Fabien Sanchez (born 30 March 1983 in Hyères) is a French retired professional track cyclist. He won the bronze medal in men's team pursuit at the

2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships The 2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany from July 30 to August 3, 2003. The championships were due to be held in Shenzh ...

, and later represented his nation

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in two editions of the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008). Before his official retirement in late 2008, Sanchez rode for three seasons on the pro cycling team, following by his annual stint on in 2006. Sanchez is also a four-time French track cycling champion in both the individual and team pursuit and in the points race.

Racing career

Before his professional cycling career, Sanchez sought headlines in the international scene, when he led the French team for the gold in a team pursuit final match against the Germans at the 2001 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in

Trexlertown, Pennsylvania Trexlertown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Upper Macungie Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,382. It is part of the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of 86 ...

, United States. In August 2003, Sanchez turned his sights to professional cycling when he signed a triple seasonal contract with . On that same year, he delivered the French foursome a bronze-medal time of 4:04.119 to defeat the Russians in men's team pursuit at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany, earning them a guaranteed spot for the Olympics. An official member of the French cycling team, Sanchez made his debut at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

Athens Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...

, where he finished sixth in the men's individual pursuit (4:21.235), and seventh in the men's team pursuit (4:07.336), along with Anthony Langella, Mathieu Ladagnous, and

Jérôme Neuville Jérôme Neuville (born 15 August 1975 in Saint-Martin d'Hères, Isère) is a French racing cyclist. He had a break in his track cycling career between 1999 and 2002, during which time he competed on the road as a professional cyclist with the ...

. Shortly after the 2004 Summer Olympics, Sanchez extended his career resume by scoring two triumphs each in men's individual and team pursuit at the French Championships, while competing for and pro cycling teams. At the end of 2006 season, Sanchez decided to return to his amateur sporting career, and later joined the La Pomme Marseille Cycling Club (french: Vélo-Club La Pomme Marseille). The following year, Sanchez qualified for his second French squad, as a 25-year-old, in the men's individual pursuit at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Na ...

Beijing } Beijing ( ; ; ), alternatively romanized as Peking ( ), is the capital of the People's Republic of China. It is the center of power and development of the country. Beijing is the world's most populous national capital city, with over 21 ...

based on the nation's selection process from the UCI Track World Rankings. Sanchez could not produce a more striking effort in the prelims after losing out his 4 km opening match to Australia's Brett Lancaster by a seven-second gap in 4:33.100, dropping him to fifteenth place in the overall standings. Setting up his official retirement from competitive cycling in 2010, Sanchez currently works on a full-time position as an athletic director for La Pomme Marseille Cycling Club (french: Vélo-Club La Pomme Marseille).

Career highlights

;2001 : UCI Junior World Championships (Team pursuit),

(USA) ;2003 : UCI Track Cycling World Championships (Team pursuit),

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

(GER) : 3rd French Championships (Individual pursuit), Hyères (FRA) ;2004 : 1st MaillotFra

French Championships (Individual pursuit), Hyères : 6th

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games or Olympics (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques) are the leading international sporting events featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a var ...

( Individual pursuit),

(GRE) : 7th

( Team pursuit),

(GRE) ;2005 : 1st MaillotFra

French Championships (Team pursuit), France : 2nd French Championships (Individual pursuit), France ;2007 : 1st MaillotFra

French Championships (Individual pursuit), Hyères (FRA) : 2nd French Championships (Points race), Hyères (FRA) : 3rd French Championships (Team pursuit), Hyères (FRA) ;2008 : 1st MaillotFra

French Championships (Points race), France : 2nd French Championships (Individual pursuit), France : 15th

( Individual pursuit),

(CHN)

References

External links

French Olympic Team Profile

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Fabien 1983 births Living people French male cyclists French track cyclists Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of France Sportspeople from Hyères Cyclists from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur