Thomas Bruun Eriksen (born 13 February 1979) was 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 ...
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 ended his career after the
2005 UCI ProTour
The 2005 ProTour was the first year of the newly introduced UCI ProTour system, in which the ProTour teams are guaranteed, and obliged to, participate in the series of ProTour races. In certain ways the ProTour replaced the UCI Road World Cup se ...
season.
After riding for Danish amateur outfit Team Bornholm, Bruun Eriksen first joined professional outfit
Team CSC
Tinkoff () was a Russian-registered professional cycling team from Russia and previously Denmark. It competed in the UCI World Tour. The team was owned by Russian Oleg Tinkov and, from 1999 until March 2015, was managed by former Tour de France w ...
as a
stagiaire
Stagiaire may refer to:
*Stage (cooking) or stagiaire, a cook who works briefly, for free, in another chef's kitchen
* Stagiaire (cycling), an amateur cyclist temporarily riding for a professional team
* A particular type of trainee, see European ...
in the second half of the 2001 season. Here he secured a professional contract for the 2002 and 2003 seasons and following a glimpse of potential in the 2002
Paris–Roubaix
Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional road bicycle racing, bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling m ...
as well as two wins in 2003, stage 5 of the
Peace Race
The Peace Race (german: Friedensfahrt, cs, Závod míru, sk, Preteky mieru, russian: Велогонка Мира (), pl, Wyścig Pokoju , french: Course de la Paix, it, Corsa della Pace, ro, Cursa Păcii) was an annual multiple stage bicyc ...
, and stage 3 of
Tour of Rhodes
The International Tour of Rhodes is an annual professional cycling stage race held in Rhodes, Greece. It was first held in 1987, but the second edition only took place in 1995. Between 2001 and 2003 it became a professional race. Fabian Cancellara ...
, Thomas Bruun Eriksen prolonged his contract until the 2005 season.
During 2005, Bruun Eriksen decided to retire from professional bicycle racing at age of 26, citing a desire to use the education he got before turning professional as the reason. In a January 2006 radio interview, Bruun Eriksen said that during the
Tour de Pologne
The Tour de Pologne (Polish: ''Wyścig Dookoła Polski'', English: ''Tour of Poland'', official abbreviation TdP,) is an annual, professional men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in Poland. It consists of seven or eight stage ...
in September 2005, he had told team manager
Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (; born 3 April 1964), nicknamed ''The Eagle from Herning'' ( da, Ørnen fra Herning), is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France. For many years he was the owner and lat ...
of his decision to retire, as he did not like living alone in
Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' ( Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, ...
, far from Denmark, and had lost his motivation. He returned to live in
Peace Race
The Peace Race (german: Friedensfahrt, cs, Závod míru, sk, Preteky mieru, russian: Велогонка Мира (), pl, Wyścig Pokoju , french: Course de la Paix, it, Corsa della Pace, ro, Cursa Păcii) was an annual multiple stage bicyc ...
:Stage 3 and 3rd Overall,
Tour of Rhodes
The International Tour of Rhodes is an annual professional cycling stage race held in Rhodes, Greece. It was first held in 1987, but the second edition only took place in 1995. Between 2001 and 2003 it became a professional race. Fabian Cancellara ...
:4th, Stage 14,
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 ...