Thor Hushovd

Thor Hushovd (born 18 January 1978) is a Norwegian former professional road bicycle racer.[1] He is known for sprinting and time trialing; Hushovd is a three-time Norwegian national road race champion (2004, 2010, 2013),[2] and was the winner of the 2010 World Road Race Championships. He was the first Norwegian to lead the Tour de France, and first Scandinavian to win the road race in cycling world road championship. He is also the Scandinavian with the most stage wins in Grand Tours. He is widely considered the greatest Norwegian cyclist of all time. He retired in September 2014.[3]

Thor Hushovd
Personal information
Full nameThor Hushovd
NicknameThe God of Thunder
The Bull from Grimstad
Born (1978-01-18) 18 January 1978
Grimstad, Norway
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight79 kg (174 lb)
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleCaptain
Rider typeSprinter
Classic specialist
Professional teams
2000–2008Crédit Agricole
2009–2010Cervélo TestTeam
2011Garmin–Cervélo
2012–2014BMC Racing Team
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
Points classification (2005, 2009)
10 individual stages (2002, 2004, 2006–2011)
2 TTT stages (2001, 2011)
Giro d'Italia
1 individual stage (2007)
Vuelta a España
Points classification (2006)
3 individual stages (2005, 2006, 2010)

Single-day races and Classics

World Road Race Championships (2010)
National Road Race Championships
(2004, 2010, 2013)
National Time Trial Championships
(2002, 2004, 2005)
Gent–Wevelgem (2006)
Omloop Het Nieuwsblad (2009)
Hushovd (in yellow) at the 2011 Tour de France. Hushovd held the overall lead of the race from the second to the ninth stage of the race.
Hushovd at the 2006 Tour de France; his win in the prologue was one of two stage wins during the race.

Career

Born in Grimstad, Aust-Agder, Norway, Thor won the under-23 time trial world championship and the under-23 versions of Paris–Roubaix and Paris–Tours before turning professional in 1998. He was Norwegian time trial champion in 2004 and 2005 and road race champion in 2004 and 2010. In 2006, he won seven UCI ProTour races and two stages of the Tour de France. He won the prologue in Strasbourg and led after the first day despite a cut arm. He continued with stitches and regained the yellow jersey after stage 2 with a third place. He won the last stage, beating Robbie McEwen in a sprint, thus making him the only person to win the first stage or prologue and the last stage of the Tour de France in the same year. In the 2006 Vuelta a España he won stage 6, wore the golden jersey for three stages and won the points classification

At the 2008 Tour de France, Hushovd won stage 2 in a bunch finish.[4]

2009

In 2009, Hushovd rode for the Cervélo TestTeam.[5] He took one of the team's first victories of the season by winning Stage 3 of the Tour of California. At the Tour de France, he won green jersey for the points classification for the second time, ahead of Mark Cavendish. Typically the sprinter with the most stage victories wins the points classification, though Thor only won one stage, stage 6, while Cavendish won six. After a controversy on stage 14, where Cavendish was relegated to the back of the peloton for impeding Hushovd, Hushovd attacked alone on stage 17, a mountain stage, winning two intermediate sprints.[6][7] Hushovd won stage 3 at the Tour of Missouri – 114 mi (183 km) over rolling hills – in September 2009, in a sprint finish.

2010

On 9 May 2010, Hushovd broke his collarbone on a training ride after colliding with a young girl.[8] At the Tour de France, Hushovd won the third stage, which was an unusual one for the Tour since it featured 13 km (8.1 mi) of cobblestones. He prevailed in the sprint involving five other riders.[9] That victory netted him the Green jersey, but he ultimately lost it to Alessandro Petacchi of the Lampre–Farnese Vini team.

On 3 October 2010, Thor won the road world championship, which started in Melbourne and finished in Geelong, Australia. He was the first Norwegian to win the rainbow jersey.[10][11] VeloNews said: "Hushovd...dominated a bunch sprint at the end of a thrilling 267 km race, beating Denmark's Matti Breschel and Australia’s Allan Davis." The favorite, Philippe Gilbert, was caught with three kilometers to go.[12]

2011

During the 2011 Tour de France Hushovd took the lead in the general classification and surprised many by keeping it through several hilly stages that were not expected to suit him and second placed Cadel Evans could not over turn the 1 second advantage that Hushovd held. Thor surprised his fans again on stage 13 by being one of the first riders over the Hors Categorie Col d'Aubisque and using his superior descending skills (he was clocked at 69 mph at one point) to catch and pass the leaders David Moncoutie and Jérémy Roy to take the stage. He used his descending skills again on stage 16 when he, Edvald Boasson Hagen and teammate Ryder Hesjedal went clear on the descent of the Col de Manse (a descent that overall runner up Andy Schleck deemed too dangerous for the tour) and beat Boasson Hagen in the final sprint to take his second stage of the tour.

2012

In 2012, Hushovd joined BMC Racing Team on a three-year contract.[13] Suffering from a then unknown medical condition, he had to abandon the Giro d'Italia and cancelled his scheduled participation to the Tour de France and Olympic road race.[14] The medical impairment was later identified as a "virus and muscle inflammation" by team doctors.[15] Thor hardly achieved any notable result in the season except fourteenth at Paris-Roubaix. In October, he said that he hoped to put the bad year and the virus that ruined it behind him and that he was optimistic and motivated about the 2013 season.[16]

2013

Hushovd earned his first win since the 2011 Tour of Britain with a sprint victory over Tom-Jelte Slagter of Blanco Pro Cycling on stage 1 of the Tour du Haut Var in February. It was also his first victory with BMC Racing Team.[17]

Retirement

In June 2014 Thor announced that he would retire after the 2014 UCI Road World Championships after struggling with Infectious mononucleosis since 2012.[18][19] However, after a hard crash suffered at the Tour du Poitou-Charentes, Hushovd said he would not participate in the World Championships.[20] His last race was the GP Impanis-Van Petegem in September.[3]

2015 Thor announced that he had started working on organizing an all-Norwegian UCI WorldTeam, with a plan to launch in the 2017 season to coincide with the hosting of the 2017 UCI Road World Championships in the Norwegian city of Bergen.[21]

Personal life

Thor currently resides in Monte Carlo, Monaco,[22][23] with his wife Susanne,[24] and their daughter Isabel (b. 2009).[25] The Hushovds also maintain an offseason residency in Grimstad, Aust-Agder, Norway.[26]

Career achievements

Major results
1998
1st Time trial, UCI Road World Under–23 Championships
1st Paris–Roubaix Espoirs
1st Paris–Tours Espoirs
2000
6th Time trial, Olympic Games
2001
1st Overall Tour de Normandie
1st Points classification
1st Overall Tour of Sweden
1st Overall Paris–Corrèze
1st Stage 5 (TTT) Tour de France
2002
1st Stage 18 Tour de France
1st Stage 2 Tour de l'Ain
2003
1st Stage 2 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stage 1 Vuelta a Castilla y León
2004
National Road Championships
1st Road race
1st Time trial
1st Overall French Road Cycling Cup
1st Stage 8 Tour de France
1st Stage 1 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Grand Prix de Denain
1st Classic Haribo
1st Tour de Vendée
2005
1st Time trial, National Road Championships
1st Points classification Tour de France
Volta a Catalunya
1st Points classification
1st Stage 7
1st Stage 5 Vuelta a España
1st Stage 2 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
3rd Milan–San Remo
2006
Tour de France
1st Prologue & Stage 20
Held after Stage 1 & 3
Vuelta a España
1st Points classification
1st Stage 6
1st Gent–Wevelgem
1st Stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stage 4 Tirreno–Adriatico
Volta a Catalunya
1st Points classification
1st Stage 3
1st Points classification Four Days of Dunkirk
2007
1st Stage 4 Tour de France
1st Stage 7 Giro d'Italia
2008
Volta a Catalunya
1st Points classification
1st Prologue & Stage 1
Paris–Nice
1st Points classification
1st Prologue
1st Stage 2 Tour de France
1st Stage 1 Tour Méditerranéen
1st Stage 6 Four Days of Dunkirk
2009
Tour de France
1st Points classification
1st Stage 6
Combativity award Stage 17
Tour of Missouri
1st Points classification
1st Stage 3
Volta a Catalunya
1st Stages 1 & 6
1st Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
1st Stage 3 Tour of California
1st Stage 4 Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne
3rd Paris–Roubaix
3rd Milan–San Remo
2010
1st Road race, UCI Road World Championships
1st Road race, National Road Championships
1st Stage 3 Tour de France
1st Stage 6 Vuelta a España
2nd Paris–Roubaix
2011
Tour de France
1st Stages 2 (TTT), 13 & 16
Held from Stage 2–9
1st Stage 4 Tour de Suisse
1st Stage 4 Tour of Britain
8th Paris–Roubaix
2013
National Road Championships
1st Road race
2nd Time trial
1st Overall Arctic Race of Norway
1st Points classification
1st Stages 2 & 4
Tour de Pologne
1st Stages 3 & 5
1st Stage 3 Tour of Austria
1st Stage 1 Tour of Beijing
4th Grand Prix d'Isbergues
5th Overall Tour du Haut Var
1st Stage 1
6th GP Ouest–France
8th Vattenfall Cyclassics
2014
9th Gent–Wevelgem

Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Giro d'Italia — — — — — — DNF — — — — DNF — —
Tour de France DNF 112 118 104 116 120 138 96 106 111 68 — — —
Vuelta a España — — — — DNF 82 — — — DNF — — — —

Monuments results timeline
Monument 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
Milan–San Remo — 48 73 — — 3 13 — 9 3 6 127 — DNF 56
Tour of Flanders — 46 81 — 38 31 14 60 27 — 57 53 55 DNF 90
Paris–Roubaix 63 DNF 33 — 17 9 — 43 DNF 3 2 8 14 35 19
Liège–Bastogne–Liège — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Giro di Lombardia — — — — — — — — — — DNF — — — —
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

References
  1. "World champion Thor Hushovd signs three-year deal with BMC Racing Team". VeloNation. VeloNation LLC. 9 August 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
  2. "National Championship, Road, Elite, Norway". Cycling Archives. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  3. "Gallery: Thor Hushovd's career in photos". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 20 September 2014. Retrieved 20 September 2014.
  4. Hushovd happy after Tour de France win, Aftenposten 7 July 2008
  5. "Thor Hushovd has signed with the new Cervelo TestTeam" (9 Sep. 2008) VeloNews.com. Retrieved 10 March 2010
  6. "Embarrassed Cavendish apologises for outburst". BBC Sport. 24 July 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
  7. Gregor Brown (23 July 2009). "Hushovd attacks solo for green jersey respect". Cycling News. Retrieved 26 July 2009.
  8. Hushovd sidelined with broken collarbone VeloNews.
  9. "Tour de France: Hushovd wins but Thomas into second". BBC Sport. BBC. 6 July 2010. Retrieved 28 November 2012.
  10. "Thor Hushovd wins world road racing title" (3 Oct. 2010) VeloNews.com. Retrieved 10 March 2010
  11. King Thor roars to Worlds victory CyclingNews.com. Retrieved 10 March 2010.
  12. "Thor Hushovd wins the rainbow jersey for Norway". Cycling Weekly. 3 October 2010. Retrieved 4 October 2010.
  13. Brian Holcombe (9 August 2013). "Hushovd joins new BMC super team". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  14. "London 2012 Olympics: Thor Hushovd ruled out of Games". The Daily Telegraph. 16 July 2012. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
  15. "BMC doc blames virus, muscle inflammation for Hushovd's poor season". Velo News. 2012 Competitor Group, Inc. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  16. "Hushovd motivated for future after lost 2012 season". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 17 October 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2012.
  17. "Hushovd wins Tour du Haut Var opener". Cyclingnews. Future Publishing Limited. 16 February 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2013.
  18. "Hushovd, winner of 10 Tour de France stages, quits". Yahoo! Sports. 27 June 2014. Retrieved 30 June 2014.
  19. "Hushovd to retire at season's end". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Retrieved 27 June 2014.
  20. "Hushovd rules himself out of Worlds". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 30 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
  21. "News shorts: Hushovd aiming to create Norwegian WorldTour team". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 25 July 2015. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
  22. "Page not found - NBC Olympics". Cite uses generic title (help)
  23. Tingve, Pål Marius (3 June 2011). "Hushovd frustrert over Contador-avgjørelse".
  24. Hushovd flytter til Monaco Archived 2 November 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  25. "A daughter for Hushovd - Cyclingnews.com".
  26. "Sykkelfrue og hjelperytter - mamma". Archived from the original on 3 March 2014.
Awards
Preceded by
Petter Northug		 Norwegian Sportsperson of the Year
2010		 Succeeded by
Alexander Dale Oen
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