Tom Steels
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Tom Steels |
| Born |
2 September 1971.svg.png){kind=small} Belgium |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider (retired) |
| Professional team(s) | |
| 1994–1995 1996–2002 2003–2004 2005–2007 2008 |
Vlaanderen 2002 Mapei Landbouwkrediet-Colnago Davitamon-Lotto Landbouwkrediet-Tönissteiner |
| Major wins | |
|
Tour de France, 9 stages | |
|
Infobox last updated on 2 January 2008 | |
Tom Steels (born 2 September 1971, Sint-Gillis-Waas) is a former Belgian professional road bicycle racer, specialising in sprint finishes and one-day races. He was one of the top sprinters in the peloton.
Steels competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, in the Men's 1000 metres Time Trial, finishing 19th [1]
Steels began his professional cycling career in 1994 with the Vlaanderen 2002 team, winning eight times in his first two seasons. His breakthrough was after he signed with Mapei in 1996. That year he won Omloop Het Volk, and Gent–Wevelgem. In 1997, he rode in his first Tour de France, and looked capable of a stage win after coming second on Stage 2.[2] However, during the sprint for the finish for the sixth stage he found himself blocked and boxed in by other sprinters and in frustration threw his water bottle at another rider, for which he was thrown out of that year's Tour.[3]
His best season was 1998 when he won the national championship for the second time and returned to the Tour de France to win four stages. The point jersey would also have been his, as the people in front of him all admitted to doping. He was also national champion in 2002 and 2004 and won five more stages in the Tour. 2006 was his first year as a professional that he failed to win a race.
Steels retired from racing at the end of the 2008 season, during which he raced for Landbouwkrediet - Tönissteiner.[4][5] In October 2010 it was announced that he would work as a coach for Quick Step, a Protour team, during 2011.[6]
Career
Victories
- 1994
- Stage Tour de l'Avenir
- GP Zele
- 1995
- 1 mei Prijs Hoboken
- Stage West Virginia Mountain Classic
- GP Rik Van Steenbergen
- Dwars door ’t Pajottenland
- Stage Ronde van Nederland
- Grote Sluitingsprijs Putte-Kapellen
- 1996
- Omloop Het Volk
- Gent–Wevelgem
- Stage, Tour Méditerranéen
- 2 Stages, Tour of Belgium
- Stage, Volta a la Comunidad Galega
- Kustpijl
- Criterium Aalst
- 1997
- Belgium national road championship
- Vuelta a Mallorca
- 4 Stages, Paris–Nice
- Stage, Tour de Luxembourg
- Stage, Tour de Suisse
- 2 Stages, Tour de la Région Wallonne
- Schaals Sels Merksem
- 1998
- 4 Stages, Tour de France
- Belgium national road championship
- Trofeo Pollensa-Alcudia
- Trofeo Magalluff-Calvia
- 2 Stages, Ruta del Sol
- 2 Stages, Paris-Nice
- Dwars door België
- Criterium Aalst
- Oostrozebeke
- GP Merelbeke
- 1999
- 3 Stages, Tour de France
- Gent–Wevelgem
- 2 Stages, Ruta del Sol
- Stage, Paris–Nice
- Stage, Driedaagse van de Panne
- 2000
- 2 Stages, Tour de France
- Stage, Tour de la Mediterrannée
- Stage, Paris - Nice
- Stage, Driedaagse van De Panne
- 2 Stages, Tour de la Région Wallonne
- 2001
- Stage, Deutschland Tour
- 2 Stages, Tour de Suède
- 2002
- Belgium national road championship
- Stage, 4 Jours de Dunkerque
- Stage, Tour de Catalonia
- 2003
- Stage, Étoile de Bessèges
- Stage, Tour of Belgium
- Stage, Tour de l'Autriche
- GP Heusden
- 2004
- Belgium national road championship
- Stage, Étoile de Bessèges
- Stage, Tour de Luxembourg
- 2 Stages, Tour de l'Autriche
- Dernycriterium St Niklaas
- 2005
- 2 Stages, Étoile de Bessèges
- Stage, Volta ao Algarve
- Stage, Driedaagse van De Panne-Koksijde
References
- ↑ "Tom Steels Biography and Olympic Results". Sports-reference.com. 1971-09-02. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ↑ "Tour de France, July 5-25 1997". Autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ↑ "Tour de France 1997". Autobus.cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ↑ Bjorn Haake. "Tom Steels Will Call It Quits Next Year". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ↑ "Tom Steels | Riders". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
- ↑ Barry Ryan. "Steels To Join Quick Step As Trainer". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2012-07-16.
External links
- Tom Steels at Trap-Friis.dk. Archive copy at the Wayback Machine (archived 24 May 2011)
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