Thomas Löfkvist
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Karl Thomas Henry Löfkvist |
Nickname | Gotland |
Born | Visby, Sweden | 4 April 1984
Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) |
Weight | 70 kg (154 lb; 11 st 0 lb) |
Team information | |
Current team | Retired |
Discipline | Road |
Role | Rider |
Rider type | All-rounder |
Professional teams | |
2004–2007 | FDJeux.com |
2008–2009 | Team High Road |
2010–2012 | Team Sky |
2013–2014 | IAM Cycling |
Major wins | |
Grand Tours
|
Thomas Löfkvist (born 4 April 1984) is a
Career
Early years
As a junior, Löfkvist was the European mountain bike champion. Aged 19 he won the Individual Time Trial and the Overall Classification of the prestigious
Française des Jeux
Löfkvist's first professional season turned out to be a very successful one. The week after turning 20 he won the last stage of
Löfkvist began the 2005 season with a 12th place in the Paris–Nice. He made his debut in the Tour de France as the youngest rider at the age of 21. He also finished 4th in the Tour de Pologne and 14th in the Deutschland Tour. He was later named the Swedish Cyclist of the Year.[6] In 2006 he became the Swedish National Road Race champion and was once again the youngest rider of the Tour de France.[6]
In 2007 he finished second in the Critérium International after winning the concluding Time Trial. He also competed in the Tour de France and later finished second in the 14th stage of the Vuelta a España, the best stage result for a Swede in Vuelta a España since 1982. At the age of 23 he had finished his second Grand Tour of the season and the fourth of his career. Löfkvist was the UCI ProTour rider with most competition days (84) in 2007 and he only abandoned in the last stage of Paris–Nice. He covered the third most competition kilometers in the ProTour.[7]
Team Columbia
Löfkvist joined the
In 2009 he finished 5th at the
Team Sky
On 10 September 2009, Löfkvist was presented as a rider for the newly established British Team Sky, where he has chosen to spell his name 'Löfkvist'. Team Sky officials have said that the name appears as 'Löfkvist' on the rider's passport, and he previously has used that spelling in the Olympic games.[8]
In July 2010, Löfkvist finished 17th in the
Löfkvist led Team Sky at the 2010 Vuelta a España, but the team withdrew from after Stage 7 following the death of soigneur Txema González.[10]
In the absence of Bradley Wiggins, Löfkvist led Team Sky at the 2011 Giro d'Italia, where he finished 21st overall.[11]
Löfkvist left Team Sky at the end of the 2012 season, and joined the new IAM Cycling team for the 2013 season.[12]
In August 2014, Löfkvist announced his retirement at the end of the 2014 season, as he was diagnosed with chronic fatigue.[13]
"My body is saying stop. I’ve enjoyed winning the Strade Bianche, but my most memorable moment is when I got the pink jersey at the Giro d’Italia in 2009. I’ve chosen my teams for their ethics and I’m proud of that."
— Thomas Löfkvist[13]
In November 2014 Löfkvist was announced as general manager of the new Swedish squad
Career achievements
Major results
- 2003
- 1st Circuit des Ardennes
- 2004
- 1st Time trial, National Road Championships
- 1st Circuit de la Sarthe
- 1st Stage 4
- 2nd Paris–Camembert
- 2nd Overall Tour de l'Avenir
- 1st Stage 10
- 2005
- 4th Overall Tour de Pologne
- 5th Overall Tour Méditerranéen
- 2006
- 1st Road race, National Road Championships
- 2007
- 1st Stage 3 (ITT) Critérium International
- 2008
- 2nd Overall Deutschland Tour
- 3rd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 3rd Grand Prix of Aargau Canton
- 5th Coppa Bernocchi
- 5th Overall Tour de Suisse
- 8th Monte Paschi Eroica
- 9th Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 2009
- 1st Monte Paschi Strade Bianche
- 1st Stage 5 Sachsen Tour
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stage 1 (TTT)
- Held after Stage 4
- Held after Stages 4–15
- 4th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 5th Overall Tour of California
- 6th La Flèche Wallonne
- 2010
- 2nd Montepaschi Strade Bianche
- 6th Overall Tour du Limousin
- 2011
- 6th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
- 10th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
- 2012
- 8th Overall Critérium International
- 2013
- 1st Tour Méditerranéen
- 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Giro d'Italia | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | 21 | — | — | — |
Tour de France | 61 | 63 | 64 | 41 | — | 17 | — | — | — | — |
Vuelta a España | — | — | 54 | — | — | DNF | 52 | — | — | — |
References
- ^ "IAM Cycling (IAM) - SUI". UCI Continental Circuits. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ a b "Thomas Lövkvist signs with FDJeux.com". cyclingnews.com. 15 September 2003. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ "Tokyo 2020 Olympics - News, Videos, Results & Schedule".
- ^ "A champion is born: Thomas Lövkvist". cyclingnews.com. 9 April 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ "Sarthe rematch turns the tables". cyclingnews.com. 13 April 2004. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ a b "Rider profile: Thomas Lövkvist". cyclingfans.com. 13 July 2006. Retrieved 2008-07-09.
- ^ "CYCLING QUOTIENT – PROTOUR STATISTICS 2007" (DOC). cqranking.com. Retrieved 2008-07-09. [dead link]
- ^ "Thomas Löfkvist Biography and Olympic Results | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". Archived from the original on 2010-06-22. Retrieved 2010-01-05.
- ^ "Team Sky | Pro Cycling | Tour de France | Latest News". Archived from the original on 2011-01-05. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
- ^ "Team Sky | Pro Cycling | Vuelta a Espana | Stage 7 | Sky withdraws from Vuelta". Archived from the original on 2010-11-12. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
- ^ "Team Sky | Pro Cycling | Giro d'Italia | Latest News | Team complete gruelling Giro". Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
- ^ "IAM Cycling announces 2013 roster". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 20 September 2012. Retrieved 24 September 2012.
- ^ a b "Löfkvist announces retirement from professional cycling". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- ^ "New Tre Berg-Bianchi Team unveiled in Sweden". Bianchi (company). 15 November 2014. Archived from the original on 27 May 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
External links
- Thomas Lövkvist at Cycling Archives
- Palmares on Cycling Base (French)