Gianni Meersman (born 5 December 1985) is a Belgian former professional track and

road bicycle racer Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

, who rode professionally between 2007 and 2016 for the , , and teams. He currently works as a directeur sportif for the team. After stage 3 of the

2007 Tour de Georgia The 2007 Tour de Georgia was a seven-stage road bicycle racing, professional bicycle race held from April 16 through April 22, 2007 across the state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and into Tennessee. The race was part of the 2007 USA Cycling Prof ...

, Meersman was forced to abandon the race due to a severe case of patella tendinitis. He treated the riders of the Grand Peloton, a charity fundraiser ride, to his presence as the Peloton Captain of the "Blue Peloton". Meersman finally came to

Grand Tour The Grand Tour was the principally 17th- to early 19th-century custom of a traditional trip through Europe, with Italy as a key destination, undertaken by upper-class young European men of sufficient means and rank (typically accompanied by a tuto ...

prominence, after 10 years as a professional racer, at the

2016 Vuelta a España The 2016 Vuelta a España was a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race that took place in Spain between 20 August and 11 September 2016. The race was the 71st edition of the Vuelta a España and the final Grand Tour of the 2016 cycling season. ...

winning two stages in bunch sprints. During the race, announced that Meersman had agreed a one-year contract with the team for 2017. However, a diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia and scar tissue on his heart forced Meersman to announce his retirement on 30 December 2016. On 11 October 2017, Meersman was confirmed as the new

sporting director A sporting director, or director of sport, is an executive management position in a sports club. The role is well known as a manager role for European football clubs, which are sometime also "sports clubs", offering many types of sports. The sport ...

for cyclo-cross team .

Major results

;2002 : 2nd Time trial, National Junior Road Championships ;2004 : 1st Circuit de Wallonie : 10th

Grand Prix Criquielion The Grand Prix Criquielion is a European single day cycle race held each year in and around the Belgian village of Deux-Acren. The race was first organized in 1991 in honour of Claude Criquielion, who had announced his retirement that same year an ...

;2005 : 1st Stage 1

Ronde de l'Isard The Ronde de l'Isard is a road bicycle race held annually in France. It is organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union C ...

: 3rd

Flèche Ardennaise The Flèche Ardennaise is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June in the province of Liège, Belgium. Since 2010, the race is organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle ...

: 7th Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships : 8th Overall

Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux is a Belgian cycling road race. It was first held in 1996. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing compe ...

;2006 : 2nd

Zellik–Galmaarden Zellik–Galmaarden is a European single day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders. As of 2011, the race is organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions ...

: 6th Overall Circuit des Ardennes ;2007 : 1st Stage 5

Tour of Austria The Tour of Austria (german: Internationale Österreich Rundfahrt) is a stage cycling race held in Austria. From 1949 to 1995 it was a race for amateur cyclists, turning into a professional event in 1996. In 2005 and 2006 it was organised as a 2 ...

: 1st Stage 3

Tour de Georgia The Tour de Georgia was a U.S. professional road cycling stage race across the state of Georgia. The race began in 2003 and was contested six times until 2008. It was one of the three events in North America ranked as Hors Classe (2.HC) stage rac ...

: 7th Overall Tour of Belgium : 8th Overall

Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen Dwars door West-Vlaanderen is a road bicycle race through the Belgian province of West Flanders. History The race was originally created unter the name Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen (''English'': Tour of the Flemish Ardennes) in 1945 as a one-day ...

;2008 : 1st Stage 4

Tour de Wallonie The Tour de Wallonie is a stage race cycling race on the UCI Europe Tour. It runs in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium in the end of July. Between 1974 and 1995 it was reserved to amateurs. Since 2005, the race has been organized as a ...

: 2nd Overall

Étoile de Bessèges The Étoile de Bessèges () is an early-season five-day road bicycle racing stage race held annually around Bessèges, in the Gard department of the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. First organized in 1971 as a one-day race, it became a sta ...

: 3rd Trophée des Grimpeurs : 3rd

Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan Grand Prix du Morbihan is a single-day men's road bicycle race held annually in May around Plumelec, in the region of Brittany, France. Since 2020, the race is organised as a 1.Pro event on the UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is the second tie ...

: 6th Overall

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk (french: Quatre Jours de Dunkerque) is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been h ...

: 9th Overall

Circuit de Lorraine The Circuit de Lorraine is a multi-stage road bicycle racing event held annually in Lorraine, France. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competi ...

;2010 : 2nd Overall

Paris–Corrèze Paris–Corrèze was a road bicycle race held annually in France, usually between a department near Paris and the department of Corrèze. It was created by Laurent Fignon and Max Mamers. It was first held in 2001 and since 2005 it has been organi ...

;2011 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall Circuit des Ardennes ::1st Jersey green

Points classification ::1st Stage 2 : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd

Paris–Troyes Paris–Troyes is an annual single-day road bicycle race in France between Paris and Troyes. First held in 1959, since 2005 it has been a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competiti ...

: 2nd

Route Adélie Route Adélie de Vitré is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in a circuit around Vitré, Ille-et-Vilaine, Vitré, France. Between 1980 and 1995 it was called ''Tour d'Armorique''. Since 2005, the race is organized as a UCI ra ...

: 3rd

Halle–Ingooigem Halle–Ingooigem is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June in West Flanders, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competit ...

: 4th Flèche d'Emeraude : 7th Overall

Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali The Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali ( en, International Week of Coppi and Bartali), also known as Coppi e Bartali, is an Italian cycle sport, cycle Road bicycle racing, road race. It is run typically in late March over five days in t ...

: 8th Brabantse Pijl : 10th Overall Ster ZLM Toer ;2012 : 1st Stage 4

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...

: 2nd Overall

: 3rd

Clásica de San Sebastián The Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa — Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián (San Sebastián Classic) is a one-day professional men's bicycle road race in northern Spain that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián. It is the mo ...

: 10th Overall

Volta ao Algarve The Volta ao Algarve (Portuguese; en, Tour of the Algarve) is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Algarve, Portugal. Since 2017, it has been organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became part of the new UCI P ...

::1st Stage 1 ;2013 :

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of th ...

::1st Stages 1 & 2 : Tour de Romandie ::1st Stages 1 & 3 : 1st Prologue Tour de l'Ain : 1st Jersey green

Points classification

Critérium du Dauphiné The Critérium du Dauphiné, before 2010 known as the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, is an annual cycling road race in the Dauphiné region in the southeast of France. The race is run over eight days during the first half of June. It is part ...

: 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 6th Les Boucles du Sud Ardèche : 6th Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop : 7th Trofeo Platja de Muro ;2014 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Points classification ::1st Stage 5 : 1st Trofeo Muro-Port d'Alcúdia : Tour de l'Ain ::1st Prologue & Stage 2 : 3rd Overall Ster ZLM Toer : 3rd Trofeo Ses Salines : 3rd

La Drôme Classic La Drôme Classic ( en, The Drôme Classic) is an elite men's road bicycle racing event held annually in the Drôme region of France, held by the Ruoms Cyclisme Organisation. It is run as part of a weekend of racing in the south Ardèche, known ...

: 4th Overall

Tour de Picardie The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a se ...

: 4th Trofeo Palma : 6th

Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec is a one-day professional bicycle road race held in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada. Its first edition was on September 10, 2010, as the penultimate event in the 2010 UCI ProTour. The Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec ...

: 7th

Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem The GP Impanis-Van Petegem (also known as the Primus Classic) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually since 1982 in the region of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The race was originally organized as a tribute to Raymond Impanis in and around Kam ...

: 9th

Classic Sud-Ardèche Classic Sud-Ardèche (also known as the Souvenir Francis Delpech) is a road bicycle race held annually in late-February in the Ardèche department of France. The race was a National Event from its inception in 2001 until 2007, before joining the ...

;2015 : 1st Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race : 1st

Handzame Classic The Bredene Koksijde Classic, previously Handzame Classic, is a European single day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders, starting in Bredene and finishing in Koksijde. Having been a part of the Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen from ...

: 1st Stage 1

: 2nd

Le Samyn Le Samyn is an annual single-day road bicycle race in Belgium, held usually in late February or early March. The event was created in 1968 as ''Grand Prix de Fayt-le-Franc'', named after the former municipality where it started and finished. In 1 ...

: 6th

Down Under Classic The Down Under Classic (currently known as the Schwalbe Classic, and previously known as the People's Choice Classic and Cancer Council Helpline Classic for sponsorship reasons), is a criterium around Rymill Park in Adelaide, South Australia, Au ...

;2016 :

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

::1st Stages 2 & 5 ::Held Jersey green

after Stages 2 & 5–9 : 2nd Overall

: 3rd

: 8th

Münsterland Giro The Münsterland Giro is a cycling race annually held in Münsterland, Germany. It was first held in 2006 as a 1.2 race of the UCI Europe Tour, becoming a 1.1 race in 2007 and a 1.HC race in 2015. The race became part of the new UCI ProSeries ...

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

* *
Gianni Meersman's profile on Cycling Base
{{DEFAULTSORT:Meersman, Gianni 1985 births Living people Belgian male cyclists People from Tielt Cyclists from West Flanders Belgian Vuelta a España stage winners