Simon Gerrans facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Simon Gerrans

Gerrans at the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné
Personal information
Full name	Simon Gerrans
Born	(1980-05-16) 16 May 1980 (age 45) Melbourne, Australia
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
Grand Tours Tour de France 2 individual stages (2008, 2013) 2 TTT stages (2013, 2018) Giro d'Italia 1 individual stage (2009) 1 TTT stage (2015) Vuelta a España 1 individual stage (2009) Stage races Herald Sun Tour (2005, 2006) Danmark Rundt (2011) Tour Down Under (2006, 2012, 2014, 2016) One-day races and Classics National Road Race Championships (2012, 2014) Milan–San Remo (2012) Liège–Bastogne–Liège (2014) GP Ouest–France (2009) GP de Québec (2012, 2014) GP de Montréal (2014)

Simon Gerrans (born 16 May 1980) is an Australian former professional road bicycle racer. He rode for several top teams from 2005 to 2018. After retiring from racing, he stayed involved in cycling. He now works as a CEO for a cycling company and also commentates on road cycling races.

Simon Gerrans won the Australian National Road Race Championships twice, in 2012 and 2014. He also won the Tour Down Under a record four times. He achieved big wins in important one-day races like the 2012 Milan–San Remo and the 2014 Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He also won stages in all three major Grand Tours: the Tour de France, Giro d'Italia, and Vuelta a España. In the 2013 Tour de France, he even wore the famous yellow jersey for a short time.

Early Life and Cycling Start

Simon Gerrans was born in Melbourne, Victoria. He grew up in a town called Mansfield, Victoria.

He started cycling after he hurt his knee. His neighbor, Phil Anderson, who had worn the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France, helped him get into the sport. Simon also received a special scholarship from the Australian Institute of Sport for cycling.

In 2002, Simon finished fifth in the senior Australian National Road Race Championships. He also won the title for riders under 23 years old. He then trained with a team in Portugal and later with the AG2R Prévoyance team.

Professional Cycling Career

Simon Gerrans became a professional cyclist in 2005. He joined the AG2R Prévoyance team. In his first year as a pro, he took part in the 2005 Tour de France.

In 2006, Simon had a bad crash in a race in February. He had surgery on his collarbone and shoulder. But he recovered quickly and was able to represent Australia at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.

Tour de France Stage Win (2008)

In 2008, Simon rode for the Crédit Agricole team. He achieved a big goal by winning stage 15 of the 2008 Tour de France. This was a highlight of his career. He was in a small group of riders who broke away from the main pack. Simon then sprinted ahead to win the stage.

After his team closed down, Simon joined the Cervélo TestTeam team for 2009. Even though he had won a Tour de France stage, he was not chosen for the 2009 Tour de France that year.

Grand Tour Stage Wins (2009)

Simon showed his strength in other big races. In the 2009 Giro d'Italia, he won stage 14 by attacking on a steep climb. This was the first Grand Tour stage win for his team. Later that year, he won stage 10 of the 2009 Vuelta a España. With this win, Simon Gerrans became the first Australian cyclist to win a stage in all three Grand Tours.

Simon Gerrans (Team Sky) after winning the 2011 Danmark Rundt

For the 2010 season, Simon joined the Team Sky team. He was part of their team for the 2010 Tour de France. However, he crashed badly on stage 8 and broke his arm, which forced him to leave the race.

In 2011, Simon finished third in the 2011 Amstel Gold Race. In August, he won the 2011 Danmark Rundt race. Soon after, it was announced that Simon would join the new GreenEDGE team for their first season in 2012.

Successful 2012 Season

The year 2012 was very successful for Simon.

• In January, he became the national road race champion for the first time.
• Later that month, he won the Tour Down Under for the second time. He took the lead on stage 5 and held onto it.
• On March 17, 2012, Simon won Milan–San Remo, a very important one-day race. He won in a sprint finish against two other strong riders.
• He also finished second in the 2012 Clásica de San Sebastián.
• In September, Simon won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec. He made a strong attack near the end of the race and sprinted to victory.

Wearing the Yellow Jersey (2013)

Gerrans in the Yellow Jersey at the 2013 Tour de France

In 2013, Simon and his team, Orica–GreenEDGE, had a great year.

• He started the season well at the 2013 Tour Down Under, winning a stage.
• He finished third in the 2013 Amstel Gold Race.
• He won a stage in the 2013 Volta a Catalunya and another in the 2013 Tour of the Basque Country.
• At the 2013 Tour de France, Simon won stage 3 in a close sprint finish. This was the first Tour de France stage win for his team.
• His team also won the team time trial on the next day. Because of this, Simon Gerrans earned the famous yellow jersey. He was only the sixth Australian cyclist to wear it.
• He showed great teamwork on stage 6 by letting his teammate, Daryl Impey, take the yellow jersey from him. This made Impey the first South African to wear the yellow jersey.

More Big Wins (2014)

After winning the Australian National road race again, Simon went on to win the 2014 Tour Down Under for the third time. He won by just one second. He also won the first stage of that race.

On April 27, 2014, Simon won the cycling monument 2014 Liège–Bastogne–Liège. He was the first Australian to win this very old and important race.

During stage 1 of the 2014 Tour de France, Simon was involved in a crash near the finish line. He was trying to get into a good position when another rider crashed into him.

Later in 2014, Simon returned to his winning ways.

• He won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec again. He is the first cyclist to win this Canadian race twice.
• Two days later, he also won the Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal. This made him the first rider to win both Canadian World Tour races in the same year.
• These wins showed he was in great shape for the World Championships. He finished second in the road race at the World Championships.

Challenges and Injuries (2015-2016)

Simon had a tough start to 2015. He broke his collarbone in January while training for the 2015 Tour Down Under. Then, he fractured his elbow in another crash during a race in Italy. His bad luck continued with more crashes in other races, including the 2015 Giro d'Italia and the 2015 Tour de France. He had to leave the Tour de France due to a broken wrist.

In 2016, Simon started the year well by winning two stages of the 2016 Tour Down Under. He won the overall race for the fourth time in his career. This put him at the top of the new UCI World Ranking for several weeks. However, he broke his collarbone again on Stage 12 of the 2016 Tour de France.

Final Seasons (2017-2018)

Simon did not win any races in 2017. He also wasn't chosen for any of the Grand Tours that year. In September 2017, he announced he would join the BMC Racing Team team for 2018. His role would be to help other riders like Richie Porte.

Simon was selected for the 2018 Tour de France, which was his 12th time participating in the race. In August 2018, he announced he would retire from professional cycling at the end of the season. He said his "passion for the sport" wasn't as strong as it used to be. He wanted to spend more time with his family but also hoped to stay involved in cycling in some way.

Major Results

Classic Race Results

Major Championships Timeline

Event		2000	2001	2002	2003	2004	2005	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018
Olympic Games	Road race	—	Not held			—	Not held			36	Not held			83	Not held			—	Not held
World Championships	Road race	—	—	—	—	DNF	86	89	66	DNF	10	DNF	79	20	—	2	6	—	—	—
National Championships	Road race	6	—	—	19	—	8	DNF	—	5	—	—	3	1	9	1	—	6	2	DNF

See also

In Spanish: Simon Gerrans para niños