wear it.
Simon showed great sportsmanship during the Tour. On stage 6, he held back at the finish line to let his teammate, Daryl Impey, take the yellow jersey. This made Impey the first South African to wear the yellow jersey.
2014: More Big Wins
After winning the Australian National Road Race again, Simon won the 2014 Tour Down Under for the third time. He beat fellow Australian Cadel Evans by just one second. He also won the first stage of that race.
On April 27, 2014, Simon won Liège–Bastogne–Liège, another very important one-day race. He was the first Australian to win this historic event.
During the 2014 Tour de France, Simon was involved in a crash with Mark Cavendish on the first stage. Both riders fell heavily. Later that year, Simon won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec again, becoming the first cyclist to win this Canadian race twice. Two days later, he also won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal, making him the first rider to win both Canadian World Tour races in the same year. He then went on to win a silver medal at the 2014 UCI Road World Championships.
Later Career and Retirement
Simon had a tough year in 2015 with several crashes. He broke his collarbone and elbow early in the season. He also crashed in the 2015 Giro d'Italia and the 2015 Tour de France, forcing him to leave both races.
In 2016, he started the year well by winning two stages and the overall title at the 2016 Tour Down Under for the fourth time. This put him at the top of the new UCI World Ranking for several weeks. However, he broke his collarbone again during the 2016 Tour de France.
Simon didn't win any races in 2017. In September 2017, he announced he would join BMC Racing Team for 2018. He would help his teammates, especially Richie Porte and Greg Van Avermaet. Simon said he had thought about retiring before Richie Porte asked him to join BMC.
In August 2018, Simon Gerrans announced he would retire from professional cycling at the end of the season. He said his "passion for the sport" wasn't what it used to be. He wanted to spend more time with his family but also hoped to stay involved in cycling in some way. He rode in his 12th Tour de France that year.
Major Achievements
Simon Gerrans had a very successful career with many important wins. Here are some of his biggest achievements:
- Grand Tours:
- Tour de France: Won 2 individual stages (2008, 2013) and 2 team time trial stages (2013, 2018).
- Giro d'Italia: Won 1 individual stage (2009) and 1 team time trial stage (2015).
- Vuelta a España: Won 1 individual stage (2009).
- Stage Races:
- Herald Sun Tour: Won overall in 2005 and 2006.
- Danmark Rundt: Won overall in 2011.
- Tour Down Under: Won overall a record four times (2006, 2012, 2014, 2016).
- One-Day Races and Classics:
- Australian National Road Race Championships: Won in 2012 and 2014.
- Milan–San Remo: Won in 2012.
- Liège–Bastogne–Liège: Won in 2014.
- GP Ouest–France: Won in 2009.
- GP de Québec: Won in 2012 and 2014.
- GP de Montréal: Won in 2014.
- World Championships:
- Silver medal in the Road Race in 2014.
Images for kids
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Gerrans at the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné
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Gerrans in the Yellow Jersey at the 2013 Tour de France
See also
In Spanish: Simon Gerrans para niños
