| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Fabien Sanchez | ||||||||||||||
| Born | (1983-03-30)30 March 1983 (age 42) Hyères,France | ||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb) | ||||||||||||||
| Team information | |||||||||||||||
| Current team | Retired | ||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Track | ||||||||||||||
| Role | Rider | ||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Pursuit | ||||||||||||||
| Amateur teams | |||||||||||||||
| 2007–2009 | Veloclub La Pomme Marseille | ||||||||||||||
| 2010 | Amical Vélo Club Aix-en-Provence | ||||||||||||||
| Professional teams | |||||||||||||||
| 2003–2004 | FDJeux.com | ||||||||||||||
| 2005 | Française des Jeux | ||||||||||||||
| 2006 | Cofidis | ||||||||||||||
| Major wins | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Fabien Sanchez (born 30 March 1983 inHyères) is a French retired professional track cyclist.[1] He won the bronze medal in men's team pursuit at the2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, and later represented his nationFrance in two editions of the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008). Before his official retirement in late 2008, Sanchez rode for three seasons on theFDJeux.com pro cycling team, following by his annual stint onCofidis in 2006. Sanchez is also a four-time French track cycling champion in both the individual and team pursuit and in the points race.
Before his professional cycling career, Sanchez sought headlines in the international scene, when he led the French team for the gold in a team pursuit final match against the Germans at the 2001 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships inTrexlertown, Pennsylvania, United States.[2]
In August 2003, Sanchez turned his sights to professional cycling when he signed a triple seasonal contract withFDJeux.com. On that same year, he delivered the French foursome a bronze-medal time of 4:04.119 to defeat the Russians in men's team pursuit at theUCI Track Cycling World Championships inStuttgart, Germany, earning them a guaranteed spot for the Olympics.[3][4]
An official member of the French cycling team, Sanchez made his debut at the2004 Summer Olympics inAthens, where he finished sixth in themen's individual pursuit (4:21.235), and seventh in themen's team pursuit (4:07.336), along with Anthony Langella,Mathieu Ladagnous, andJérôme Neuville.[5][6][7]
Shortly after the 2004 Summer Olympics, Sanchez extended his career resume by scoring two triumphs each in men's individual and team pursuit at the French Championships, while competing forFrançaise des Jeux andCofidis pro cycling teams. At the end of 2006 season, Sanchez decided to return to his amateur sporting career, and later joined the La Pomme Marseille Cycling Club (French:Vélo-Club La Pomme Marseille).[8]
The following year, Sanchez qualified for his second French squad, as a 25-year-old, in themen's individual pursuit at the2008 Summer Olympics inBeijing based on the nation's selection process from the UCI Track World Rankings.[9] Sanchez could not produce a more striking effort in the prelims after losing out his 4 km opening match to Australia'sBrett Lancaster by a seven-second gap in 4:33.100, dropping him to fifteenth place in the overall standings.[7][10][11][12]
Setting up his official retirement from competitive cycling in 2010, Sanchez currently works on a full-time position as an athletic director for La Pomme Marseille Cycling Club (French:Vélo-Club La Pomme Marseille).[13]