Michiel Elijzen

Winner Duo Normand 2007 ( with Bradley Wiggins )

Michiel Elijzen ( born August 31, 1982 in Culemborg ) is a former Dutch cyclist and current sports director.

Career

Already in his time as a junior driver Elijzen was able to pull some successes, such as overall victory at the Star of South Limburg, winning the Tour de Lorraine or a third place in the Dutch time trial Championships U-23 driver.

Michiel Elijzen came 2002 on the farm team of the Dutch professional team Rabobank. First podium when he won Zuidkempense Pijl in Belgium and in the prologue of the Tour of Lleida. In 2003, he also showed his strengths on the mountain, when he was second in the mountain time trial of the Tour of the Pyrenees. In 2004 he won the U-23 race Omloop the Vlaamse Gewesten and reached inter alia the national runner-up title in Class U -23 in the time trial. Similarly, the following year saw a total of five finishes among the top three, including a third-tier in the national time trial championships of the elite and a stage victory at the Monts et Châteaux triptyque, also in the time trial, further success.

At the end of the 2005 season he left Rabobank and ran from 2006 as a professional for the French ProTour team Cofidis. He showed up in the ProTour, among others at his home tour, the Eneco Tour forward. A year later celebrated Elijzen in this tour his first victory as a professional cyclist when he won the prologue. A month later, he was also successful along with Bradley Wiggins at the pair time trial Duo Normand. Even in the Dutch time trial championships he had previously just missed second place the title.

For the 2008 season, he returned to the team Rabobank where he could, however heruasfahren no results. After only one year, he left the team again, to sign as a helper at Silence- Lotto in Belgium. In his first season there, he missed stage wins at the Delta Tour Zeeland, where he was sixth in the standings, and the Tour de l' Ain in second narrowly and could also pull out two more podium finishes. In the Eneco Tour, he finished 18th overall.

In the 2010 season Elijzen played with the Giro d' Italia his first three-week tour of the country. He was able to help his teammate Matthew Lloyd to win the mountain classification and was in a bunch sprint of the 18th stage eight. Finally he reached the finish in Verona than 111. End of the 2010 season, he finished his career as a professional cyclist at the age of only 29 years. As of the 2011 season, he took over the post of sporting director at Omega Pharma- Lotto.

Achievements

• Eneco Tour prologue win
• Duo Normand with Bradley Wiggins