Michael Wright (cyclist)

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Michael Wright
Personal information
Full name Michael Wright
Date of birth March 25, 1941 (age 66)
Country Flag of United Kingdom United Kingdom
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Professional team(s)
1962-1966
1967
1968-1971
1972-1973
1974
1975
1976		 Wiel's-Groene Leeuw
Tibetan-Groene Leeuw-Pull Over Centrale
Bic
Gitane
Sonolor-Gitane
Gero-Jaga Kercka
Ijsboerke-Colnago
Major wins
3 stage wins, Tour de France
4 stage wins, Vuelta a España
Infobox last updated on:
March 28, 2007

Michael Wright (born 25 March 1941) is an English former professional road bicycle racer from 1962 to 1976. He won stages in the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España stage races and represented Great Britain at several World Championships.

Contents

[edit] Early life

Wright was born in Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire. His father died in World War II and his mother re-married to a Belgian soldier. The family emigrated to Belgium when Wright was only three years old. He grew up living in the city of Liège.

Wright's first sport was football. However, when his step-father died leaving the family short of money, Wright turned to cycling as a more lucrative way of exploiting his athletic talent.

His first language was French and, although he represented Great Britain at the Tour de France and several World Road Race Championships, his English was limited. During the Winter of 1967-8 he took evening classes to brush up his English in preparation for riding with the British team.

[edit] Professional career

Wright was too big to ride well in the high mountains, but he was a fast finisher from a small group.

[edit] Tour de France

Wright rode the Tour de France 8 times, finishing 24th in 1965 and winning 3 stages. Together with Barry Hoban, Wright provided Great Britain with its most consistent period of Tour stage wins during the late sixties and early seventies. He was a member of the British team in 1967 - the year that Tommy Simpson collapsed and died on the Ventoux.

Tour record:

[edit] Vuelta a España

Wright won 4 stages of the Vuelta a España: 2 in 1968 and 2 in 1969. In 1968 he was third in the points classification. In 1969 he came 5th on general classification, 2nd on the points classification and wore the leader's jersey for 2 days.

Stage wins:

[edit] Major achievements

1961 - amateur

  • 21 wins

1962 - first professional year

  • 1st Grand Prix du Brabant Wallon

1963

1964

  • 1st Tour du Condroz
  • 1st Grand Prix de Denain
  • 1st Critéruim de Visé
  • 1st Bruxelles-Nandrin
  • 13th World Road Race Championships
  • 1st stage 2, Tour du Nord
  • 56th Tour de France (2nd stages 1 and 11 and 3rd on stage 10)

1965

1966

  • 1st Bruxelles-Verviers
  • 4th Henninger Turm
  • 2nd stage 2, Grand Prix du Midi Libre
  • 3rd stage 3, Tour of Holland
  • 2nd stage 3, Volta a Catalunya (also 3rd on stage 8 and 3rd on the points classification)

1967

1968

1969

  • 1st Tour du Condroz
  • 5th Vuelta a España (1st stages 1 and 13, 2nd stage 12, 2nd on points classification)
  • 2nd stage 4, Grand Prix du Midi Libre (3rd stage 2)
  • 1st stage 1, Vuelta al Pais Vasco - G.P Eibar (3rd stage 4)
  • 1st stages 1 and 4, Tour du Nord

1970

1972

  • 3rd stage 2, Grand Prix du Midi Libre
  • 2nd stage 1 and 9, Tour de France

1973

1974

1975

  • 2nd Circuit de Wallonie

1976

  • 1st Circuit de Niel

[edit] External links

[edit] Bibliography

Fotheringham, W. (2005), Roule Britannia: A History of Britons in the Tour de France, London: Yellow Jersey, ISBN 0-224-07425-3

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