Gerald Michael Ciolek (born 19 September 1986) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2005 and 2016. He currently works as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team .
Career Ciolek started racing at senior events in May 2005,www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling with , where he had a very successful season. He won the German National Road Race Championships aged 18, the youngest ever rider to do so. Ciolek was able to overcome seasoned sprinters Erik Zabel and Robert Förster without help from any teammates, ending the twelve-year domination of T-Mobile.www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling Besides winning the national championship, he secured three stage victories and the points competition at the Tour de Hongrie,www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling and a stage victory at the Mainfranken Tour.www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling
In 2006, Ciolek completed his training at the Ford Motor Company and was able to turn professional and devote his career to cycling.www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling Through the season, he rode strongly and secured a number of high placings in important races to prove he could challenge, and beat, the strongest sprinters in UCI ProTour teams. Ciolek had an excellent second placing at the Rund um den Henninger Turm, where he once again beat Erik Zabel.www.cyclingnews.com – the world centre of cycling Since Ciolek's AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit team merged with Team Wiesenhof at the beginning of the season to be the strongest German team outside of the UCI ProTour, they were able to secure wild card entries to a number of ProTour events where Ciolek shone even more. At the Vattenfall Cyclassics, Ciolek secured fifth place.www.cyclingnews.com presents the Vattenfall Cyclassics A few weeks later, Ciolek won his first UCI ProTour event at the Tour of Germany, where he won stage three.Eurosport Splash On 23 September he won U23 Road Race World Championship in Salzburg.www.cyclingnews.com presents the 2006 UCI Road World Championships, Salzburg, Austria
For the 2007 season, Ciolek left Wiesenhof for the UCI ProTour with . After a relatively quiet early season, he came from behind to win the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt in May. He then caught fire in August, when he took three stages of the Deutschland Tour and was a fast-charging third in the Vattenfall Cyclassics.
In the 2008 season, Ciolek raced for . During 2008, he was a stage winner in Sparkassencup Schwenningen, and won two stages in the Bayern Rundfahrt. In the Tour de France, Ciolek was an instrumental figure in all four of Mark Cavendish's stage wins. On the final stage on the Champs-Élysées Ciolek managed to finish second to Gert Steegmans. He participated in the Olympic Games Road Race but had to abandon due to the effect the extreme conditions had on him. However, in September, he was able to bounce back and claim the fifth stage of the Deutschland Tour in an uphill sprint finish.
Ciolek parted ways with at the end of the 2012 season, and joined the squad for the 2013 season. In his first year with the team, Ciolek won Milan–San Remo, in a time of 5 hours, 37 minutes and 20 seconds, holding off favourites Peter Sagan () and Fabian Cancellara () in the sprint finish.
Major results
2004 Trofeo Karlsberg 1st Stages 2 & 4 9th Overall Niedersachsen Rundfahrt Juniors 1st Stage 1 2005 1st Road race, National Road Championships Tour de Hongrie 1st Points classification 1st Stages 3, 7 & 8 1st Stage 3 Mainfranken-Tour 8th Grand Prix de Waregem 2006 1st Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships 1st Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt 1st Stage 3 Deutschland Tour 2nd Rund um den Henninger Turm 5th Vattenfall Cyclassics 6th Overall Istrian Spring Trophy 1st Stage 3 8th Overall Niedersachsen Rundfahrt 1st Young rider classification 8th Neuseen Classics 2007 1st Overall Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt 1st Sprints classification 1st Young rider classification Deutschland Tour 1st Stages 6, 7 & 9 Tour of Austria 1st Points classification 1st Stages 2 & 8 1st Stage 1 3-Länder-Tour 2nd Münsterland Giro 3rd Overall Niedersachsen Rundfahrt 1st Stage 3 3rd Vattenfall Cyclassics 8th Overall Ster Elektrotoer 2008 1st Stage 5 Deutschland Tour 3rd Road race, National Road Championships 5th Overall Bayern Rundfahrt 1st Stages 1 & 3 2009 Vuelta a Mallorca 1st Trofeo Calvià 5th Trofeo Pollença 1st Stage 2 Vuelta a España 2nd Sparkassen Giro Bochum 3rd Vattenfall Cyclassics 9th Neuseen Classics 2010 1st Stage 3 Bayern Rundfahrt 5th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk 5th Binche–Tournai–Binche 6th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge 2011 2nd Road race, National Road Championships 2nd Vattenfall Cyclassics 9th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec 2012 1st Stage 4 Volta ao Algarve 1st Stage 2b (TTT) Tour de l'Ain 9th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec 10th Trofeo Deià 2013 1st Milan–San Remo 1st Stage 2 Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen 1st Stage 2 Tour of Britain 1st Stage 6 Tour of Austria 2nd Road race, National Road Championships 5th Trofeo Laigueglia 5th Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop 6th Brussels Cycling Classic 10th Overall Bayern Rundfahrt 1st Stage 3 10th Schaal Sels 2014 1st Stage 3 Vuelta a Andalucía 3rd Rund um Köln 5th Overall Tour of Norway 8th Le Samyn 9th Milan–San Remo 2015 6th Velothon Berlin 2016 5th Road race, National Road Championships 6th Rund um Köln
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 Giro d'Italia——— DNF——— Tour de France 106 126 133 150——— Vuelta a España— DNF———— 139
+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish
References
External links
Gerald Ciolek's profile on Cycling Base