Marc Wauters
Encyclopedia
Marc Wauters is a former Belgian
cyclist who was professional from 1991 until 2006. The 2004 Olympian
, nicknamed The Soldier was a member of the Rabobank cycling team
of the UCI ProTour
since 1998 and had to end his career several weeks short because of a broken collarbone which he suffered during a training on 20 September 2006.
Wauters participated at the 2000 Summer Olympics
in Sydney
and at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens
where he took part in both the road race and the time trial without any success. In his early career, between 1991 and 1996 he won several of the smaller road races in The Netherlands and Belgium he was cycling in. The only exception to this was his win in the 5th stage of the 1995 Vuelta a Andalucía
.
In 1997 and 1998 Wauters didn't win a single race, although he became 7th at the World Cycling Championships 1998, his highest position in this event during his career. From 1999 on after winning the GP Eddy Merckx he started achieving wins again. In this year he also won Paris–Tours, 2 stages in the Tour de Luxembourg
plus the overall ranking and the overall classification in the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt
. Trying to defend his title in Rheinland-Pfalz he won 3rd stage in 2000. At the end of the tour he had defended his title successively. He won the GP Eddy Merckx for the second time in his career in 2001. His Tour de France stage win in the same year turned out to be his last win in his career outside of Belgium. Wauters was known as a worker in the peloton and didn't win much, but helped his team mates achieving decent results. Meanwhile he developed himself into one of Belgium's best time trial specialists, winning the Belgium championships in 2002, 2003 and 2005. At the 2004 World Championships he finished on a 7th position.
On 15 October 2006 a memorial race was held in Zolder
, Belgium
to wave Wauters officially goodbye from the sport.
editions, finishing in Paris
eight times. His highest final ranking was 43rd in 2000. The year after, during the 2001 Tour de France
Wauters won the second stage, held from Calais
to Antwerp. He was part of a breakaway containing 16 cyclists together with teammate Erik Dekker
. Wauters got away from the group together with Arnaud Pretot who he beat in the final sprint. Because of his decent result in the prologue two days prior in Dunkerque he was wearing the yellow jersey for a day, before losing it to Stuart O'Grady
.
1991
1994
1995
1996
1999
2000
2001
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
cyclist who was professional from 1991 until 2006. The 2004 Olympian
Belgium at the 2004 Summer Olympics
-Medalists:-Men:-Women:-Men:-Women:-Mountain biking:-Road:MenWomen-Track:-Equestrian:EventingJumping-Fencing:Men-Artistic Gymnastics:Women-Judo:Women-Men:-Sailing:-Shooting:...
, nicknamed The Soldier was a member of the Rabobank cycling team
Rabobank (cycling)
Rabobank is a professional bicycle racing team, sponsored by the Rabobank. The team consists of three sections: ProTeam , Continental , and Cyclo-cross...
of the UCI ProTour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...
since 1998 and had to end his career several weeks short because of a broken collarbone which he suffered during a training on 20 September 2006.
Wauters participated at the 2000 Summer Olympics
2000 Summer Olympics
The Sydney 2000 Summer Olympic Games or the Millennium Games/Games of the New Millennium, officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event which was celebrated between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia...
in Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
and at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
where he took part in both the road race and the time trial without any success. In his early career, between 1991 and 1996 he won several of the smaller road races in The Netherlands and Belgium he was cycling in. The only exception to this was his win in the 5th stage of the 1995 Vuelta a Andalucía
Vuelta a Andalucía
The Vuelta a Andalucía or Ruta del Sol is a regional Spanish road bicycle race. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour....
.
In 1997 and 1998 Wauters didn't win a single race, although he became 7th at the World Cycling Championships 1998, his highest position in this event during his career. From 1999 on after winning the GP Eddy Merckx he started achieving wins again. In this year he also won Paris–Tours, 2 stages in the Tour de Luxembourg
Tour de Luxembourg
Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.HC, the highest rating below the ProTour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's governing body. In 2006, the Tour was part of the UCI Europe...
plus the overall ranking and the overall classification in the Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt
Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt
The International Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt is a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 2.1 race.In its early years, it was an amateur race...
. Trying to defend his title in Rheinland-Pfalz he won 3rd stage in 2000. At the end of the tour he had defended his title successively. He won the GP Eddy Merckx for the second time in his career in 2001. His Tour de France stage win in the same year turned out to be his last win in his career outside of Belgium. Wauters was known as a worker in the peloton and didn't win much, but helped his team mates achieving decent results. Meanwhile he developed himself into one of Belgium's best time trial specialists, winning the Belgium championships in 2002, 2003 and 2005. At the 2004 World Championships he finished on a 7th position.
On 15 October 2006 a memorial race was held in Zolder
Zolder
The Circuit Zolder, also known as Circuit Terlaemen, is an undulating motorsport race track in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.Built in 1963, Zolder hosted the Formula One Belgian Grand Prix on 10 separate occasions in the 1970s and 1980s, as well as the 1980 Belgian motorcycle Grand Prix. The F1 circus...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
to wave Wauters officially goodbye from the sport.
Tour de France
Wauters started in a total of 10 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...
editions, finishing in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
eight times. His highest final ranking was 43rd in 2000. The year after, during the 2001 Tour de France
2001 Tour de France
The 2001 Tour de France was particularly difficult, having contained a 67-km long team time trial, two individual time trials and five mountain-top finishes on consecutive days, the second of which being the Chamrousse special category climb time trial. Thus, all the high-mountain stages were...
Wauters won the second stage, held from Calais
Calais
Calais is a town in Northern France in the department of Pas-de-Calais, of which it is a sub-prefecture. Although Calais is by far the largest city in Pas-de-Calais, the department's capital is its third-largest city of Arras....
to Antwerp. He was part of a breakaway containing 16 cyclists together with teammate 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:...
. Wauters got away from the group together with Arnaud Pretot who he beat in the final sprint. Because of his decent result in the prologue two days prior in Dunkerque he was wearing the yellow jersey for a day, before losing it to Stuart O'Grady
Stuart O'Grady
Stuart O'Grady OAM , nicknamed Stuey, is an Australian professional road bicycle racer on UCI ProTeam , who started as a track cyclist. He and Graeme Brown won a gold medal in Men's Madison at the 2004 Summer Olympics...
.
- 19931993 Tour de FranceThe 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....
- 107th - 19941994 Tour de FranceThe 1994 Tour de France was the 81st Tour de France and included two stages in England , Stage 4, Dover to Brighton and Stage 5, around Portsmouth. It took place July 2 to July 24, 1994...
- 92nd - 19961996 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 ....
- 124th - 19991999 Tour de FranceThe 1999 Tour de France was the 86th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 1999. It was won by Lance Armstrong, his first of 7 consecutive wins, the most in Tour history. There were no French stage winners for the first time since the 1926 Tour de France.The 1999 edition of Tour de...
- did not finish in Paris - 20002000 Tour de FranceThe 2000 Tour de France was the 87th Tour de France, and took place from July 1 to July 23, 2000. It was won by American cyclist Lance Armstrong. The Tour started with an individual time trial in Futuroscope and ended traditionally in Paris. The distance travelled was 3662.5 km...
- 43rd - 20012001 Tour de FranceThe 2001 Tour de France was particularly difficult, having contained a 67-km long team time trial, two individual time trials and five mountain-top finishes on consecutive days, the second of which being the Chamrousse special category climb time trial. Thus, all the high-mountain stages were...
- winner stage 2, did not finish in Paris - 20022002 Tour de FranceThe 2002 Tour de France started in Luxembourg on July 6, 2002, and ended in Paris on July 28. France was visited counter-clockwise, so the Pyrenees were there before the Alps...
- 91st - 20032003 Tour de FranceThe 2003 Tour de France started and ended in Paris. Lasting from July 5 to July 27 the race covered 3,427.5 km , proceeding clockwise in twenty stages around France, including six major mountain stages...
- 115th - 20042004 Tour de FranceThe 2004 Tour de France was the 91st, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 2004. It consisted of 20 stages over 3391 km.Lance Armstrong became the first to win six Tours de France. Armstrong had been favored to win, his competitors seen as being German Jan Ullrich, Spaniards Roberto Heras and...
- 112th - 20052005 Tour de FranceThe 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd Tour de France, taking place from July 2 to July 24, 2005. It comprised 21 stages over 3592.5 km, the winner's average speed was 41.654 km/h. The first stages were held in the département of the Vendée, for the third time in 12 years. The 2005 Tour was...
- 140th
Major achievements
1987- 1st Belgian junior time trial championships
1991
- 1st Liedekerkse Pijl
1994
- 1st Ronde van Limburg
- 1st Ster van ZwolleSter van ZwolleThe Ster van Zwolle is a single-day bicycle road race held annually in Zwolle, in the Dutch region of Overijssel. Since 2011, it is organized as a 1.2 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
- 1st Grote Prijs Stad ZottegemGrote Prijs Stad ZottegemGrote Prijs Stad Zottegem is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in Zottegem, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour....
- Dr Tistaertprijs
1995
- 1st Stage 5 Vuelta a AndalucíaVuelta a AndalucíaThe Vuelta a Andalucía or Ruta del Sol is a regional Spanish road bicycle race. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour....
1996
- 1st Sint-Truiden Criterium
1999
- 1st GP Eddy Merckx
- 1st Paris–Tours
- 1st overall Rheinland-Pfalz RundfahrtRheinland-Pfalz RundfahrtThe International Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt is a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 2.1 race.In its early years, it was an amateur race...
- 1st Stage 1 Tour de LuxembourgTour de LuxembourgTour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.HC, the highest rating below the ProTour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's governing body. In 2006, the Tour was part of the UCI Europe...
- 1st Stage 4 Tour de LuxembourgTour de LuxembourgTour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.HC, the highest rating below the ProTour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's governing body. In 2006, the Tour was part of the UCI Europe...
- 1st overall Tour de LuxembourgTour de LuxembourgTour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a 2.HC, the highest rating below the ProTour, by the Union Cycliste Internationale , the sport's governing body. In 2006, the Tour was part of the UCI Europe...
2000
- 1st Peer Criterium
- 1st Stage 3 (B) Rheinland-Pfalz RundfahrtRheinland-Pfalz RundfahrtThe International Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt is a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 2.1 race.In its early years, it was an amateur race...
- 1st overall Rheinland-Pfalz RundfahrtRheinland-Pfalz RundfahrtThe International Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt is a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 2.1 race.In its early years, it was an amateur race...
2001
- 1st GP Eddy Merckx
- 1st 2nd stage Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe 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...
2002
- 1st
Belgian National Time Trial ChampionshipsBelgian National Time Trial ChampionshipsThe Belgian National Time Trial Championships are held annually as part of the Belgian National Cycling Championships, they decide the best cyclist in this discipline...
2003
- 1st Belgian National Time Trial ChampionshipsBelgian National Time Trial ChampionshipsThe Belgian National Time Trial Championships are held annually as part of the Belgian National Cycling Championships, they decide the best cyclist in this discipline...
2004
- 1st Kortrijk Criterium
2005
- 1st Belgian National Time Trial ChampionshipsBelgian National Time Trial ChampionshipsThe Belgian National Time Trial Championships are held annually as part of the Belgian National Cycling Championships, they decide the best cyclist in this discipline...
2006
- 1st Peer Criterium
- 1st 's Gravenwezel Criterium