Linus Gerdemann GER

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Biography

Linus gained worldwide recognition during the 2007 Tour de France when he won a stage and wore the leaders yellow jersey for several days. He is also a winner of the Tour of Luxembourg, Bayern-Rundfahrt and the now defunct Tour of Germany. Other noticeable victories include stages in Tirreno-Adriatico and Tour de Suisse. In 2013 he was forced to sit out of the sport after failing to secure a contract. He says the year was good for him to give him some perspective. He joined Team MTN-Qhubeka p/b Samsung to play a leadership role as well as to mentor the younger riders.

Favourite race?
Tour of Switzerland. It’s a big race but not the biggest so it’s not super stressful and still important and Switzerland is a nice country. Good roads, very organised and a nice landscape.

What has been your best moment on bike?
I’ve had quite a few good moments like most cyclists. It’s very difficult to say but the Tour de France stage win and yellow jersey comes to mind. I also enjoyed winning my home race, the Tour of Germany.

Who has had the most influence on your cycling career and why?
My former coach Jochen Hahn. He was my sports director at under 23 level and I learned quite a bit from him as I started racing quite late. He taught me how to race smart.

Rider you most admire and why?
There’s a lot of good riders with many skills but there’s no one specifically who I look up to. I liked how Laurent Jalabert raced at the end of his career.

If you were not a professional cyclist what would you be doing right now?
I have many interests and I am not sure which one I would have followed. I like property development for example.

What’s your relationship status?
Girlfriend

Facebook or Twitter?
I prefer Twitter to keep fans updated.

Any other secret talents besides cycling?
I have a talent to spot good restaurants while traveling and great secret holiday locations.

CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

2014 1º in Stage 4 Tour de Azerbaijan -AZE-, Pirqulu (Qabala), Azerbaijan
2014 4º in Stage 1 La Tropicale Amissa Bongo, Ebolowa, Cameroon
2014 5º in General Classification La Tropicale Amissa Bongo, Gabon

2012 2º in National Championship, Road, Elite, Germany, Grimma (Sachsen), Germany
2012 4º in Stage 2 Vuelta Castilla y Leon, Ávila (Castilla y Leon), Spain
2012 5º in Stage 13 Vuelta a España, Ferrol (Galicia), Spain
2012 5º in General Classification Tour de Pologne, Poland
2012 8º in Stage 6 Tour de Pologne, Bukowina Tatrzańska (Małopolskie), Poland
2012 9º in Stage 2 Tour de Pologne, Opole (Opolskie), Poland

2011 1º in Stage 2 Tour de Luxembourg, Differdange (Luxembourg), Luxemburg
2011 1º in General Classification Tour de Luxembourg, Luxemburg
2011 4º in General Classification Tour of Britain, Great Britain

2010 1º in Trofeo Inca, Inca (Islas Baleares), Spain
2010 1º in Stage 1 Tirreno – Adriatico, Rosignano Solvay (Toscana), Italy

2009 1º in General Classification Bayern Rundfahrt, Germany
2009 3º in Stage 2 Bayern Rundfahrt, Ruhpolding (Bayern), Germany
2009 3º in Stage 4 Bayern Rundfahrt, Friedberg (Bayern), Germany
2009 5º in Strade Bianche, Siena (Toscana), Italy
2009 7º in General Classification Tirreno – Adriatico, Italy

2008 1º in Stage 3 part a Tour de L’Ain/Prix de l’Amitié, Lélex (Rhone-Alpes), France
2008 1º in General Classification Tour de L’Ain/Prix de l’Amitié, France
2008 1º in Coppa Agostoni, Italy
2008 1º in Stage 1 Deutschland Tour, Germany
2008 1º in General Classification Deutschland Tour, Germany
2008 2º in Stage 3 part b Tour de L’Ain/Prix de l’Amitié, Saint-Genis-Pouilly (Rhone-Alpes), France
2008 3º in Strade Bianche, Siena (Toscana), Italy

2007 1º in Stage 7 Tour de France, Le Grand Bornand (Rhone-Alpes), France