Gerald Michael Ciolek (born 19 September 1986) is a German former professional

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 2005 and 2016. He currently works as a

directeur sportif A ''directeur sportif'' ( French for sporting director, although the original French term is often used in English-language media; plural ''directeurs sportifs'') is a person directing a cycling team during a road bicycle racing event. It is se ...

for UCI Continental team .

Career

Ciolek started racing at senior events in May 2005, with , where he had a very successful season. He won the

German National Road Race Championships The German National Road Race Championship is a cycling race organized by the German Cycling Federation. The event was established in 1910, with the women's championship starting in 1968. No competitions were held in 1914–1918, 1926/1927, 1929 ...

aged 18, the youngest ever rider to do so. Ciolek was able to overcome seasoned sprinters

Erik Zabel Erik Zabel (; born 7 July 1970) is a German former professional road bicycle racer who raced most of his career with Telekom. With 152 professional wins and 211 wins in his career, he is considered by some to be one of the greatest German cycl ...

and

Robert Förster Robert Förster (born 27 January 1978) is a German former professional road racing cyclist. He specialized in bunch sprints. He turned professional in 2001, initially riding for Team Nürnberger. His career highlights have been wins in the ...

without help from any team mates, ending the twelve-year domination of T-Mobile. Besides winning the national championship, he secured three stage victories and the points competition at the

Tour de Hongrie The Tour de Hongrie ( en, Tour of Hungary) is a professional road bicycle stage race organized in Hungary since 1925. History The inaugural Tour de Hongrie took place on 27 June 1925. The cyclists hit the road as early as four in the morning, an ...

, and a stage victory at the Mainfranken Tour. In 2006, Ciolek completed his training at the

Ford Motor Company Ford Motor Company (commonly known as Ford) is an American multinational automobile manufacturer headquartered in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. It was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. The company sells automobi ...

and was able to turn professional and devote his career to cycling. Through the season, he rode strongly and secured a number of high placings in important races to prove he could challenge, and beat, the strongest sprinters in

UCI ProTour The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, e ...

teams. Ciolek had an excellent second placing at the

Rund um den Henninger Turm Rund is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Cathleen Rund (born 1977), German swimmer * Hanno Rund (1925–1993), German mathematician * Thorsten Rund (born 1976), German road and track cyclist See also * Rand (surname) * Ruud R ...

, where he once again beat Erik Zabel. Since Ciolek's AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit team merged with Team Wiesenhof at the beginning of the season to be the strongest German team outside of the UCI ProTour, they were able to secure wild card entries to a number of ProTour events where Ciolek shone even more. At the

Vattenfall Cyclassics The Hamburg Cyclassics (currently known as the Bemer Cyclassics for sponsorship purposes) is an annual one-day professional and amateur cycling race in and around Hamburg, Germany. Although the route varies, its distance is always around 250 ...

, Ciolek secured fifth place. A few weeks later, Ciolek won his first UCI ProTour event at the

Tour of Germany The Tour of Germany is a nordic combined event first established in Germany for the 2006-07 Nordic Combined World Cup season by the International Ski Federation. Initially scheduled to include events in Oberhof, Ruhpolding, and Schonach from ...

, where he won stage three. On 23 September he won U23 Road Race World Championship in

Salzburg Salzburg (, ; literally "Salt-Castle"; bar, Soizbuag, label=Bavarian language, Austro-Bavarian) is the List of cities and towns in Austria, fourth-largest city in Austria. In 2020, it had a population of 156,872. The town is on the site of the ...

. For the 2007 season, Ciolek left Wiesenhof for the UCI ProTour with . After a relatively quiet early season, he came from behind to win the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt in May. He then caught fire in August, when he took three stages of the

Deutschland Tour The Deutschland Tour (English: ''Tour of Germany'' and sometimes ''Deutschland-Rundfahrt'' in German) is the most important multi-stage road bicycle race in Germany. Initially the race was held in May/June, but from 2005 until 2008 it was moved to ...

and was a fast-charging third in the

. In the 2008 season, Ciolek raced for . During 2008, he was a stage winner in Sparkassencup Schwenningen, and won two stages in the

Bayern–Rundfahrt The International Bayern Rundfahrt ( en, Tour of Bavaria) was a stage race cycling race held each year in Bavaria, Germany, between 1980 and 2015. The race was held as an amateur race between 1980 and 1988, and from 2005 to 2015, the race was orga ...

. In the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

, Ciolek was an instrumental figure in all four of

Mark Cavendish Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Isle of Man, Manx professional Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialises in the Madison (cycling), madison, po ...

's stage wins. On the final stage on the Champs-Élysées Ciolek managed to finish second to

Gert Steegmans Gert Steegmans (born 30 September 1980 in Hasselt) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was noted for a strong finishing sprint and could compete in the sprint with fellow Belgian cyclist, and ...

. He participated in the Olympic Games Road Race but had to abandon due to the effect the extreme conditions had on him. However, in September, he was able to bounce back and claim the fifth stage of the

in an uphill sprint finish. Ciolek parted ways with at the end of the 2012 season, and joined the squad for the 2013 season. In his first year with the team, Ciolek won

Milan–San Remo Milan–San Remo (in Italian ''Milano-Sanremo''), also called "''The Spring classic''" or "''La Classicissima''", is an annual road cycling race between Milan and Sanremo, in Northwest Italy. With a distance of 298 km (~185.2 miles) it is t ...

, in a time of 5 hours, 37 minutes and 20 seconds, holding off favourites

Peter Sagan Peter Sagan (; born 26 January 1990) is a Slovak professional road bicycle racer who currently rides for UCI ProTeam . Sagan had a successful junior cyclo-cross and mountain bike racing career, winning the junior cross-country race at the 2008 ...

() and

Fabian Cancellara Fabian Cancellara (born 18 March 1981), nicknamed "Spartacus", is a Swiss cycling executive, businessman and former professional road racing cyclist who last rode for UCI ProTeam . He was born in Wohlen bei Bern, Switzerland. Cancellara began r ...

() in the sprint finish.

Major results

;2004 : Trofeo Karlsberg ::1st Stages 2 & 4 : 9th Overall Niedersachsen–Rundfahrt Juniors ::1st Stage 1 ;2005 : 1st MaillotAlemania

Road race, National Road Championships :

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stages 3, 7 & 8 : 1st Stage 3

Mainfranken-Tour The Mainfranken-Tour was a cycling race held annually in Germany. It was part of UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI ...

: 8th

Grand Prix de Waregem The Grand Prix Waregem was a cycling race held annually in Belgium. It was part of UCI Europe Tour in category 1.2U from 2005 to 2007. The race was considered to be the Under 23 version of Dwars door Vlaanderen Dwars door Vlaanderen ''( en, Ac ...

;2006 : 1st Jersey rainbow

Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships : 1st

Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt ( en, Tour of Old Town Nuremberg) is an elite men's and women's professional road bicycle racing event held each September in the old town section of Nuremberg, Germany. Past winners Women The women's event w ...

: 1st Stage 3

: 2nd

: 5th

: 6th Overall

Istrian Spring Trophy Istrian Spring Trophy ( hr, Istarsko proljeće) is a stage road bicycle race held annually in the Croatian part of the Istria peninsula. The race was first organized in 1961 as a small competition reserved to local cyclists. In 2000, it was opened ...

::1st Stage 3 : 8th Overall Niedersachsen–Rundfahrt ::1st Jersey white

Young rider classification : 8th

Neuseen Classics The Neuseen Classics – Rund um die Braunkohle was a single-day road bicycle race held annually in Leipzig, Germany. Winners External links Official website {{in lang, de
UCI Europe Tour races Cycle races in Germany Recurring sp ...

;2007 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall Rheinland–Pfalz Rundfahrt ::1st Jersey green

Sprints classification ::1st Jersey white

Young rider classification :

::1st Stages 6, 7 & 9 :

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 Points classification ::1st Stages 2 & 8 : 1st Stage 1

3-Länder-Tour The 3-Länder-Tour der Sparkassen Versicherung was a multi-stage road bicycle race held around three Länder of Germany: Hessen, Thuringia and Baden-Württemberg. From 2005 until 2007 it was part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as a 2.1 rac ...

: 2nd

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 ...

: 3rd Overall Niedersachsen–Rundfahrt ::1st Stage 3 : 3rd

: 8th Overall

Ster Elektrotoer The ZLM Tour is a cycling race held over five stages, held in the southern Netherlands and Belgium as a 2.Pro race on the UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is the second tier men's elite road cycling tour. It was inaugurated in 2020. The series ...

;2008 : 1st Stage 5

: 3rd Road race, National Road Championships : 5th Overall

::1st Stages 1 & 3 ;2009 :

Vuelta a Mallorca The Challenge Vuelta Ciclista a Mallorca ( en, Tour of Majorca, ca, Challenge Volta Ciclista a Mallorca) is a series of four (five until 2012) professional one day road bicycle races held on the Spanish island of Mallorca in late January or earl ...

::1st Trofeo Calvia ::5th Trofeo Pollença : 1st Stage 2

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 ...

: 2nd

Sparkassen Giro Bochum The Sparkassen Giro Bochum is a road bicycle race which is annually held for both men's and women's around an urban circuit in the German city of Bochum, Germany. Since 2005 the men's race is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as UCI ...

: 3rd

: 9th

;2010 : 1st Stage 3

: 5th 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 ...

: 5th Binche–Tournai–Binche : 6th Overall

Circuit Franco-Belge Circuit may refer to: Science and technology Electrical engineering * Electrical circuit, a complete electrical network with a closed-loop giving a return path for current ** Analog circuit, uses continuous signal levels ** Balanced circu ...

;2011 : 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd

: 9th

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 Québ ...

;2012 : 1st Stage 4

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 2b ( TTT)

Tour de l'Ain Tour de l'Ain, also known as the Prix de l'Amitié, is an annual professional cycling stage race held in eastern France. G.P. de l'Amitié The first edition of the race was in 1970, as the G.P. de l'Amitié (Friendship G.P.). It was held over fo ...

: 9th

: 10th Trofeo Deià ;2013 : 1st

: 1st Stage 2

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 ...

: 1st Stage 2

Tour of Britain The Tour of Britain is a multi-stage cycling race, conducted on British roads, in which participants race across Great Britain to complete the race in the fastest time. The event dates back to the first British stage races held just after the S ...

: 1st Stage 6

: 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 5th

Trofeo Laigueglia The Trofeo Laigueglia is an early season road bicycle race held annually in Liguria, Italy. From 2005 to 2014, the race was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is held about ten days after the opening to the Italian season, the Gr ...

: 5th Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop : 6th

Brussels Cycling Classic The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a semi classic European bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur even ...

: 10th Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 10th

Schaal Sels Schaal Sels is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Merksem, 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 competitions whi ...

;2014 : 1st Stage 3

Vuelta a Andalucía The Vuelta a Andalucía (Tour of Andalusia) or Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race first held in 1925. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became a part of the new UCI P ...

: 3rd

Rund um Köln The Rund um Köln is a classic cycling race around the German city of Cologne. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 1.1 race (in 2007 the race was categorised as 1.HC). It is one of the oldest cycling races still runn ...

: 5th Overall

Tour of Norway The Tour of Norway is a road bicycle race held annually in Norway. It is considered as a successor to the stage race Ringerike GP, which is now a one-day race. It was started in 2011 as a result of the heightened interest in cycling in Norway, ma ...

: 8th

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 ...

: 9th

;2015 : 6th

Velothon Berlin Velothon Berlin (officially Garmin Velothon Berlin, formerly ProRace Berlin) was a single-day road bicycle race held annually in May, between 2011 and 2015, in Berlin, Germany. It was part of the UCI Europe Tour as a 1.1 race. It was part of the U ...

;2016 : 5th Road race, National Road Championships : 6th

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

* *
Gerald Ciolek's profile on Cycling Base
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ciolek, Gerald 1986 births Living people German male cyclists German Vuelta a España stage winners German cycling road race champions Cyclists from Cologne Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Germany 21st-century German people