Dietrich "Didi" Thurau (; born 9 November 1954) is a retired German 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 com ...

. His biggest career achievements include winning the one-day classic,

Liège–Bastogne–Liège Liège–Bastogne–Liège , also known as ''La Doyenne'' ("The Old Lady"), is a one-day classic cycling race in Belgium.Cycling Weekly, UK, 13 March 1993 First run in 1892, it is the oldest of the five ''Cycling monument, Monuments'' of the Eur ...

, his home country's Deutschland Tour and surprising the field at the

1977 Tour de France Events January * January 8 – 1977 Moscow bombings, Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (no ...

by capturing four stages and holding the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification from the prologue for 15 days. Thurau did win the young rider classification although he lost the overall lead to eventual winner Bernard Thévenet. Thurau was German pursuit champion three times and won 29 six-day races. He is the father of former professional cyclist Björn Thurau. In 1989, he revealed he had doped throughout his career.

Career

He won the German National Road Race in 1975 and 1976. After his victory in the points classification in the Vuelta a España and a fourth place in the general classification in the Vuelta a España in

1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...

, Thurau was seen as a talented rider, but not seen as a rider for the general classification. This changed when he won the prologue

, won time trials and mountain stages, keeping the lead until far in the race, finishing fifth in the overall classification and won the young rider classification. Thurau signed a contract to ride the 1978 season as a team leader at IJsboerke. Before his contract started, but after he signed it, he rode the 1977 UCI Road World Championships. Seven kilometers before the finish, he was away together with Francesco Moser, and Moser punctured. To the surprise of commentators, including the coach of the French team

Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil (; 8 January 1934 – 18 November 1987) was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964. He stated before the 1961 Tour that he would gain the ye ...

and Thurau's team leader Peter Post, Thurau waited for Moser, and was beaten in the sprint by Moser. This caused rumours that Thurau had sold the championship to Moser; it later became clear that Thurau's new bosses at IJsboerke did not want Thurau to ride in the

rainbow jersey The rainbow jersey is the distinctive cycling jersey, jersey worn by the reigning World Cycling Championship, world champion in a cycling discipline, since 1927. The jersey is predominantly white with five horizontal bands in the Union Cycli ...

, but wanted him to keep his sponsored jersey. Thurau's primary goals for the next season became the 1978 Giro d'Italia and the 1978 UCI Road World Championships, and his team skipped the 1978 Tour de France, because they felt there were too many mountain finishes for a rider like Thurau. Although Thurau won two stages in the 1978 Giro, it did not go as expected, as he had to abandon the race in the tenth stage, when he had already given up all hopes for the general classification. In 1979, Thurau won

, and again came second in the 1979 UCI Road World Championships, but he was no longer seen as able to win a grand tour, and he changed teams. He continued as a professional cyclist for several years, but did not win any major races.

Doping

Thurau tested positive for stimulants after Stage 8 of the 1987 Tour de France. He was fined 5,000 FF (£500), incurred a 10-minute time penalty, placed last on the stage and was given a one-month suspended ban. However, by the time the positive result was revealed, Thurau had already abandoned the Tour. After he had retired, in 1989, he gave an interview to the Bild newspaper, in Germany, where he revealed he had doped throughout his career, including the use of

Amphetamine Amphetamine (contracted from Alpha and beta carbon, alpha-methylphenethylamine, methylphenethylamine) is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant that is used in the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), narcolepsy, an ...

Testosterone Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

and

Cortisone Cortisone is a pregnene (21-carbon) steroid hormone. It is a naturally-occurring corticosteroid metabolite that is also used as a pharmaceutical prodrug. Cortisol is converted by the action of the enzyme corticosteroid 11-beta-dehydrogenase ...

Personal life

In 1998, Thurau was fined 20,000 DM for forgery. In 2012, it was reported that he had embezzled 49,000 EUR in insurance benefits, which were meant for his father, Helmut, to pay for his nursing home. Instead, Thurau kept the money. He was convicted of the offence and was fined 39,900 EUR. His son Björn Thurau is also a racing cyclist, banned for doping, whilst Björn's younger brother Urs is a tennis player who is coached by Dietrich.

Major results

Road

;1972 : 1st MaillotAllemania

Road race, National Junior Road Championships ;1975 : 1st MaillotAllemania

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st Jersey green 2

Overall Tour de l'Oise ::1st Stage 1 : 1st Grand Prix de Fourmies : 2nd Overall Tour d'Indre-et-Loire : 2nd Scheldeprijs : 2nd

Grand Prix of Aargau Canton Grand Prix of Aargau Canton () is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Aargau canton, one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. The race consists of fifteen laps around the Swiss town of Gippingen, which belongs to the municipa ...

: 2nd Bruxelles–Meulebeke : 3rd Overall Vuelta a Andalucía : 3rd GP Union Dortmund : 4th Overall Ronde van Nederland : 6th Overall Paris–Nice : 8th Amstel Gold Race : 8th Paris–Brussels : 9th Critérium des As : 10th Overall Tour de Suisse ;1976 : 1st MaillotAllemania

Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd Grand Prix de Fourmies : 2nd GP Union Dortmund : 4th Overall

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; ) is an annual stage race, multi-stage bicycle racing, 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'Ital ...

::1st

Points classification ::1st Prologue & Stages 9, 16, 18 & 19b ( ITT) ::Held Jersey yellow

after Prologue & Stages 9–14 : 7th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía : 7th La Flèche Wallonne : 8th Overall Tour de Suisse ::1st Stage 5 : 8th

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 ...

;1977 : 1st Jersey red

Overall Vuelta a Andalucía ::1st Stages 1a, 2a, 2b, 3, 4, 5, 6 & 7a ( ITT) : 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 ki ...

: 1st

: 1st GP Union Dortmund : 2nd Silver medal uci

Road race, UCI World Championships : 2nd Rund um den Henninger Turm : 3rd

: 3rd Omloop der Beide Vlaanderen : 4th Overall

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk () 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 held over a 5 or 6 day period for ...

: 5th Overall

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

::1st

Young rider classification ::1st Prologue & Stages 2, 5b ( ITT), 16 & 22a ( ITT) ::Held Jersey yellow

after Prologue & Stages 1–15a ::Held Jersey green

after Prologue & Stages 2–3 : 7th Overall Tour de Suisse : 8th Overall Paris–Nice : 8th Paris–Roubaix : 8th Polynormande ;1978 : 1st Jersey orange

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 ...

::1st Stages 2, 3, 4 & 5 : 1st Scheldeprijs : 1st Züri–Metzgete :

Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia (; ), also known simply as the Giro, is an annual stage race, multiple-stage bicycle racing, bicycle race primarily held in Italy, while also starting in, or passing through, other countries. The first race was organized in 19 ...

::1st Prologue & Stage 4 ( ITT) : 1st Stage 2 Tour de Suisse : 2nd

: 3rd Overall Tour of Belgium ::1st Stage 1a ( ITT) : 3rd La Flèche Wallonne : 5th Omloop Het Volk : 9th Amstel Gold Race : 9th Paris–Brussels ;1979 : 1st Jersey red

Overall Vuelta a Andalucía ::1st Prologue & Stages 1 & 2 : 1st Jersey red

Overall Deutschland Tour ::1st Prologue : 1st

: 1st Stage 5 Paris–Nice : 1st Stage 1a ( TTT) Tour of Belgium : 2nd Silver medal uci

Road race, UCI World Championships : 4th

: 6th Omloop Het Volk : 9th Gran Premio di Lugano : 10th Overall

::1st Stage 19 ;1980 : 3rd Paris–Roubaix : 4th Overall Tour du Tarn ::1st Stage 2 : 7th Rund um den Henninger Turm ;1981 : Deutschland Tour ::1st Prologue & Stage 4 : 2nd Rund um den Henninger Turm : 7th Overall Tour de Suisse ;1983 : 5th Overall

;1986 : 10th US Pro Championship ;1987 : 7th Overall Tour de Suisse ::1st Stage 4 ( ITT) :

::Held

after Stages 3 & 4

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

Major championship results timeline

Track

;1979 : 1st Six Days of Munich (with Patrick Sercu) ;1984 : 1st Six Days of Bremen (with

Albert Fritz Albert Theo Fritz (born 1 July 1959) is a South African politician and advocate. He was the Western Cape Department of Community Safety, Western Cape Provincial Minister of Community Safety for two nonconconsecutive terms from 2010 to 2011 and ...

) ;1986 : 1st Six Days of Bremen (with Josef Kristen) : 1st Six Days of Munich (with Danny Clark) ;1987 : 1st Six Days of Bremen (with Danny Clark) : 1st Six Days of Munich (with Urs Freuler)

References

External links

* *
Official Tour de France results for Dietrich Thurau
{{DEFAULTSORT:Thurau, Dietrich 1954 births Living people Cyclists from Frankfurt German male cyclists German track cyclists German cycling road race champions Tour de France prologue winners Doping cases in cycling German sportspeople in doping cases Tour de Suisse stage winners German Vuelta a España stage winners 20th-century German sportsmen