Wikipedia:

Denis Menchov

Denis Menchov
Denis_Menchov_2.jpg
Personal information
Full name Denis Nikolayevich Menchov
Date of birth January 25 1978 (1978--) (age 29)
Country Flag of Russia Russia
Height  m ()
Weight 65 kg (143 lb)
Team information
Current team Rabobank
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type All-rounder
Professional team(s)
2000–2004
2005–present
Banesto
Rabobank
Major wins
Jersey_gold.svgVuelta a España (2005, 2007), 4 stages
Tour de France, 1 stage
Vuelta al País Vasco (2004)
Infobox last updated on:
September 26, 2007

Denis Nikolayevich Menchov (Russian: Денис Николаевич Меньшов; born 25 January 1978 in Oryol) is a professional Russian road bicycle racer. Menchov is a good climber and a man for the General Classification. He has recently won the Vuelta a España for the second time.

Menchov started his professional career in 2000, when he signed for the Banesto team of José Miguel Echevarri. His first success came in 2001, when he won the Tour de l'Avenir, a stage race for professional youth riders. The year after he won a stage and the King of the Mountains in the Dauphiné Liberé. In 2003, Menchov had his big breakthrough when he finished 11th in the Tour de France, and won the youth competition (maillot blanc). 2004 was the last year he rode at Banesto, and it was to be his most successful. He won Vuelta al País Vasco, a stage in Vuelta a Aragon, a stage in Paris-Nice and stage five in the 2004 Vuelta a España, from Zaragoza to Morella.

As Menchov's contract ran out in September 2004, he made a switch to Dutch team Rabobank on a 2 year contract. Here he became the team captain following Levi Leipheimer's departure from the team. He was Rabobank's main contender for the 2005 Tour de France, but due to a cold, he finished in 85th place, 2 hours 35 minutes behind Lance Armstrong[1]. His run in the 2005 Vuelta was in contrast much more successful. Menchov won the stage one (time trial) to Granada and the stage nine time trial to Lloret de Mar, and wore the leader's jersey (golden jersey) for a time. On the 15th stage, though, he lost sight of Roberto Heras on a climb, and ended the race at 2nd overall behind Heras. Roberto Heras was later disqualified for doping, and Menchov received the official win of the 2005 Vuelta. He also captured the event's Combined Classification.

In the 2006 Tour de France Menchov won the 11th stage of the race and second mountain stage of the year's tour (Tarbes to Val d'Aran-Pla-de-Beret). He won the stage after a hard-fought sprint with Americans Levi Leipheimer and Floyd Landis of Team Gerolsteiner and Phonak Hearing Systems respectively. He had good prospect of ending on the podium, but in the final week, the Tour took its toll on Menchov and he dropped from 3rd to 6th place in the Alps.

In the 2007 Tour de France, Menchov abandoned the race on the stage 17, on the day after his teammate Michael Rasmussen was fired from the Rabobank team. Later that year, he won the Vuelta a España after wearing the Golden Jersey during the second half of the race. He also won a stage, the Mountains Classification and the Combination Classification.

Palmares

1997
Volta a Lleida
2001
Overall, Tour de l'Avenir
2002
Stage 2, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
2003
Jersey_white.svgWhite jersey in Tour de France
Clasica Ciclista los Puertos
2004
Overall, Vuelta al País Vasco (and Stage 4 win)
Stage 5, Vuelta a España
Stage 6, Paris-Nice
Stage 1, Vuelta a Aragón
2005
Jersey_gold.svgOverall, Vuelta a España (and Stage 1 and 9 wins)
2006
6th Overall, Tour de France (and Stage 11 win)
6th Overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (and Stage 4 win)
2007
2nd Overall, Volta a Catalunya
1st, Points classification
1st, Stage 5
3rd, Stage 7
4th Overall, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
5th, Stage 3 (ITT)
5th, Stage 4
4th, Stage 7
Vuelta a España
Jersey_gold.svgOverall, Vuelta a España
1st, Mountains classification
1st, Combination classificaion
2nd, Points classification
4th, Stage 4
4th, Stage 8 (ITT)
2nd, Stage 9
1st, Stage 10
3rd, Stage 19
2nd, Stage 20 (ITT)

References

External links


Sporting positions
Preceded by
Roberto Heras
Winner of the Vuelta a España
2005
Succeeded by
Alexandre Vinokourov
Preceded by
Alexandre Vinokourov
Winner of the Vuelta a España
2007
Succeeded by
Incumbent


Riders on Rabobank

Mauricio Ardila | Michael Boogerd | Jan Boven | Graeme Brown | Thomas Dekker | Theo Eltink | Juan Antonio Flecha | Rick Flens | Óscar Freire | Robert Gesink | Bram de Groot | Mathew Hayman | Pedro Horrillo | Dmitri Kozontchuk | Sebastian Langeveld | Gerben Löwik | Marc de Maar | Denis Menchov | Koos Moerenhout | Grischa Niermann | Joost Posthuma | Kai Reus | Léon van Bon | Max van Heeswijk | Thorwald Veneberg | William Walker | Pieter Weening

Manager
Erik Breukink

 
 
 

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