In September 2005, Greipel signed an initial one-year contract with theT-Mobile Team, aUCI ProTeam, for the 2006 season.[12] He took his first wins for the team at April'sRheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt; he won the opening stage of the race, sprinting instead of the team's designated sprinterOlaf Pollack,[13] before adding a second victory on stage four, leading Pollack home in a 1–2 finish.[14] Later in the season, Greipel rode his firstGrand Tour at theVuelta a España, where he finished second toThor Hushovd on the sixth stage,[15] before withdrawing from the race during the ninth stage.[16] Having remained with the T-Mobile Team into 2007, Greipel's only victories of the season came at theSachsen Tour in the summer, winning the opening two stages of the race.[17] He did, however, work as a lead-out man for his teammateGerald Ciolek for several of his victories during the year, including at theDeutschland Tour.[17]
Greipel started the 2008 season at theTour Down Under, as part of the now-renamedTeam High Road.[18] Having won the pre-raceDown Under Classic criterium and the race's second stage, Greipel then won the final three stages to win the race overall by fifteen seconds,[19][20] ahead ofAllan Davis, having not expected to feature in the general classification mix.[6] He also prevailed in the points classification by four points from Davis, as he became the first leader of theUCI ProTour overall standings.[20] After finishing third atNokere Koerse,[21] Greipel made his début at theGiro d'Italia and he took his firstGrand Tour stage victory on stage seventeen, leading home teammateMark Cavendish inLocarno.[22]
Greipel at the 2008Sachsen Tour, where he won two stages
Greipel took the opening stage victory at theTour Down Under in January,[28] but withdrew from the race two days later, having collided with a stationary police motorcycle during the third stage, suffering a shoulder injury which required surgery and three months of rehabilitation.[29][30] He returned to racing at theFour Days of Dunkirk in May, leading the race overall, winning the final stage and the points classification.[31][32] Greipel then won three stages and the points classification at theBayern Rundfahrt,[26][33] before consecutive one-day victories in early June at theNeuseen Classics and thePhiladelphia International Championship.[34][35] He also won three stages and the points classification at a further two races – theSter Elektrotoer and theTour of Austria[26][36][37] – but was not selected forTeam Columbia–HTC's squad at theTour de France.
Prior to theVuelta a España, Greipel took a stage victory at both theSachsen Tour and theTour de Pologne.[38][39] Greipel led Team Columbia–HTC at the Vuelta a España, in the absence of teammateMark Cavendish.[40] He missed on a stage win on stage three, having been separated from his final lead-out riderGreg Henderson, who went on to win the sprint inVenlo.[41] Greipel then won the next two stages, taking the lead in both the points classification and the general classification.[42][43] Greipel ceded the overall lead toFabian Cancellara following the stage sevenindividual time trial,[44] but maintained the green jersey until stage thirteen, whenAlejandro Valverde took the lead in the points classification due to a points penalty for Greipel.[45] Greipel took his third stage victory on stage sixteen to retake the green jersey,[45] which he would hold for the remainder of the race, and a fourth stage win came on the final day, winning the ceremonial circuit stage inMadrid.[46] He finished 2009 with his 20th win of the season atParis–Bourges,[47] with only Cavendish taking more victories during the year.[48]
Greipel started the 2010 season with his second overall victory at theTour Down Under, also winning three stages and the points classification.[49][50] Greipel won the Trofeo Magaluf–Palmanova,[51] held as part of theVuelta a Mallorca one-day races, before winning a stage and the points classification at theVolta ao Algarve.[26][52] In April, Greipel won five stages at theTour of Turkey,[53] including the 5.8-kilometre (3.6-mile) prologueindividual time trial.[54] He finished eighth overall and earned the points classification jersey.[53][55] He won stage 18 at May'sGiro d'Italia,[56] but failed to start the following stage. Having won the points classification at theSter Elektrotoer,[57] Greipel then won two stages at theTour of Austria (also winning the points classification),[26] theTour de Pologne,[26][58] and theEneco Tour.[59] He concluded the season with three stage victories at theTour of Britain,[60] and was named German Male Cyclist of the Year (German:Radsportler des Jahres für Männer) in December.[61]
Greipel made his first start with the team at January'sTour Down Under, but failed to win a stage for the first time; he took his first victory with the team the following month, when he won the fourth stage of theVolta ao Algarve.[64][65] Over the rest of the spring, Greipel took a stage win at both theThree Days of De Panne and theTour of Turkey,[66][67] as well as two stage wins and the points classification at theTour of Belgium.[68][69] Greipel then made his début at theTour de France,[70] as the designated sprinter for Omega Pharma–Lotto. On stage ten, Greipel took his first stage win, inching outMark Cavendish in a bunch sprint inCarmaux.[70][71] He was in contention for a second consecutive stage win the following day, but was beaten to the line inLavaur by Cavendish.[72] Following the Tour de France, Greipel took two consecutive stage wins at theEneco Tour,[73] before second-place finishes at theMemorial Rik Van Steenbergen andKampioenschap van Vlaanderen one-day races in Belgium.[74] He was team captain for Germany going into theroad race at theUCI Road World Championships inCopenhagen,[75] but could only finish third in the bunch sprint, behind his former Team HTC–Columbia teammates Cavendish andMatthew Goss.[76]
Greipel started the season with three stage victories at theTour Down Under in January,[77] and a further two stage wins at theTour of Oman in February.[78] He then went two months without a victory, not winning again until April'sTour of Turkey, with a sprint win inAntalya on stage two.[79] The following month, Greipel then won the first three stages of theTour of Belgium, winning the points classification as a result.[80][81] Before theTour de France, Greipel won two stages and the points classification at theTour de Luxembourg,[82][83] theProRace Berlin in a sprint finish,[84] and the second stage of theSter ZLM Toer.[85]
At the Tour de France, Greipel and hisLotto–Belisol teammates had high hopes for stage victories. He was edged out for victory byMark Cavendish onstage 2, despite admitting he had a "nearly perfect lead out train".[86] Onstage 4, Greipel avoided a crash with around 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) remaining – which took down other riders including Cavendish – and won the sprint inRouen by beatingAlessandro Petacchi andTom Veelers.[87] Greipel took a second consecutive win onstage 5, winning the sprint inSaint-Quentin after the breakaway was caught inside the final kilometre of the stage.[88] Having missed out on a third consecutive stage win with a second-place finish – toPeter Sagan – inMetz onstage 6, Greipel did ultimately take a third stage win onstage 13, out-sprinting Sagan for the victory.[89] He was the closest challenger to Sagan in thepoints classification, albeit more than 100 points in arrears.
Greipel was seen to be one of the favourites for theroad race at theOlympics in London,[90] but he did not feature towards the medal places. He then placed second toArnaud Démare in August'sVattenfall Cyclassics, the onlyUCI World Tour event disputed in Germany.[91] He stated that the scorching heat did not help matters in the 245.6-kilometre (152.6-mile) race, and that his "engine had some cooling problems".[92] He also announced after the race that he would not participate in theroad race at theUCI Road World Championships inLimburg, citing the course as "too difficult".[92] He took three further victories over the remainder of the season – winning the first two stages of theDanmark Rundt,[93] as well as a victory in theGrand Prix Impanis-Van Petegem one-day race[94] – while also placing second overall at theWorld Ports Classic, finishing second on both stages. Following the end of the season, Greipel welcomed the investigation ofLance Armstrong by theUnited States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), stating that "the fight against cheating and the falsely-earned successes must absolutely be continued".[95]
Greipel started the 2013 campaign in Australia by winning theDown Under Classic for a record third time, before going on to win three stages at theTour Down Under – the second of which, his thirteenth overall, took him pastRobbie McEwen's previous record for most stage victories at the Tour Down Under.[96][97] In his next start, Greipel then won the opening stage at theTour Méditerranéen.[98] While racing at theTour of Turkey, Greipel's grandmother died; having spoken to other family members, he elected to continue in the race, and went on to win stages four and five as well as the points classification.[99][100][101] He then won two consecutive stages and the points classification in his next stage race, theTour of Belgium.[102][103]
Greipel started his season in Australia with two stage victories at January'sTour Down Under,[113] before winning the fifth stage of February'sTour of Qatar,[114] and a further three stages and the points classification at theTour of Oman the same month.[115] He crashed heavily in the finale ofGent–Wevelgem withTyler Farrar at the end of March, dislocating his collarbone and tearing off the bone's ligaments. He was successfully operated upon the same evening,[116] but missed a month of racing, ultimately returning to the peloton at theTour of Turkey.[117] Having gone winless at the Tour of Turkey, Greipel then took at least one stage victory at each of his next four stage race starts before theTour de France – theWorld Ports Classic,[118] theTour of Belgium, theTour de Luxembourg (two stages, the second being a solo victory),[119] and theSter ZLM Toer.[120]
Having finished second toMatteo Pelucchi at the Trofeo Playa de Palma–Palma, held as part of theVuelta a Mallorca one-day races, Greipel won stages at both theVolta ao Algarve andParis–Nice,[127][128] dedicating the latter victory to his mother, who he said was "having a very hard time at the moment".[128] In April, he was denied his third victory of the season at theThree Days of De Panne, losing out toAlexander Kristoff by 5 millimetres (0.20 inches) in the bunch sprint on stage 3a.[129] His next win came on the fourth stage of theTour of Turkey, in a sprint of a reduced group, after some of his main rivals were dropped on a climb close to the finish.[130] He rode theGiro d'Italia for the first time since2010,[131] winning stage 6 ahead of Pelucchi andSacha Modolo,[132] before withdrawing ahead of stage 14.[133] In June, Greipel won two stages and the points classification at theTour de Luxembourg,[134][135] before doing the same at theSter ZLM Toer, where he also won the general classification, 16 seconds clear of the next closest competitor.[136]
Greipel won two events at theVuelta a Mallorca one-day races to start the season – winning the Trofeo Felanitx–Ses Salines–Campos–Porreres and the Trofeo Playa de Palma–Palma events.[144] After a third-place finish at theScheldeprijs,[145] Greipel's next victory came at thePresidential Tour of Turkey in April,[146] winning the third stage of his final warm-up race before theGiro d'Italia. At the Giro d'Italia, Greipel won two stages in the first week, winning stages five and seven to move into the lead of thepoints classification.[147][148] Wearing the red jersey of classification leader, Greipel added a third stage win on stage twelve intoBibione, but withdrew from the race following this.[149] Following the Giro d'Italia, Greipel won a stage of theTour de Luxembourg,[150] and finished second toDylan Groenewegen at the centenary edition of theRund um Köln.[151]
Greipel took victory in his first start of the 2017 season, winning the Trofeo Porreres, Felanitx, Ses Salines, Campos event held as part of theVuelta a Mallorca one-day races.[160] He then won stages at both theVolta ao Algarve andParis–Nice,[161][162] also winning the points classification in Portugal.[163] Greipel then recorded his first top-ten finish at one of thecycling monuments, when he finished in seventh place atParis–Roubaix – finishing twelve seconds down on race winnerGreg Van Avermaet, in the first group of chasing riders.[164] At theGiro d'Italia, Greipel won the second stage in Sardinia; with the time bonuses he collected from this and his third place on the opening stage put him in the overall race leader's pink jersey for the first time.[165] He ceded the overall lead toFernando Gaviria the following day, in crosswinds that effected the third stage,[166] and he later withdrew from the race before its final week.[167] Thereafter, Greipel did not win another race until the inauguralOmloop Eurometropool at the end of September,[168] which meant that Greipel's streak of twelve consecutiveGrand Tour starts with at least one stage victory came to an end at theTour de France,[169] his best result being a second-place finish toDylan Groenewegen onthe Champs-Élysées as he sought a third consecutive stage win in Paris.[169]
Greipel started his 2018 season in January with wins on the first and final stages of theTour Down Under, finishing inLyndoch andAdelaide respectively.[170][171] He was forced to withdraw from the spring classics after breaking his collarbone in a crash atMilan–San Remo, but returned to competition after seven weeks at theFour Days of Dunkirk,[172] where he took another pair of stage wins (the second being a solo victory),[65] finishing second overall toDimitri Claeys by one second in the general classification.[173] Greipel then won two stages and the points classification at theTour of Belgium,[174] but he could not translate this form into a stage win at theTour de France, where he was forced to withdraw from the race in the Alps, on stage twelve.[175] Following his withdrawal, he accusedArnaud Démare of holding onto team cars in order to make a stage time limit, but later apologised.[175] Subsequently,Lotto–Soudal announced that after eight seasons, Greipel would be leaving at the end of the season;[176] he took a total of 95 victories during his time with the team, the last pair of which came on stages at theTour of Britain.[65]
In August 2018, Greipel announced that he had signed a two-year deal with Fortuneo–Samsic, later renamedArkéa–Samsic from 2019.[177] Greipel made his debut for the team atLa Tropicale Amissa Bongo, where he won a stage and finished third overall.[178][179] This would ultimately turn out to be his only victory of the 2019 season, and his only other podium result was a second-place finish at theGrote Prijs Stad Zottegem, behind winnerPiotr Havik.[180] In October 2019 Greipel and Arkéa–Samsic announced that they had agreed to end their contract a year early, making his final appearance for the team at theMünsterland Giro.[181] Greipel also revealed that his competitiveness was affected in the first half of the season by a bacterial disease which he suffered from for several months, recovering a fortnight before theTour de France.[181]
In November 2019,Israel Start-Up Nation announced that they had signed Greipel for the 2020 season.[182] He started his first season with the team in Australia, racing in theTour Down Under,Race Torquay and theCadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race, taking a best result of fourth place on stage four of the Tour Down Under before returning to Europe. However, in February 2020, Greipel suffered a shoulder fracture in a training crash nearCologne.[183] The injury prevented Greipel from racing further before competition was suspended due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[184] His best result following the COVID-19 pandemic was a sixth-place stage finish at theTour de France.[185]
In April 2021 Greipel stated that he would retire from cycling in 2022.[186] The following month he took his first win in over two years at the Trofeo Alcúdia, having twice finished second in stages of thePresidential Tour of Turkey in April.[187] He subsequently won a stage at theVuelta a Andalucía the following week.[188] In July, ahead of the penultimate stage of theTour de France, Greipel announced that he would retire from competition, earlier than planned, at the end of the 2021 season.[189] His final race was at theMünsterland Giro, finishing tenth.[190] He finished his professional career with a total of 158 victories.[191]
Married with two children, Greipel lives inHürth, close toCologne in Germany. After his overall win at the2008 Tour Down Under, he was nicknamed the "Gorilla" by various sports media.[20]
^Linden, Julian (22 January 2009)."Armstrong escapes carnage Down Under".Reuters.Thomson Reuters. Retrieved31 December 2024.He was taken to hospital with a dislocated shoulder that requires surgery and will sideline him for at least three months [...]
^"Greipel gav ny undskyldning for at sejre" [Greipel gave new excuse for victory].Jyllands-Posten (in Danish).JP/Politikens Hus.Ritzau. 23 August 2012. Retrieved23 August 2012.Den hurtige tysker vandt torsdag den anden af to mulige etaper i Post Danmark Rundt, da feltet kom til Aarhus. [The fast German won the second of two possible stages in the Post Danmark Rundt on Thursday, when the peloton came to Aarhus.]
^Lindner, Sebastian (14 January 2022)."Greipel gibt Starthilfe für Rostocker Talent" [Greipel gives start-up help for Rostock talent].Radsport-News.com (in German). Sport Aktiv Media GmbH. Retrieved15 May 2022.
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