Ábraham Olano
Encyclopedia
Abraham Olano Manzano is a Spanish
Basque former professional road racing cyclist. His crowning achievement came in 1995 when he became World Road Champion
. In 1998 he won the World Time Trial Championship.
Later, Olano went to track racing. He became Spanish Champion in pursuit (together with Etxegoyen, Pérez and Juárez), in the 1 km with standing start and in sprint.
In road racing, he started as an amateur for Kaiku and AVSA. He was specialized in sprinting.
In 1993, Olano switched to CLAS Cajastur, which was later merged with Mapei
. Here, he started to win important races, such as the Vuelta a Asturias
and the Spanish National Road Race Championships, both in road race and time trial.
In 1995, Olano won the World Cycling Championship
in Colombia, ahead of his compatriot Miguel Indurain, and won three stages in the Vuelta a España
. Olano was seen by many supporters as the successor to five-times Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain
.
Olano established his abilities in stage races in 1996; he won the Tour de Romandie
, finished third in the Giro d'Italia
(leading the race at the second to last day), and finished ninth in the Tour de France
. He also won the silver medal in the time trial at the 1996 Olympic Games.
Olano finished fourth in the 1997 Tour de France
.
In 1998, he again became world champion, this time in the time trial, and won his only grand tour, the Vuelta a España
.
In 1999, Olano switched to the Spanish ONCE team and remained there through the end of his career in 2001. His highest achievement in that period was 2nd place in the 2001 Giro d'Italia
.
. In November 2006 he ran the San Sebastian marathon in a time of 2:39:19.
1995
1996
1997
1998
1999
2000
2001
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
Basque former professional road racing cyclist. His crowning achievement came in 1995 when he became World Road Champion
World Cycling Championship
The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale . The UCI Road World Championships include championships for elite men's road race and individual time trial...
. In 1998 he won the World Time Trial Championship.
Amateur career
Olano started racing 11 years old at the Oria Cycling school, and already at junior level he won several races.Later, Olano went to track racing. He became Spanish Champion in pursuit (together with Etxegoyen, Pérez and Juárez), in the 1 km with standing start and in sprint.
In road racing, he started as an amateur for Kaiku and AVSA. He was specialized in sprinting.
Professional career
In 1992, Olano started his professional career at CHCS. This team shortly after disbanded, and he moved to Lotus. With Lotus, Olano won his first professional race, the Gran Premio de Villafranca de Ordizia in Gipuzkoa.In 1993, Olano switched to CLAS Cajastur, which was later merged with Mapei
Mapei
MAPEI is an Italian company founded in 1937 by Rodolfo Squinzi in Milan, Italy. It evolved from a small wall paint producer into a worldwide producer of adhesives, thinsets and sealants for buildings ....
. Here, he started to win important races, such as the Vuelta a Asturias
Vuelta a Asturias
Vuelta a Asturias is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in early May each year. The event was first run in 1925 but has not been held consistently until 1968 to present. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
and the Spanish National Road Race Championships, both in road race and time trial.
In 1995, Olano won the World Cycling Championship
World Cycling Championship
The UCI Road World Championships, often referred to as the World Cycling Championships, is the annual world championship for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale . The UCI Road World Championships include championships for elite men's road race and individual time trial...
in Colombia, ahead of his compatriot Miguel Indurain, and won three stages in the Vuelta a España
1995 Vuelta a España
The 50th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 2 to September 24, 1995. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3750 km, and was won by Laurent Jalabert of the ONCE cycling team...
. Olano was seen by many supporters as the successor to five-times Tour de France winner Miguel Indurain
Miguel Indurain
Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya is a retired Spanish road racing cyclist. He won five consecutive Tour de Frances from 1991 and 1995, the first to do so, and the fourth athlete to win five times. He won the Giro d'Italia twice, becoming one of only seven people in history to achieve the Giro Tour...
.
Olano established his abilities in stage races in 1996; he won 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....
, finished third in the Giro d'Italia
1996 Giro d'Italia
The 1996 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 79th edition of the Corsa Rosa, was held from 18 May to 9 June 1996. It covered a total of 3,990 km, in 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 37.877 km/h...
(leading the race at the second to last day), and finished ninth in the Tour de France
1996 Tour de France
The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day ....
. He also won the silver medal in the time trial at the 1996 Olympic Games.
Olano finished fourth in the 1997 Tour de France
1997 Tour de France
The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5–27, 1997. Jan Ullrich's victory margin, of 9' 09" was the largest margin of victory since Laurent Fignon won the 1984 Tour de France by 10' 32"...
.
In 1998, he again became world champion, this time in the time trial, and won his only grand tour, the Vuelta a España
1998 Vuelta a España
The 53rd edition of the Vuelta a España was held 5 to 27 September 1998 and began in Córdoba and ended in Madrid. The 1998 Vuelta had 22 stages over 3,774 km with the winning average speed of 40.262 km/h....
.
In 1999, Olano switched to the Spanish ONCE team and remained there through the end of his career in 2001. His highest achievement in that period was 2nd place in the 2001 Giro d'Italia
2001 Giro d'Italia
The 2001 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 84th running of the race, was held from 19 May to 10 June 2001. It consisted of a prologue plus 21 stages with one rest days, for a total of 3,356 km, ridden at an average speed of 40.170 km/h. It was won by Gilberto Simoni.- Stages :-Jersey Progress:- General...
.
After his cycling career
Olano is one of the people responsible for designing stages for the Vuelta a EspañaVuelta 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...
. In November 2006 he ran the San Sebastian marathon in a time of 2:39:19.
Major achievements
1994
Winner, Spanish National Road Race Championships- Winner, Spanish National Time Trial Championships
- Clásica de Alcobendas
- Vuelta a AsturiasVuelta a AsturiasVuelta a Asturias is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in early May each year. The event was first run in 1925 but has not been held consistently until 1968 to present. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
1995
Winner, Road Race World Championship- Vuelta a España1995 Vuelta a EspañaThe 50th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 2 to September 24, 1995. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3750 km, and was won by Laurent Jalabert of the ONCE cycling team...
:- Winner 3 stages
- 2nd place overall classification
1996
- Olympic Games
2nd place ITTIndividual time trialAn individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
- Giro d'Italia1996 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1996 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 79th edition of the Corsa Rosa, was held from 18 May to 9 June 1996. It covered a total of 3,990 km, in 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 37.877 km/h...
:- 3rd place overall classification
- Tour de France1996 Tour de FranceThe 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day ....
:- 9th place overall classification
- 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....
- Tour of GaliciaTour of GaliciaThe Tour of Galicia is an annual cycling race held in Galicia, Spain. It was first held in 1933 and was held a further five times between 1934 and 1984. In 1984, it became a regular annual race, with the exception of 1986 when it wasn't contested. The most successful rider was Emilio Rodríguez,...
1997
- Tour de France1997 Tour de FranceThe 1997 Tour de France was the 84th Tour de France, it took place July 5–27, 1997. Jan Ullrich's victory margin, of 9' 09" was the largest margin of victory since Laurent Fignon won the 1984 Tour de France by 10' 32"...
:- 4th place overall classification
- winner 1 stage
- Bicicleta Vasca
- Grand Prix Eddy MerckxGrand Prix Eddy MerckxGrand Prix Eddy Merckx was a cycle race around Brussels, where Eddy Merckx was born. It was held between 1980 and 2004, disappearing after the creation of the UCI ProTour in 2005. The race was initially an individual time trial, becoming a Team time trial of two riders in 1998.- Winners :...
1998
- Winner, Time Trial World Championship
- Winner, Spanish National Time Trial Championships
- Vuelta a España1998 Vuelta a EspañaThe 53rd edition of the Vuelta a España was held 5 to 27 September 1998 and began in Córdoba and ended in Madrid. The 1998 Vuelta had 22 stages over 3,774 km with the winning average speed of 40.262 km/h....
:
Winner- Won 1 stage
- Bicicleta Vasca
- Grand Prix Eddy MerckxGrand Prix Eddy MerckxGrand Prix Eddy Merckx was a cycle race around Brussels, where Eddy Merckx was born. It was held between 1980 and 2004, disappearing after the creation of the UCI ProTour in 2005. The race was initially an individual time trial, becoming a Team time trial of two riders in 1998.- Winners :...
1999
- Vuelta a España1999 Vuelta a EspañaThe 1999 Vuelta a España was the 54th Vuelta a España, taking place from September 4 starting in Murcia and finishing in Madrid on September 26, 1999. It consisted of 21 stages over 3576 km, ridden at an average speed of 39.449 km/h. The favourites were Laurent Jalabert, Alex Zülle, Jan...
:- Winner 1 stage
- Vuelta a BurgosVuelta a BurgosVuelta Ciclista a Burgos is an elite men's professional road bicycle racing event held annually in the Burgos province of Spain. Since 2005, Vuelta a Burgos has been a multi-day stage race as part of the UCI Europe Tour.-Palmarés:...
2000
- Vuelta a España2000 Vuelta a EspañaThe 55th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from August 26 to September 17, 2000. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 2,904 km, and was won by Roberto Heras of the cycling team.-External links:**...
:- Winner 1 stage
- Tirreno–Adriatico
- 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....
- Volta a la Comunitat ValencianaVolta a la Comunitat ValencianaThe Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community , Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is often used as preparation for the spring classics or the grand tours which take place later in the season.No editions of the race have been...
2001
- Giro d'Italia2001 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2001 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 84th running of the race, was held from 19 May to 10 June 2001. It consisted of a prologue plus 21 stages with one rest days, for a total of 3,356 km, ridden at an average speed of 40.170 km/h. It was won by Gilberto Simoni.- Stages :-Jersey Progress:- General...
:- 2nd place overall classification
- Clásica de Alcobendas