Erik Breukink
Encyclopedia
Erik Breukink is a former professional road racing cyclist. In 1988, Breukink won the youth competition in the Tour de France. In 1990, Breukink reached the podium in Paris, finishing 3rd in the 1990 Tour de France
. Currently he is the manager of the Rabobank
team.
bicycle factory. Despite this, he chose to be a soccer player. In 1980 he changed to pursue a cycling career. In 1982, this appeared to be a good choice, when he won the Dutch national pursuit championship for juniors. At the 1984 Olympic Games
, Erik Breukink competed with Gert Jakobs, Maarten Ducrot
and Jos Albertsin the 100 km Team Pursuit and finish fourth place. In 1985, Breukink won 2 time trial stages in Olympia's Tour
, and finished 3rd place overall. He decided to switch to a professional career.
debut in 1987
, he won one stage and finished second in the youth competition
. His real breakthrough in the major courses was the 1988 Giro d'Italia
, where he debuted with a 2nd place, winning the Gavia Pass
stage in a snowstorm. In the 1988 Tour de France
he won the youth competition
and finished 13th place. In the 1989 Tour de France
, he showed his time trial skills by winning the prologue, and wearing the yellow jersey
for one day. In that year's Giro d'Italia, he almost won, but lost the lead in the Dolomites
due to hunger.
In 1990, Breukink wanted to focus on the Tour de France, so he switched to the PDM team, that allowed him to do so. In the 1990 Tour de France
, the result was good, winning two stages and finishing 3rd overall. The result could even have been better, but Breukink suffered from some bad luck: in the climb to the Tourmalet Breukink had to switch bicycles three times.
In 1991, Breukink together with the entire PDM-team had to leave the tour ranked 3rd, officially due to food poisoning, but it was later exposed that it was due to Intralipid
In 1992, he appeared weak, especially in his favourite time trials. In 1993, Breukink switched to the ONCE-team, where his performance improved again. Bad luck followed him however, as just before the start of the 1993 Tour de France
, he was hit by a car. The damage to his left knee caused him to give up during the Tour.
Breukink rode the Tour de France four times afterwards, but never reached his old level. In 1997 he ended his professional cycling career, having ridden 11 Tours de France and won 4 stages. He garnered 61 career victories in total.
, covering the Tour de France. In 2002 and 2003, the GP Erik Breukink, a UCI level 2.3 course, was run, with Erik Dekker
and Fabian Cancellara
as winners, but it was discontinued in 2004 due to financial problems.
team. Thanks to his ONCE-years, Erik Breukink speaks Spanish fluently, which is helpful to communicate with the Spanish cyclists in the Rabobank team and cyclist Denis Menchov
, who also speaks Spanish better than English. Since Breukink became team manager, the Rabobank cycling team's successes have included Paris–Tours, Milan – San Remo, the Brabantse Pijl
(3x), the Tirreno–Adriatico (2x), the Tour de Romandie
, the final classification and three stages in the Vuelta a España
, 6 stages in the Tour de France and the polka dot jersey
(2x) in the Tour de France.
On, 20 July 2006, Breukink received the "médaille de la fidélité" from the Tour de France organisation, because he had been present in the Tour de France for 20 years. (11 times as rider, 1 time as PR-officer, 5 times as sports commentator and 3 times as team manager).
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
1993
1995
1997
1990 Tour de France
The 1990 Tour de France was the 77th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 22, 1990. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3504 km, with riders averaging 38.62 km/h...
. Currently he is the manager of the Rabobank
Rabobank (cycling)
Rabobank is a professional bicycle racing team, sponsored by the Rabobank. The team consists of three sections: ProTeam , Continental , and Cyclo-cross...
team.
Amateur cycling years
Breukink was born in a cycling family, as his father Willem Breukink was director of the GazelleGazelle (bicycle)
Royal Dutch Gazelle is the largest and most famous bicycle manufacturer in the Netherlands. Gazelle employs 550 workers at its factory in Dieren, The Netherlands, producing 300,000 bicycles a year. Total production has passed 13 million.- History :...
bicycle factory. Despite this, he chose to be a soccer player. In 1980 he changed to pursue a cycling career. In 1982, this appeared to be a good choice, when he won the Dutch national pursuit championship for juniors. At the 1984 Olympic Games
1984 Summer Olympics
The 1984 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event held in Los Angeles, California, United States in 1984...
, Erik Breukink competed with Gert Jakobs, Maarten Ducrot
Maarten Ducrot
Maarten Ducrot is a former Dutch professional road bicycle racer, and currently cycling reporter for the Dutch television....
and Jos Albertsin the 100 km Team Pursuit and finish fourth place. In 1985, Breukink won 2 time trial stages in Olympia's Tour
Olympia's Tour
The Olympia's Tour is a cycling stage race held in May in the Netherlands.-History:A.S.C. Olympia was founded in Amsterdam on 27 November 1898. It ran one-day races but wanted a race through all the Netherlands. The first Olympia’s Tour was in 1909, with three stages and one rest day...
, and finished 3rd place overall. He decided to switch to a professional career.
Professional cycling years
Breukink made his debut as a pro in 1986 for the Skala-Gazelle team. He turned out to be a time trial specialist and was a good climber. In his Tour de FranceTour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
debut in 1987
1987 Tour de France
The 1987 Tour de France was the 74th Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 26, 1987. It consisted of 25 stages over 4231 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.645 km/h...
, he won one stage and finished second in the youth competition
Maillot blanc
Numerous cycling stage races award a white jersey to signify the current leader and overall winner of a certain competition. The most prominent of these is perhaps the Tour de France, where the jersey is known as the maillot blanc and is awarded to the best-placed rider under 26 years of age...
. His real breakthrough in the major courses was the 1988 Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
, where he debuted with a 2nd place, winning the Gavia Pass
Gavia Pass
Gavia Pass is a high mountain pass in the Italian Alps. It is the tenth highest paved road in the Alps.The pass lies in the Lombardy region and divides the province of Sondrio to the north and the province of Brescia to the south...
stage in a snowstorm. In the 1988 Tour de France
1988 Tour de France
The 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h...
he won the youth competition
Maillot blanc
Numerous cycling stage races award a white jersey to signify the current leader and overall winner of a certain competition. The most prominent of these is perhaps the Tour de France, where the jersey is known as the maillot blanc and is awarded to the best-placed rider under 26 years of age...
and finished 13th place. In the 1989 Tour de France
1989 Tour de France
The 1989 Tour de France was the 76th Tour de France, a race of 21 stages and a prologue, over 3285 km in total. In the closest tour in history, Greg LeMond was behind by 50 seconds at the start of the final stage, a time trial into Paris. LeMond rode for an average speed of 54.55 km/h ,...
, he showed his time trial skills by winning the prologue, and wearing the yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
for one day. In that year's Giro d'Italia, he almost won, but lost the lead in the Dolomites
Dolomites
The Dolomites are a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy. It is a part of Southern Limestone Alps and extends from the River Adige in the west to the Piave Valley in the east. The northern and southern borders are defined by the Puster Valley and the Sugana Valley...
due to hunger.
In 1990, Breukink wanted to focus on the Tour de France, so he switched to the PDM team, that allowed him to do so. In the 1990 Tour de France
1990 Tour de France
The 1990 Tour de France was the 77th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 22, 1990. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3504 km, with riders averaging 38.62 km/h...
, the result was good, winning two stages and finishing 3rd overall. The result could even have been better, but Breukink suffered from some bad luck: in the climb to the Tourmalet Breukink had to switch bicycles three times.
In 1991, Breukink together with the entire PDM-team had to leave the tour ranked 3rd, officially due to food poisoning, but it was later exposed that it was due to Intralipid
Intralipid
Intralipid is a brand name for the first safe fat emulsion for human use, approved in 1962 in Europe and invented by Professor Arvid Wretlind, Sweden. The FDA initially would not approve the product due to prior experience with another fat emulsion. It was approved in the United States in 1972...
In 1992, he appeared weak, especially in his favourite time trials. In 1993, Breukink switched to the ONCE-team, where his performance improved again. Bad luck followed him however, as just before the start of the 1993 Tour de France
1993 Tour de France
The 1993 Tour de France was the 80th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 25, 1993. It consisted of 20 stages, over 3714.3 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.709 km/h....
, he was hit by a car. The damage to his left knee caused him to give up during the Tour.
Breukink rode the Tour de France four times afterwards, but never reached his old level. In 1997 he ended his professional cycling career, having ridden 11 Tours de France and won 4 stages. He garnered 61 career victories in total.
Sports commentator
After one year as a Public Relations officer for the Rabobank-team, Breukink started as co-commentator for the NOSNederlandse Omroep Stichting
The Nederlandse Omroep Stichting , English: Netherlands Broadcasting Foundation, is one of the broadcasters in the Netherlands Public Broadcasting system...
, covering the Tour de France. In 2002 and 2003, the GP Erik Breukink, a UCI level 2.3 course, was run, with Erik Dekker
Erik Dekker
Hendrik "Erik" Dekker is a retired Dutch professional road racing cyclist active from 1992 until 2006. He was a member of the Rabobank cycling team from 1996 till 2006. In 2007 he became one of Rabobank's team managers.-Amateur career:...
and Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist...
as winners, but it was discontinued in 2004 due to financial problems.
Team manager
On 13 January 2004, it was announced that Erik Breukink started as a team manager for the RabobankRabobank (cycling)
Rabobank is a professional bicycle racing team, sponsored by the Rabobank. The team consists of three sections: ProTeam , Continental , and Cyclo-cross...
team. Thanks to his ONCE-years, Erik Breukink speaks Spanish fluently, which is helpful to communicate with the Spanish cyclists in the Rabobank team and cyclist Denis Menchov
Denis Menchov
Denis Nikolayevich Menchov , born 25 January 1978 in Oryol, is a professional Russian road bicycle racer for . He is a general classification rider and a climber. In 2005 he won the Vuelta a España, which he won for a second time in 2007...
, who also speaks Spanish better than English. Since Breukink became team manager, the Rabobank cycling team's successes have included Paris–Tours, Milan – San Remo, the Brabantse Pijl
Brabantse Pijl
The Brabantse Pijl is a Flanders Classics road bicycle race held annually in Flemish Brabant, Belgium. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2011, it was upgraded to a 1.HC event...
(3x), the Tirreno–Adriatico (2x), the Tour de Romandie
Tour de Romandie
The Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
, the final classification and three stages in the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
, 6 stages in the Tour de France and the polka dot jersey
Polka dot jersey
The Mountains classification in the Tour de France is a secondary classification in the Tour de France, in which cyclists receive points for reaching a mountain top first...
(2x) in the Tour de France.
On, 20 July 2006, Breukink received the "médaille de la fidélité" from the Tour de France organisation, because he had been present in the Tour de France for 20 years. (11 times as rider, 1 time as PR-officer, 5 times as sports commentator and 3 times as team manager).
Major victories
1982 (amateur)
Dutch national junior pursuit champion
1986
- Tour de SuisseTour de SuisseThe Tour de Suisse is a UCI World Tour stage race held annually in June. The race debuted in 1933 and has evolved in timing, duration and sponsorship. With the Critérium du Dauphiné, it is a proving ground for the Tour de France, and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
: Winner 4th stage and mountain classification
1987
- Stage 13 of the Tour de France1987 Tour de FranceThe 1987 Tour de France was the 74th Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 26, 1987. It consisted of 25 stages over 4231 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.645 km/h...
- Stage 1A of the Giro d'Italia1987 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1987 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 70th running of the race, was held from 21 May to 13 June 1987, consisting of 22 stages. It was won by Stephen Roche.The defending champion Roberto Visentini returned with a strong team to win his second Giro...
(finishing 3rd place overall)
1988
Maillot blancMaillot blancNumerous cycling stage races award a white jersey to signify the current leader and overall winner of a certain competition. The most prominent of these is perhaps the Tour de France, where the jersey is known as the maillot blanc and is awarded to the best-placed rider under 26 years of age...
in the Tour de France1988 Tour de FranceThe 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h...- Stage 14 of the Giro d'Italia1988 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1988 Giro d'Italia was the 71st edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours.The Giro started off in Urbino on 23 May. The route included notable climbs such as the Passo di Gavia, the Campitello Matese, the Chiesa in Valmalenco, and the Passo san Marco...
(finishing 2nd place overall) - Critérium InternationalCritérium InternationalThe Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....
- Vuelta al País Vasco
1989
- Prologue of the Tour de France1989 Tour de FranceThe 1989 Tour de France was the 76th Tour de France, a race of 21 stages and a prologue, over 3285 km in total. In the closest tour in history, Greg LeMond was behind by 50 seconds at the start of the final stage, a time trial into Paris. LeMond rode for an average speed of 54.55 km/h ,...
- 2 stages Tour de RomandieTour de RomandieThe Tour de Romandie is a stage race which is part of the UCI World Tour. It runs in the Romandie region, in the French-speaking part of Switzerland. It began in 1947, to coincide with the 50-year anniversary of Swiss Cycling....
1990
- Stages 12 and 20 of the Tour de France1990 Tour de FranceThe 1990 Tour de France was the 77th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 22, 1990. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3504 km, with riders averaging 38.62 km/h...
(finishing 3rd overall) - 1st Stage 2A and overall Nissan Classic
1991
- Tour du Pont
- GP Eddy Merckx
1992
- Giro del PiemonteGiro del PiemonteThe Giro del Piemonte is a semi classic European bicycle race held in the Apennine Mountains, Italy. The race first took place in 1906. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour...
- Stage 7 in Vuelta a España1992 Vuelta a EspañaThe 47th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 27 to May 17, 1992...
1993
- Dutch National Road Race ChampionshipDutch National Road Race ChampionshipThe Dutch National Road Race Championships take place annually, on the weekend prior to the start of the Tour de France. First held in 1888, today it is organized by the Top Sports Group, commissioned by the KNWU.- Men:...
- Ronde van NederlandRonde van NederlandThe Ronde van Nederland is a road bicycle racing stage-race in the Netherlands, founded in 1948. It's an annual race since 1975. Because of the start of the UCI ProTour in 2005 the tour was replaced by the Eneco Tour of Benelux....
- Critérium International
1995
- Dutch National Road Race ChampionshipDutch National Road Race ChampionshipThe Dutch National Road Race Championships take place annually, on the weekend prior to the start of the Tour de France. First held in 1888, today it is organized by the Top Sports Group, commissioned by the KNWU.- Men:...
1997
- Dutch national time trial champion
Final classification grand tours
| 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tour de France Tour de France The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The... |
21 | 12 | WD | 3 | WD | 7 | WD | 29 | 20 | 34 | 52 |
| Giro d'Italia Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar... |
3 | 2 | 4 | ||||||||
| Vuelta a España Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages... |
7 |