Christophe Brandt

Druivenkoers 2002

Christophe Brandt ( born May 6, 1977 in Liège ) is a former Belgian cyclist.

Career

Brandt was founded in 1999 with the Italian professional cycling team Saeco, after he had won as an amateur among other things, a stage of the Tour of Limburg. He showed good climbing abilities and to increase in 2001 on his first major tour of the country, the Giro d' Italia, part, which he finished 42nd. A first podium as a professional he reached at the Japan Cup in the same year.

IIn two years of Saeco Brandt was awarded a contract with the Belgian team Predictor -Lotto. In 2002, he reached his first and only victory as a professional cyclist when Druivenkoers of Overijse. In his first Tour de France in the same year he was 35th overall and third in the junior standings behind Ivan Basso and Nicolas Vogondy.

Also during the 2003 season showed a strong performance at Brandt Druivenkoers, where he was third this time. Once again, he was also at the start of the Tour de France, which he finished 52nd.

At the Giro d' Italia 2004, he was surprisingly Fourteenth and was also nominated for the Tour de France. There, he was expelled to the sixth stage, because he tested positive for doping ( high to methadone in urine ). From the Belgian federation, he was, however, little later acquitted.

Thus Brandt could deny in 2005 race. Again, he took part in the Giro d' Italia and the Tour de France. At the Giro, he was able to pull on the seventh stage his first top ten place there when he was eighth in the sprint of a larger group of pursuers. On the 16th day part he was then represented in a breakaway and missed second place nine seconds behind the solo winner Christophe Le Mével barely a stage win. He eventually joined the race from 33rd, while the goal in Paris reached as 56th in the Tour.

A year later, Brandt had the Giro d'Italia but after only three stages left, but in the Tour de France as he reached total 40th the target. During a fall during the one-day race Schaal Sels on 29 August 2006 he was injured after heavy. Among other things, suffered a ruptured spleen Brandt and injured at an artery. Although the doctors at the hospital of Brasschaat saved the spleen, but had to remove a kidney to him. Furthermore, he retired four broken ribs to, one of which drew the lung affected, as well as a broken arm.

For the 2007 season but returned Brandt back in racing. In the team time trial during the Settimana Internazionale, he took first place with his team. This year, however, he took part neither at the Giro still on the tour and played instead for the first time Vuelta a España, which he finished only 132. The serious violation of 2006 made ​​still noticeable in the following season. Brandt was not able to ride the Tour de France after the 18th stage.

In 2009, Brandt was the lead in this statistic professional cyclist with over 16,000 racing kilometers. A Stage 9 place at the Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey, he had a part in around the financial center of Eschborn -Frankfurt follow in Germany, where he earned his 17th. Shortly thereafter, he was first time since 2006 at the Giro d' Italia at the start. This time he managed to finish the race. A few months later was followed by participation in the Vuelta a España, where he reached the 125th Madrid. This was also his last participation in a three-week tour of the country.

End of the 2010 season Christophe Brandt graduated at the Tour of Lombardy in his last race and then finished his career as a professional cyclist.

After end of his career Brandt is now working at the Walloon cycling federation.

Achievements

2002

• Winners Druivenkoers