Kurt Asle Arvesen (born 9 February 1975) is a

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

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 competed as a professional between 1998 and 2011. Arvesen is from

Eresfjord Eresfjord is a village in Molde Municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway. Approximately 450 inhabitants reside in the village (2008). The village is located along the river Eira between the Eresfjorden and the lake Eikesdalsvatnet. The mo ...

Nesset Nesset is a former municipality in Møre og Romsdal county, Norway on the Romsdal Peninsula. The administrative centre was the village of Eidsvåg. Other population centers included Rausand, Boggestranda, Myklebostad, Eresfjord, and Eikesdalen. ...

. He won the

Norwegian National Road Race Championships The Norwegian National Road Race Championships, have been held annually with an event for each category of rider; Men, Women, junior riders & under 23 riders, since 1946. The event also includes the Norwegian National Time Trial Championships an ...

five times, as well as stages in each of the three

Grand Tours In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour is one of the three major European professional cycling stage races: Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and Vuelta a España. Collectively they are termed the ''Grand Tours'', and all three races are similar in ...

. After retiring as a rider, Arvesen became a coach with . 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 ProTeam UCI most commonly refers to: * University of California, Irvine, a public university in Irvine, California, United States * Union Cycliste Internationale, the world governing body for the sport of cycling UCI may also refer to: * Uganda Cancer In ...

Career

After winning the gold medal at the 1997 Under-23

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

as an amateur, Arvesen turned pro with

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

team Asics in 1998, where later Team CSC teammate

Ivan Basso Ivan Basso (born 26 November 1977) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1999 and 2015 for seven different teams. Basso, nicknamed Ivan the Terrible, was considered among the best mountain riders in ...

rode as a stagiare. The two riders moved on to

Davide Boifava Davide Boifava (born 14 November 1946) is an Italian former professional road bicycle racer and cycling team manager. Major results ;1966 : 1st Trofeo Alcide Degasperi ;1968 : 1st Stage 2a Tour de l'Avenir ;1969 : 1st Pursuit, National Tra ...

's team, Riso Scotti-Vinavil in 1999, which was renamed Amica Chips-Tacconi Sport in 2000, but Arvesen's three years in Italy did not get him the results his World Under-23 Championships win had foretold. In 2001 Arvesen and Basso split up, as Arvesen moved on to Danish

Team Fakta Team Fakta was a Danish professional road bicycle racing team, which was active in the seasons 1999 to 2003. The main sponsor FDB is a consumer owned grocery chain, whose discount outlets are called ''Fakta''. Nicki Sørensen was on the team f ...

, where he experienced his most successful years culminating in a stage win in the 2003 Giro d'Italia. In 2004, Team Fakta closed, and Arvesen and sports director Kim Andersen both moved on to . At Team CSC, Arvesen has been riding mostly as a

domestique In road bicycle racing, a domestique is a rider who works for the benefit of their team and leader, rather than trying to win the race. In French, ''domestique'' translates as "servant".However, in French, the term used is ''équipier''. In Ita ...

, but he won the stage race

Danmark Rundt Danmark Rundt is a Danish stage race for professional road bicycle racers organized as a part of the UCI Continental Circuits. It is currently sponsored by the Danish national postal agency, PostNord, and the race is therefore also known as PostN ...

as well as CSC Classic in 2004. For the

2004 Tour de France The 2004 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 3 to 25 July, and the 91st edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti ...

, Arvesen helped team captain Basso finish second overall, and he was named the toughest rider in the

peloton In a road bicycle race, the peloton (from French, originally meaning 'platoon') is the main group or pack of riders. Riders in a group save energy by riding close ( drafting or slipstreaming) to (particularly behind) other riders. The reductio ...

when he finished the three-weeks long race after crashing severely on several stages. For the

2005 Tour de France The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 2–24 July, with 21 stages covering a distance . It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong origin ...

he would once more ride in support of Basso. This time Arvesen had the strength to ride aggressively, and on the 17th stage of the race, he got in a breakaway with 16 other riders which lasted all the way to the finish line. As the leading group slowly disintegrated, he and Italian rider

Paolo Savoldelli Paolo Savoldelli (born 7 May 1973 in Clusone, province of Bergamo) is a former Italian road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 and 2005 Giro d'Italia. Savoldelli was a climber but known for his fast downhill riding. He is nicknamed ''Il F ...

were the last riders for the sprint, but Savoldelli was too fast for Arvesen. In the

2006 UCI ProTour The 2006 UCI ProTour was the second year of the UCI ProTour system, in which the ProTour teams are guaranteed, and obliged to, participate in the series of ProTour races. The prelude to the 2006 ProTour was dominated by a dispute between the ma ...

spring season Arvesen got a handful of top 10 placings. When he crashed into a right-swinging car during a training ride in April, he got away with

road rash Road rash is a colloquial term for skin injury caused by abrasion with road surfaces, often as a consequence of cycling and motorcycling accidents. It may also result from running, inline skating, roller skating, skateboarding, and longboarding ...

and a bruised right knee and less than a week later he rode

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 ...

, though he did not ride the race to its end. He finally won

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 ...

, but that was not sufficient to secure a place in the

2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between the 1st and the 23rd of July. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of Floyd Landis. Due to the Unite ...

roster. Arvesen became runner-up in

Paris–Tours Paris–Tours is a French one-day classic road cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours. It is a predominantly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200 m, ...

. In the

2007 Giro d'Italia The 2007 Giro d'Italia was the 90th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place from 12 May to 3 June 2007. The race began in Sardinia and finished in Milan, and featured five mountain top finishes, of which one wa ...

Arvesen won stage 8 after beating

Paolo Bettini Paolo Bettini (born 1 April 1974 in Cecina, Tuscany, Cecina, Province of Livorno, Livorno, Tuscany) is an Italian former champion road racing cyclist, and the former coach of the Italian national cycling team. Considered the best classic cycle ra ...

in the finish. On July 16 he won stage 11 in the

2008 Tour de France The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th running of the race. The event took place from 5 to 27 July. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regu ...

, his first ever stage win in the tour. After engaging in a successful breakaway, he finished winning two centimeters ahead of number two. Arversen's 2009 tour came to a disappointing end on Stage 10 just after passing Guéret. The Norwegian champion claimed his only stage victory in the Tour in Foix 12 months previously, however on Tuesday 14 July 2009 he crashed around the 88 km mark of the stage between Limoges and Issoudun. Curiously, before the start of the 10th Stage he joked on the floor pretending he had fallen. After a week of rumours, it was official on 10 September 2009 that Arvesen would be joining from the 2010-season, along with fellow Norwegians

Edvald Boasson Hagen Edvald Boasson Hagen (born 17 May 1987) is a Norwegian professional road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI ProTeam . He was ranked as no. 3 in the world by UCI as of 31 August 2009, when he was 22 years old. He is known as an all-rounder, havin ...

and

Lars Petter Nordhaug Lars Petter Nordhaug (born 14 May 1984) is a Norwegian former road bicycle racer, who competed professionally between 2005 and 2017 for the , , and teams. Career Early career Nordhaug started his career as a mountain biker, but after finishing ...

. The start of the 2010 season with

Team Sky Ineos Grenadiers () (stylised as INEOS Grenadiers) (formerly Team Sky from 2010 to 2019, and Team Ineos from 2019 to 2020) is a British professional cycling team that competes at the UCI WorldTeam level. The team is based at the Manchester Vel ...

was marred by injury for Arvesen. After winning the 1st stage of

Tour of Qatar The Tour of Qatar was an annual professional cycling stage race held in Qatar. First organized in 2002, the event was part of the UCI Asia Tour until 2016. The 2017 edition was to have seen the event upgraded to the UCI World Tour for the first ...

(TTT), Arvesen crashed on the following stage, breaking his collarbone. He returned to the bike in time to participate in

Tirreno–Adriatico Tirreno–Adriatico, nicknamed the "Race of the Two Seas", is an elite road cycling stage race in Italy, run between the Tyrrhenian and Adriatic coasts. Traditionally held in the early part of the season, it is considered to be an important prep ...

. He ended his racing career after the 2011 season, but remained at as a specialist coach. He became a

Sports Director The title of sports director can refer to the director of a live sports broadcast. It can also refer to an individual at a television or radio station who is in charge of the sports department. Director Director may refer to: Literature * ...

with the team in 2015. In October 2016 it was announced that he would leave Sky and become Sports Director for the Norwegian

UCI Continental The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

squad . In March 2017 it was also announced that he had agreed a permanent contract with

Eurosport Eurosport is a group of pay television networks in Europe and parts of Asia. Owned by Warner Bros. Discovery through Warner Bros. Discovery Sports#Warner Bros. Discovery Sports Europe properties, its international sports unit, it operates two ...

to act as an analyst for the channel, having appeared as a guest commentator with the station for several years.

Major results

;1997 : 1st Jersey rainbow

Road race, UCI Road World Under–23 Championships : 1st MaillotNoruega

Road race, National Road Championships ;1998 : 1st MaillotNoruega

Road race, National Road Championships ;2000 : 7th

Circuito de Getxo The Circuito de Getxo ( en, Getxo Circuit) is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in July in Getxo, Spain. Since 2005, the race is organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. Established in 1924 as Circuito de Getxo, since 2001 it i ...

;2001 : 1st MaillotNoruega

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

, National Road Championships : 1st Stage 9

Herald Sun Tour The Herald Sun Tour is an Australian professional bicycle race held in Melbourne and provincial Victoria, sanctioned by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). The first tour was held in October 1952 as a six-day event. It is now held annually ...

: 3rd

Scheldeprijs The Scheldeprijs is a cycling race in Flanders and the Netherlands which starts in Terneuzen, crosses the Scheldt River, and finishes in Schoten. Until 2018 it was held entirely in Belgium. The event, ranked as a 1.HC race on the UCI Europe Tour, ...

;2002 : 1st MaillotNoruega

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

Tour of Sweden The Tour of Sweden (or Postgirot Open) was an annual professional road bicycle racing stage race held in Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's f ...

: 1st Schynberg Rundfahrt : 1st Jersey polkadot

Mountains classification

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 ...

: 2nd Overall

::1st

Points classification ::1st Stage 3 : 4th

G.P. Costa degli Etruschi The Gran Premio della Costa Etruschi is a one-day professional cycling race between the towns of San Vincenzo and Donoratico on the Tuscany coast in Italy. The 193 kilometre long race takes place at the beginning of February and has now taken ove ...

: 7th

: 8th Overall

Ronde van Nederland The Tour of the Netherlands ''(Dutch: Ronde van Nederland)'' was a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948. It's an annual race since 1975. Because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005, it was replaced by the Enec ...

;2003 : 1st Stage 10 Giro d'Italia : 4th

GP Lugano The Gran Premio di Lugano ( en, Grand Prix of Lugano) is a road bicycle race held annually in Lugano, Switzerland. Prior to 1981 it was held as an individual time trial but in recent years it has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe ...

: 4th Cholet - Pays De Loire : 5th GP Ouest–France : 5th Arnhem-Veenendaal Classic : 7th

Brabantse Pijl The Brabantse Pijl ( en, Brabant Arrow, french: italic=yes, Flèche Brabançonne or ''Flèche Branconne'') is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race held annually in Flemish Brabant and in Walloon Brabant, Belgium. Since 2005, the race has been or ...

;2004 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

: 1st CSC Classic : 3rd 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 ...

: 9th Overall

: 9th Road race,

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 ...

;2005 : 2nd Overall

: 4th

Grand Prix de Wallonie The Grand Prix de Wallonie is an annual road bicycle race held annually in Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, ...

: 10th Overall

Critérium International The Critérium International was a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring from 1932 until 2016, typically the last weekend of March. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932. For many years ...

;2006 : 1st MaillotNoruega

, National Road Championships : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

: 1st Stage 1 (TTT)

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

: 3rd Overall

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 ...

: 4th Overall

: 7th

: 8th

Dwars door Vlaanderen Dwars door Vlaanderen ''( en, Across Flanders)'' is a semi-classic road bicycle race in Belgium, held annually since 1945. The race starts in Roeselare and finishes in Waregem, both in West Flanders. Since 2017 the event is included in the UCI W ...

: 10th Overall Tirreno-Adriatico : 10th

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

: 10th

Giro del Piemonte The Giro del Piemonte, since 2009 known also as Gran Piemonte, is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI E ...

;2007 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 1st Stage 8 Giro d'Italia : 1st

GP Herning Grand Prix Herning is a one-day road bicycle race, held in ''Midtjylland'', Denmark. The race is organised by Herning Bicycle Club with both start and goal in Herning. The race is characterised by its gravel paths, which result in multiple punct ...

: 2nd

: 3rd Overall

;2008 : 1st MaillotNoruega

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st Stage 11

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 ...

: 1st

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 kil ...

: 1st Stenlille–Dianalund : 7th

Tour of Flanders The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organi ...

: 10th

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 ...

;2009 : 1st MaillotNoruega

Road race, National Road Championships

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

*
Profile at Team CSC

1996 UCI Road World Under-23 Championships from Youtube

Palmares on Cycling Base (French)
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Arvesen, Kurt Asle 1975 births Living people Norwegian male cyclists Olympic cyclists of Norway Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Norwegian Giro d'Italia stage winners Norwegian Tour de France stage winners Danmark Rundt winners People from Molde Norwegian sports broadcasters Cycling announcers