 Meersman at the 2013 Tour de l'Ain. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Gianni Meersman |
| Nickname | Merrie[1] |
| Born | 5 December 1985 Meulebeke, West Flanders, Belgium |
| Height | 1.77 m (5 ft 10 in)[1] |
| Weight | 63 kg (139 lb)[1] |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal |
| Disciplines |
|
| Role |
|
| Rider type | Attacker[1] Stage hunter[1] |
| Professional teams | |
| 2007 | Discovery Channel |
| 2008–2011 | Française des Jeux |
| 2012 | Lotto–Belisol[2] |
| 2013–2016 | Omega Pharma–Quick-Step[3] |
| Managerial team | |
| 2017– | Marlux–Napoleon Games (directeur sportif) |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Gianni Meersman (born 5 December 1985) is a Belgian former professional track and road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2007 and 2016 for the Discovery Channel, FDJ, Lotto–Belisol and Etixx–Quick-Step teams. He currently works as a directeur sportif for the Pauwels Sauzen–Bingoal team.
After stage 3 of the 2007 Tour de Georgia, Meersman was forced to abandon the race due to a severe case of patella tendinitis. He treated the riders of the Grand Peloton, a charity fundraiser ride, to his presence as the Peloton Captain of the "Blue Peloton". Meersman finally came to Grand Tour prominence, after 10 years as a professional racer, at the 2016 Vuelta a España winning two stages in bunch sprints. During the race, Fortuneo–Vital Concept announced that Meersman had agreed a one-year contract with the team for 2017.[4] However, a diagnosis of cardiac arrhythmia and scar tissue on his heart forced Meersman to announce his retirement on 30 December 2016.[5] On 11 October 2017, Meersman was confirmed as the new sporting director for cyclo-cross team Marlux–Napoleon Games.[6]
Major results
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- 2002
- 2nd Time trial, National Junior Road Championships
- 2004
- 1st Circuit de Wallonie
- 10th Grand Prix Criquielion
- 2005
- 1st Stage 1 Ronde de l'Isard
- 3rd Flèche Ardennaise
- 7th Road race, UCI Under-23 Road World Championships
- 8th Overall Le Triptyque des Monts et Châteaux
- 2006
- 2nd Zellik–Galmaarden
- 6th Overall Circuit des Ardennes
- 2007
- 1st Stage 5 Tour of Austria
- 1st Stage 3 Tour de Georgia
- 7th Overall Tour of Belgium
- 8th Overall Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen
- 2008
- 1st Stage 4 Tour de Wallonie
- 2nd Overall Étoile de Bessèges
- 3rd Trophée des Grimpeurs
- 3rd Grand Prix de Plumelec-Morbihan
- 6th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
- 9th Overall Circuit de Lorraine
- 2010
- 2nd Overall Paris–Corrèze
- 2011
- 1st
Overall Circuit des Ardennes
- 1st
Points classification - 1st Stage 2
- 1st
- 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
- 2nd Paris–Troyes
- 2nd Route Adélie
- 3rd Halle–Ingooigem
- 4th Flèche d'Emeraude
- 7th Overall Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
- 8th Brabantse Pijl
- 10th Overall Ster ZLM Toer
- 2012
- 1st Stage 4 Paris–Nice
- 2nd Overall Tour de Wallonie
- 3rd Clásica de San Sebastián
- 10th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 1st Stage 1
- 2013
- Volta a Catalunya
- 1st Stages 1 & 2
- Tour de Romandie
- 1st Stages 1 & 3
- 1st Prologue Tour de l'Ain
- 1st Points classification, Critérium du Dauphiné
- 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
- 6th Les Boucles du Sud Ardèche
- 6th Eschborn-Frankfurt City Loop
- 7th Trofeo Platja de Muro
- 2014
- 1st Overall Tour de Wallonie
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 5
- 1st Trofeo Muro-Port d'Alcúdia
- Tour de l'Ain
- 1st Prologue & Stage 2
- 3rd Overall Ster ZLM Toer
- 3rd Trofeo Ses Salines
- 3rd La Drôme Classic
- 4th Overall Tour de Picardie
- 4th Trofeo Palma
- 6th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- 7th Grand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem
- 9th Classic Sud-Ardèche
- 2015
- 1st Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
- 1st Handzame Classic
- 1st Stage 1 Volta ao Algarve
- 2nd Le Samyn
- 6th Down Under Classic
- 2016
- Vuelta a España
- 1st Stages 2 & 5
- Held after Stages 2 & 5–9
- 2nd Overall Tour de Wallonie
- 3rd Handzame Classic
- 8th Münsterland Giro
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia |
— | — | — | — | DNF | — | — | DNF | — |
| Tour de France |
— | — | — | 77 | — | — | — | — | — |
 Vuelta a España |
DNF | — | 98 | — | 57 | 58 | — | — | 111 |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 "Gianni Meersman". Omega Pharma–Quick-Step. Decolef. Archived from the original on 4 July 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2016.
- ↑ "Meersman signs with Lotto-Belisol". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 29 November 2011.
- ↑ "Meersman graduates to Omega Pharma-Quickstep". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 19 November 2012.
- ↑ "Meersman to ride for Fortuneo Vital Concept in 2017". cyclingnews.com. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 30 August 2016.
- ↑ "Cardiac issues force Gianni Meersman into retirement". Cycling News. 30 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ↑ "Meersman returns to cycling as director of Marlux-Napoleon Games". cyclingnews.com. 11 October 2017. Retrieved 12 October 2017.
External links
- Gianni Meersman at ProCyclingStats
- Gianni Meersman at Cycling Archives
- Gianni Meersman's profile on Cycling Base Archived 26 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine