Zandio in the 2011 Critérium du Dauphiné |
|||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Xabier Zandio Echaide | ||
| Born | March 17, 1977 Pamplona, Spain |
||
| Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||
| Weight | 70 kg (150 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Team Sky | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Professional team(s) | |||
| 2001–2010 2011– |
iBanesto.com Team Sky |
||
| Major wins | |||
|
|||
| Infobox last updated on September 21, 2011 |
|||
Xabier Zandio Echaide (born March 17, 1977 in Pamplona) is a Spanish professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam Team Sky.
Contents |
Zandio grew up in a sporting family—one brother is a footballer and another a pelota player—and decided at the age of 17 to become a cyclist rather than work for his parents' butchery business.
He began his professional career in 2001 with the iBanesto.com team (which was renamed Illes Balears-Banesto in 2004, and Illes Balears-Caisse d'Epargne in 2005). After a difficult 2004 season in which injuries drained him physically and emotionally, he returned with a strong performance in the 2005 Tour de France. Finishing in 22nd place overall, he managed 4th in the 18th stage, and 2nd in the 16th, behind Óscar Pereiro.
He currently resides in Pamplona with his fiancée.
This article was based in part on a translation of the equivalent article from the French Wikipedia.