Rohan Dennis (born 28 May 1990) is an Australian professional

road racing cyclist 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 currently rides for

UCI WorldTeam A UCI WorldTeam (2015–present), previously UCI ProTeam (2005–2014), is the term used by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to name a cycling team of the highest category in professional road cycling, the UCI World Tour or UCI ProTour ...

. Dennis was born, raised, and resides in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

, Australia. He won back to back UCI men's individual time trial world championships in 2018 and 2019.

Career

Early career

Dennis began his career by focusing on the track, and was part of the Australian team that took the silver medals in the

team pursuit The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, starting on opposite sides of the velodrome. Race format Both men's and women's events are competed over ...

at the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

Garmin–Sharp (2013–14)

He joined for the 2013 season, and made his debut at 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 ...

, pulling out of the race before Stage 9. In 2014, Dennis finished second overall behind

Bradley Wiggins Sir Bradley Marc Wiggins, CBE (born 28 April 1980) is a British former professional road and track racing cyclist, who competed professionally between 2001 and 2016. He began his cycling career on the track, but later made the transition to r ...

at the

Tour of California The Tour of California (officially sponsored as the Amgen Tour of California) was an annual professional road cycling stage race on the UCI World Tour and USA Cycling Professional Tour that ran from 2006 to 2019. It was the only event on the ...

, after placing second to Wiggins in the time trial. He also placed second in the Commonwealth Games time trial behind England's

Alex Dowsett Alex Edward Albert Dowsett (born 3 October 1988) is a former British professional road racing cyclist, who rode for UCI WorldTeam . He was a time trial specialist, and in 2015, he broke track cycling's world hour record by , with a distance of ...

BMC Racing Team (2014–18)

In August 2014, Dennis made a rare mid-season transfer to the . He went on to win the World team time trial championships with his new team. Rohan Dennis - Tour de France 2015 (19409324316)

Rohan Dennis - Tour de France 2015 (19409324316)

On 8 February 2015, he set a new

hour record The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious reco ...

of , beating

Matthias Brändle Matthias Brändle (born 7 December 1989) is an Austrian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Brändle is a seven-time winner of the Austrian National Time Trial Championships (2009, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2019, 20 ...

's record by over 600 metres. The record stood until 2 May 2015, when it was broken by Dowsett. Dennis was selected to ride the

as part of the squad supporting

Tejay van Garderen Tejay van Garderen (born August 12, 1988) is an American former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2008 and 2021 for the , , and . Following his retirement as a cyclist, van Garderen became a directeur sportif for ...

. He won stage one's

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...

, clocking an average speed of and became the first

yellow jersey The general classification is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey (french: maillot jaune ). History Th ...

wearer of the Tour. With this performance, he established a new record average speed for an individual time trial at the Tour de France. He won the Sir Hubert Opperman medal and trophy for Australia's best all-round cyclist in 2015. He was named in the start list for the 2017 Giro d'Italia, however he abandoned the race on the 4th stage after injuries due to a crash on stage 2. Subsequently, at the

2017 Vuelta a España The 2017 Vuelta a España was a three-week Grand Tour cycling stage race that took place in Spain between 19 August and 10 September 2017. The race was the 72nd edition of the Vuelta a España and the final Grand Tour of the 2017 cycling season. ...

, Dennis crossed the line first as part of the BMC squad that won the race's opening team time trial, taking the race leader's

red jersey The red jersey is a cycling jersey, given to the leader of several classifications. Red jersey as general classification leader Since 2010, the leader of the general classification in the Vuelta a España wears a red jersey. Red jersey as points ...

and becoming the first Australian to lead the race since Michael Matthews in 2014. At the

2018 Giro d'Italia The 2018 Giro d'Italia was the 101st edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tour races. The race started in Jerusalem on 4 May, with a individual time trial followed by two additional stages within Israel. Af ...

, Dennis was narrowly defeated in the opening time trial by

Tom Dumoulin Tom Dumoulin (; born 11 November 1990) is a retired Dutch professional road bicycle racer who last rode for UCI WorldTeam . He has won nine stages across the three Grand Tours, five medals in three different World Championships and two Olympic s ...

. However, he took the

pink jersey Pink is the color of a namesake flower that is a pale tint of red. It was first used as a color name in the late 17th century. According to surveys in Europe and the United States, pink is the color most often associated with charm, politeness, ...

on the second stage by picking up a time bonus in an intermediate sprint. In doing so, he became the first Australian to lead the Giro since Simon Clarke in 2015, and the third Australian to wear the leader's jersey in all three Grand Tours, after Bradley McGee and

Cadel Evans Cadel Lee Evans (; born 14 February 1977) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who competed professionally in both mountain biking and road bicycle racing. A four-time Olympian, Evans is one of three non-Europeans – along wi ...

. He went on to win the stage 16 time trial and finished the race in 16th place overall, 56 minutes and 7 seconds down on winner

Chris Froome Christopher Clive Froome ɹɪs fɹuːm (born 20 May 1985) is a Kenyan/British Road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He has won seven Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours: four editions of the Tour de ...

. When he won the first stage at the 2018 Vuelta a España he became the 95th rider in history to have won at least one stage in all 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 ...

, and the 15th rider to have won an individual time trial at each Grand Tour. He went on to win the stage 16 time trial, and left the Vuelta immediately after to prepare for the

World Championships 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, ...

in Innsbruck, winning the individual time trial title by over a minute ahead of defending champion

of the Netherlands. He also helped his BMC team win the bronze medal in the team time trial event. At the end of 2018, he won two major Australian awards: Australian Institute of Sport Performance Awards – Male Athlete of the Year and

Cycling Australia Cycling Australia (CA), the trading name of the Australian Cycling Federation Inc, was the national governing body for bicycle racing in Australia, and represented the interests of affiliated cycling clubs and State federations. It covered the d ...

's Sir

Hubert Opperman Sir Hubert Ferdinand Opperman, OBE (29 May 1904 – 18 April 1996), referred to as Oppy by Australian and French crowds, was an Australian cyclist and politician, whose endurance cycling feats in the 1920s and 1930s earned him international acc ...

Medal, which he had previously won in 2015.

Bahrain– (2019)

In August 2018, it was announced that Dennis would join in 2019 on a two-year deal, making the move from BMC alongside team-mates

Damiano Caruso Damiano Caruso (born 12 October 1987) is an Italian professional road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Caruso was also the 2008 under-23 Italian national champion for the road race. He competed at the 2020 Summer Olympics, i ...

and

Dylan Teuns Dylan Teuns (born 1 March 1992) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . Career Born in Diest in Flemish Brabant, Teuns is based in Halen in Limburg. BMC Racing Team (2015–18) He originally joined ...

. On 18 July 2019, he abandoned the

during Stage 12. No reason was immediately given, but later reports indicated that his abandonment was the result over frustration with equipment provided by the team. In an interview he subsequently gave in January 2020, Dennis stated that he left the Tour as his mental health was suffering due to difficulties with the team, and he feared that this would have a knock-on effect on his marriage. On 25 September 2019, Dennis raced for the first time since abandoning the Tour de France, winning gold in the men's individual time trial at the Road World Championships in Yorkshire. Dennis rode an unmarked BMC bicycle during the World Championship time trial, rather than his trade Mérida machine. Several days later, his former team confirmed that they had parted ways with Dennis on 13 September.

Team Ineos (2020–2021)

On 9 December 2019, it was announced that Dennis would be joining for the 2020 season. The following month Dennis stated that he had abandoned his attempts to become a contender for the general classification in

; instead, he would focus on smaller stage races and working as a domestique in the three-week races. In the 2020 Giro d'Italia, Dennis contributed greatly to his teammate

Tao Geoghegan Hart Tao Geoghegan Hart ( ; born 30 March 1995) is a British cyclist who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He rode for as a stagiaire in late 2015, and joined the team permanently for the 2017 season. He won the 2020 Giro d'Italia, taking the j ...

's overall victory with impressive pulls on Stage 18 ( Stelvio) and 20 (

Sestriere Sestriere (/se'strjɛre/) ( oc, Sestrieras, pms, Ël Sestrier, french: Sestrières) is a ski resort in Piedmont, Italy, a ''comune'' (municipality) of the Metropolitan City of Turin. It is situated in Val Susa, from the French border. Its name ...

). On the former stage, Dennis won the

Cima Coppi The ''Cima Coppi'' is the title given to the highest peak in the yearly running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tour races. The mountain that is given this title each year awards more mountains classification points to the first rider ...

award by being the first to reach the summit of the highest climb in the race, that being the Stelvio.

Team Jumbo–Visma (2022–present)

On 1 September 2021, it was announced that Dennis would be joining in 2022 on a two-year deal; earlier in his career, he had been with the , with being a previous iteration of . In his first race of the year, he won his fourth

Australian National Time Trial Championships The Australian National Time Trial Championships, are held annually with an event for each category of rider: Men, Women & under 23 riders. The event has been run concurrently with the Australian National Road Race Championships since 2002. The ...

. He led the

Tour de Romandie The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs through the Romandie region, or French-speaking part of Switzerland. The competition began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling. I ...

for four days, before dropping to eighth overall on the final

stage, having lost more than two minutes to eventual winner Aleksandr Vlasov.

Personal life

In May 2017 Dennis' partner, fellow racing cyclist

Melissa Hoskins Melissa Hoskins (born 24 February 1991) is an Australian former track and road racing cyclist. She topped the general classification in the 2012 Tour of Chongming Island. She was a member of the Australian track cycling team pursuit team that fi ...

, announced the couple's engagement as well as her retirement from competition. They married in February 2018. Hoskins gave birth to their first child, a son, later that year, two and a half weeks after Dennis won his first World Time Trial Championship. The family split their time between

Girona Girona (officially and in Catalan language, Catalan , Spanish: ''Gerona'' ) is a city in northern Catalonia, Spain, at the confluence of the Ter River, Ter, Onyar, Galligants, and Güell rivers. The city had an official population of 103,369 in ...

La Massana La Massana (; originally ''La Maçana'') is one of the seven parishes of Andorra, parishes of the Principality of Andorra. It is located in the northwest of the country. La Massana is also the name of the main town of the parish. The name Massana ...

and Adelaide.

Major results

Road

;2007 : 9th Time trial, UCI World Junior Championships ;2010 : 1st MaillotAustralia

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 Under-23 Championships : 3rd Overall

Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 was a bicycle road race held annually in the German state of Thuringia. It was a stage race reserved to athletes under the age of 23. Since 2005, it was organized as a 2.2U event on the UCI Europe Tour. After the 201 ...

::1st Stage 1 ( TTT) : 4th Overall

Olympia's Tour The Olympia's Tour is a cycling stage race held in the Netherlands. History A.S.C. Olympia was founded in Amsterdam on 27 November 1898. It ran one-day races but wanted a race through all the Netherlands. The first Olympia's Tour was in 1909, w ...

: 5th

, UCI World Under-23 Championships : 6th

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

: 10th Overall

Ringerike GP Ringerike Grand Prix is a road bicycle race held annually near Hønefoss, in the region of Ringerike, Norway. The race was created in 1975 as the Fossen Grand Prix, and was ranked 2.2 on the UCI Europe Tour between 2005 and 2010. In 2011 it turn ...

;2011 : 4th Road race, National Under-23 Championships ;2012 : National Under-23 Championships ::1st MaillotAustralia

Road race ::1st MaillotAustralia

: 1st

Overall

::1st Stage 5 ( ITT) : 1st Memorial Davide Fardelli : 1st Chrono Champenois : 2nd Silver medal blank

, UCI World Under-23 Championships : 2nd

Trofeo Alcide Degasperi The Trofeo Alcide Degasperi is a one-day cycling race held annually in Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterra ...

: 4th Overall

::1st Stage 5 ( ITT) : 5th Overall

Tour Down Under The Tour Down Under (branded as the Santos Tour Down Under under a partnership arrangement) is a cycling race in and around Adelaide, South Australia, and is traditionally the opening event of the UCI World Tour and features all 19 UCI World ...

::1st

Mountains classification ::1st Jersey black

Young rider classification : 5th Trofeo Città di San Vendemiano ;2013 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

Tour of Alberta The ATB Tour of Alberta was a Canadian bicycle stage race, which raced across the province of Alberta. It was sanctioned by Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) and was part of the UCI America Tour. It was classified as a 2.1 race, making it one ...

::1st

Young rider classification ::1st Stage 3 : 2nd

, National Championships : 8th Overall

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 ...

::1st

Young rider classification ;2014 :

UCI World Championships The UCI world championships are annual competitions promoted by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to determine world champion cyclists. They are held in several different styles of racing, in a different country each year. Championship winne ...

::1st

Team time trial A team time trial (TTT) is a road bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock (see individual time trial for a more detailed description of ITT events). The winning team in a TTT is determined by the comparing the times of ( ...

::5th

: 2nd

: 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 3 : 2nd 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 ...

::1st

Young rider classification ;2015 :

::1st

::6th

: 1st

Overall

::1st

Young rider classification ::1st Stage 3 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall

USA Pro Cycling Challenge The USA Pro Cycling Challenge, also known as USA Pro Challenge, was an annual multi-day professional road bicycle racing stage race that first took place in Colorado in 2011. Originally announced on August 4, 2010 by Colorado Governor Bill Ritt ...

::1st

Mountains classification ::1st Stages 4 & 5 ( ITT) :

::1st Stages 1 ( ITT) & 9 ( TTT) ::Held Jersey yellow

after Stage 1 : 1st Stage 3 ( TTT)

: 2nd

, National Championships ;2016 : 1st MaillotAustralia

, National Championships :

Eneco Tour The Benelux Tour (previously known as the Eneco Tour and the BinckBank Tour) is a road bicycle racing stage-race that is part of the UCI World Tour. The race was established in 2005 and was originally known as the Eneco Tour, named after the orig ...

::1st Stages 2 ( ITT) & 5 ( TTT) :

::2nd

::6th

: 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 6 ( ITT) : 2nd Overall

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 7b : 5th

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 ...

;2017 : 1st MaillotAustralia

, National Championships : 1st Jersey blue

Overall

Tour La Provence The Tour de la Provence is an early-season bicycle stage race in the Provence region of France. It is organized by southern French newspaper La Provence, which serves as the race's title sponsor for its first three years. It is held in February, ...

::1st

Points classification :

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 Stage 1 ( TTT) ::Held Jersey red

after Stage 1 :

Tour de Suisse The Tour de Suisse ( en, Tour of Switzerland) is an annual road cycling stage race. Raced over eight days, the event covers two weekends in June, and along with the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is considered a proving ground for the Tour de France ...

::1st Stages 1 ( ITT) & 9 ( ITT) : 1st Stage 2

Tour of the Alps The Tour of the Alps is an annual professional cycling stage race in Italy and Austria. First held in 1962, it was named Giro del Trentino ( en, Tour of Trentino) until 2016, and run over four stages in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region o ...

: 1st Stage 2 ( TTT)

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 ...

::2nd

::8th

: 2nd Overall

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 ...

::1st Stages 1 ( TTT) & 7 ( ITT) : 6th Overall

;2018 :

::1st

::3rd

: 1st

, National Championships :

::1st Stages 1 ( ITT) & 16 ( ITT) ::Held Jersey red

after Stage 1 : Giro d'Italia ::1st Stage 16 ( ITT) ::Held Jersey pink

after Stages 2–5 :

::1st Stages 1 ( TTT) & 7 ( ITT) : 7th Overall

: 9th Overall

Abu Dhabi Tour The Abu Dhabi Tour was a men's cycling stage race that took place in the United Arab Emirates, held annually between 2015 and 2018. In 2019 The Abu Dhabi Tour merged with the Dubai Tour to become the UAE Tour. History When inaugurated, it was p ...

::1st Stage 4 ( ITT) ;2019 : 1st Jersey rainbow chrono

: 2nd

, National Championships : 2nd Overall

::1st Stage 1 ( ITT) : 5th Overall

;2020 : 2nd

, National Championships : 4th Overall

: 5th

;2021 : 1st Prologue

: 1st Stage 2 ( ITT)

: 3rd

: 6th Overall

::1st Stage 3 ( TTT) ;2022 : 1st Gold medal blank

: 1st

, National Championships : 1st Stage 1 ( TTT)

: 8th Overall

General classification results timeline

Sources:

Major Championships timeline

Track

;2007 : 1st MaillotAustralia

Team pursuit, National Junior Championships ;2008 : UCI World Junior Championships ::1st Jersey rainbow

Team pursuit ::2nd Silver medal blank

Individual pursuit : 1st Team pursuit, UCI World Cup Classics, Melbourne : National Junior Championships ::1st MaillotAustralia

Individual pursuit ::1st MaillotAustralia

Points ;2009 : 1st Team pursuit, UCI World Cup Classics, Beijing : 2nd Silver medal blank

Team pursuit The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, starting on opposite sides of the velodrome. Race format Both men's and women's events are competed over ...

: 3rd Team pursuit,

National Championships A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...

;2010 : 1st Jersey rainbow

::1st

Team pursuit ::2nd Individual pursuit ;2011 : 1st Jersey rainbow

: 1st Individual pursuit, UCI World Cup Classics, Manchester :

::1st

Team pursuit ::2nd Individual pursuit ;2012 : 1st Team pursuit, UCI World Cup, London :

::1st

Team pursuit ::2nd Individual pursuit : 2nd Silver medal olympic

: 2nd

;2015 : World

Hour record The hour record is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle from a stationary start. Cyclists attempt this record alone on the track without other competitors present. It is considered one of the most prestigious reco ...

: 52.491 km

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Dennis, Rohan Australian male cyclists 1990 births Living people UCI Road World Champions (elite men) Australian Institute of Sport cyclists Commonwealth Games silver medallists for Australia Cyclists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2014 Commonwealth Games Olympic cyclists of Australia Olympic silver medalists for Australia Olympic medalists in cycling Cyclists at the 2010 Commonwealth Games Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics Cyclists from Adelaide UCI Track Cycling World Champions (men) Australian Tour de France stage winners Commonwealth Games medallists in cycling Australian track cyclists Australian Vuelta a España stage winners Australian Giro d'Italia stage winners Olympic bronze medalists for Australia Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Tour de Suisse stage winners 20th-century Australian people 21st-century Australian people