Nicki Sørensen (born 14 May 1975) is a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish ance ...

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 ...

, and was directeur sportif of

UCI Professional 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 ...

team . He competed in five consecutive editions of 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 ...

from 2001 to 2005. Riding as an all-round rider who rode well in hilly terrain, Sørensen was a valued support for the team leader without many wins of his own.

Biography

Sørensen Sørensen () is a Danish-Norwegian patronymic surname meaning "son of Søren" (given name equivalent of Severin). , it is the eighth most common surname in Denmark. Immigrants to English-speaking countries often changed the spelling to ''Sorense ...

only started his cycling career at the age of 19, having been a

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

before that. He became a professional

in 1999 for team Team Chicky World. After the team closed down, Sørensen switched to another Denmark based team,

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 made a good name for himself on the Danish stage as one of the strongest cards of Team Fakta, securing himself a place on the Danish team for the

2000 Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 (Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from 1 ...

. Before the 2001 season, Sørensen was on the verge of joining British Linda McCartney Racing Team but instead opted to stay in Denmark with Team CSC – World Online, as Team Saxo Bank was then known. In his first year with the team he participated in the

2001 Tour de France The 2001 Tour de France was a multiple-stage bicycle race held from 7 to 29 July, and the 88th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti- ...

where he got a taste of success with a fourth place on stage 16. After then, Sørensen was a consistent part of the Tour setup for Team CSC, riding the biggest race in the cycling calendar every year from 2001 to 2005, his highlights including the overall GC rank of 20th in 2002. Another highlight was Sørensen's instrumental role in team captain Tyler Hamilton's win on stage 16 of the

2003 Tour de France The 2003 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 5 to 27 July, and the 90th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti- ...

when Sørensen, who was in a break away, sacrificed his own chances in order to pull Hamilton and thereby allow Tyler Hamilton to conserve the strength needed to win on the day. Nicki Sørensen started the 2005 season on a high note with a win in

GP d'Ouverture la Marseillaise Grand Prix Cycliste La Marseillaise, formerly known as the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in February around the city of Marseille, France. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event ...

and a fourth place in

Tour Méditerranéen Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed b ...

during February, and during the season he prolonged his contract with Team CSC until 2007. In September Nicki Sørensen clinched stage 18 of the

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 ...

after defeating

Pascual Rodriguez Pascual is a Spanish language, Spanish given name and surname, cognate of Italian language, Italian name Pasquale (disambiguation), Pasquale, Portuguese language, Portuguese name Pascoal and French language, French name Pascal (name), Pascal. In Ca ...

in the sprint. On 16 July 2009, Sørensen won Stage 12 of the

2009 Tour de France The 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco. The race visite ...

. He was in an early breakaway with five other riders and attacked the small group with 20 km to cover to win solo. Sørensen retired after riding the

2014 Giro di Lombardia The 2014 Giro di Lombardia or 2014 Il Lombardia was the 108th edition of the Giro di Lombardia single-day cycling race, often known as the ''Race of the Falling Leaves''. It was held on 5 October 2014 over a distance of 254 km. The course wa ...

. The last victory of his career was the 2012

Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli The Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli (also known as GP Beghelli) is a late season men's road bicycle race held annually in Monteveglio, near the city of Bologna, Italy. From 2005 to 2013, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe T ...

Team management

After his retirement he remained with as a directeur sportif and coach. For the 2016 season he moved across to the Israeli

Cycling Academy Team Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in cycling are referred to as "cyclists", "bicyclists", or "bikers". Apart from two ...

. In October 2016 the new team announced that Sørensen would join them as a sports director for their inaugural season in 2017. Aqua Blue Sport folded at the end of 2018.

Doping

In June 2015 prior to Anti Doping Denmark report he admitted to drug use in early part of his career.

Major results

;1999 : 1st Lemvig Løbet : 1st Stage 4

Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; german: link=no, Rheinland-Pfalz ; lb, Rheinland-Pfalz ; pfl, Rhoilond-Palz) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the ...

;2000 : 1st Lemvig-Holstebro-Lemvig : 1st Overall

Circuit des Mines 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 ...

::1st Stage 1 : 1st Rund um Hanleite-Erfur ;2001 : 9th Giro del Piemonte ;2003 : 1st MaillotDinamarca

Road race, National Road Championships ;2005 : 1st

: 1st Stage 18

: 7th Züri–Metzgete ;2006 : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

;2007 : 5th Overall

Sachsen Tour The Sachsen Tour is a multi-stage road bicycle race held in the region of Saxony, Germany. It was first held in 1985 and 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 bicyc ...

: 5th Overall

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 ...

: 7th Overall

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 ...

;2008 : 1st MaillotDinamarca

Road race, National Road Championships ;2009 :

::1st Stage 12 :: Jersey red number

Combativity award The combativity award is a prize given in road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of ...

Stage 12 : 1st Stage 2

;2010 : 1st MaillotDinamarca

Road race, National Road Championships ;2011 : 1st MaillotDinamarca

Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd Overall

: 3rd

Giro del Friuli Giro del Friuli is a road bicycle race held annually in Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy. The first edition took place in 1974. From 2005 to 2008 the race was suspended, but it returned in 2009 as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Contine ...

;2012 : 1st

;2013 : 6th Overall

Circuit de la Sarthe The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 Hou ...

References

External links

Profile at Team Saxo Bank
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sorensen, Nicki 1975 births Living people Danish male cyclists Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists of Denmark Danish Vuelta a España stage winners Danish Tour de France stage winners People from Hillerød Municipality Danish sportspeople in doping cases Doping cases in cycling Sportspeople from the Capital Region of Denmark