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.jpg) Sørensen at the 2014Grand Prix d'Isbergues. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Nicki Sørensen |
| Born | (1975-05-14)14 May 1975 (age 50) Hillerød, Denmark |
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 71 kg (157 lb) |
| Team information | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role |
|
| Rider type | All-rounder |
| Professional teams | |
| 1999 | Team Chicky World |
| 2000 | Team Fakta |
| 2001–2014 | CSC–Tiscali |
| Managerial teams | |
| 2015 | Tinkoff–Saxo(directeur sportif) |
| 2016 | Cycling Academy(directeur sportif)[1] |
| 2017–2018 | Aqua Blue Sport(directeur sportif) |
| 2019–2022 | Israel Cycling Academy(directeur sportif) |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Nicki Sørensen (born 14 May 1975) is aDanish former professionalroad bicycle racer, and wasdirecteur sportif ofUCI Professional Continental teamAqua Blue Sport[2] andIsrael–Premier Tech. He competed in five consecutive editions of theTour de France from 2001 to 2005. Riding as an all-round rider who rode well in hilly terrain, Sørensen was a valued support for the team leader without many wins of his own.
Sørensen[circular reference] only started his cycling career at the age of 19, having been arunner before that. He became a professionalroad bicycle racer in 1999 for teamTeam Chicky World. After the team closed down, Sørensen switched to another Denmark-based team,Team Fakta, where he made a good name for himself on the Danish stage as one of the strongest cards of Team Fakta, securing himself a place on the Danish team for the2000 Olympics.
Before the 2001 season, Sørensen was on the verge of joining BritishLinda McCartney Racing Team but instead opted to stay in Denmark with Team CSC – World Online, as Team Saxo Bank was then known. In his first year with the team, he participated in the2001 Tour de France, where he got a taste of success with a fourth place on stage 16. After that, Sørensen was a consistent part of the Tour setup for Team CSC, riding the biggest race in the cycling calendar every year from 2001 to 2005, his highlights including the overallGC rank of 20th in 2002. Another highlight was Sørensen's instrumental role in team captainTyler Hamilton's win on stage 16 of the2003 Tour de France when Sørensen, who was in a breakaway, sacrificed his own chances in order to pull Hamilton and thereby allow Tyler Hamilton to conserve the strength needed to win on the day.
Nicki Sørensen started the 2005 season on a high note with a win inGP d'Ouverture la Marseillaise and a fourth place inTour Méditerranéen during February, and during the season he prolonged his contract with Team CSC until 2007. In September, Nicki Sørensen clinched stage 18 of theVuelta a España after defeatingPascual Rodriguez in the sprint.
On 16 July 2009, Sørensen won Stage 12 of the2009 Tour de France. He was in an early breakaway with five other riders and attacked the small group with 20 km to cover to win solo.[3]
Sørensen retired after riding the2014 Giro di Lombardia. The last victory of his career was the 2012Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli.[4]
After his retirement, he remained withTinkoff–Saxo as adirecteur sportif and coach.[5] For the 2016 season he moved across to the IsraeliCycling Academy Team.[1] In October 2016 the newAqua Blue Sport team announced that Sørensen would join them as a sports director for their inaugural season in 2017.[6] Aqua Blue Sport folded at the end of 2018.
From the beginning of 2019, he joinedIsrael Cycling Academy as the new sports director.[7] In October 2019 he extended his contract with the team that had just become aUCI World Tour team.[8] In November 2022 it was announced that Sørensen would leave the team at the end of 2022.[9]
In June 2015, prior to the Anti Doping Denmark report, he admitted to drug use in the early part of his career.[10]
Road race, National Road ChampionshipsRoad race, National Road Championships
Combativity award Stage 12Road race, National Road ChampionshipsRoad race, National Road Championships