 Albert during the2007 World Championships | ||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Niels Albert | |||||||||||||||||
| Born | (1986-02-05)5 February 1986 (age 39) Bonheiden,Belgium | |||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.82 m (6 ft 0 in) | |||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 66 kg (146 lb; 10.4 st) | |||||||||||||||||
| Team information | ||||||||||||||||||
| Current team | Retired | |||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Cyclo-cross and road | |||||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | |||||||||||||||||
| Professional team | ||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2014 | Palmans–Sapim–Collstrop | |||||||||||||||||
| Major wins | ||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||
Niels Albert (born 5 February 1986 inBonheiden, nearAntwerp,Belgium) is a former professionalcyclo-crossracing cyclist who currently resides inTremelo. He became World Champion twice, in 2009 and 2012.
Similarly toSven Nys, Albert began BMX racing, in which he was two times Belgian National Champion, before switching to cyclo-cross. On 8 October 2006 Albert took his first major senior victory at Grote Prijs Pro Cycling Neerpelt, Belgium. Albert won the first International cyclo-cross of the 2007/08 season with a victory in Erpe-Mere, Belgium.[1] Albert scored another big victory with the Superprestige in Gieten, the Netherlands where riding for the first time in the Elite category of the annual Gieten race, he beatSven Nys andLars Boom.[2]
He finished second at the 2008/09Belgian Cyclo-cross Championships (behind Sven Nys).
In 2009, he became the Cyclo-cross world champion inHoogerheide, TheNetherlands. He took a second World Champion title in 2012, after a solo victory inKoksijde.[3]
His career ended abruptly on 19 May 2014, when Albert, aged 28, announced his retirement as a professional cyclist, due to heart problems.[4]
UCI World Junior Championships
UEC European Junior Championships
National Junior Championships
UEC European Under-23 ChampionshipsUEC European Under-23 ChampionshipsNational Under-23 Championships
UCI World Under-23 ChampionshipsUEC European Under-23 ChampionshipsNational Under-23 Championships
OverallUCI Under-23 World Cup
UCI World Under-23 ChampionshipsUCI World Under-23 ChampionshipsUEC European Under-23 Championships OverallUCI Under-23 World CupUCI World ChampionshipsNational Championships OverallUCI World CupUCI World Championships OverallUCI World Cup
