Olaf Ludwig

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Olaf Ludwig
Ludwig in 2002
Personal information
Full nameOlaf Ludwig
Born (1960-04-13) 13 April 1960 (age 63)
Gera, Bezirk Gera, East Germany
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeSprinter
Amateur team
1979–1989SG Wismut Gera
Professional teams
1990–1992Panasonic
1993–1997Team Telekom
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
Points classification (1990)
3 individual stages
(1990, 1992, 1993)

Stage races

Peace Race (1982, 1986)

One-day races and Classics

Amstel Gold Race (1992)
E3 Harelbeke (1991)
Rund um den Henninger Turm (1994)
Medal record
Men's road bicycle racing
Representing  East Germany
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul Individual road race
Silver medal – second place 1980 Moscow Team time trial
Representing  Germany
World Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Oslo Road race

Olaf Ludwig (born 13 April 1960 in Gera, Bezirk Gera) is a former German racing cyclist. His career began at the SG Dynamo Gera / Sportvereinigung (SV) Dynamo.[1] As an East German, he raced as an amateur until reunification of Germany allowed him to become professional with Panasonic team. As a sprinter, the highlight of his career was winning the points classification in the 1990 Tour de France. Other highlights include the Olympic road race in Seoul in 1988, a record 38 stage victories in the Peace Race, winning the Amstel Gold Race in 1992, and podium placings in the Paris–Roubaix. He also won the 1992 UCI Road World Cup. In 1992 he won the Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France and won the third Tour stage of his career the following year.[2]

His sprinting rivals included Mario Cipollini, Wilfried Nelissen and Djamolidine Abdoujaparov.

In 1993 he joined Team Telekom, later T-Mobile Team. On retirement in 1996 he took up public relations for the team. He subsequently became principal team manager, but his involvement with the team finished at the end of 2006.

Major results

1978
1st Team time trial, UCI Junior Road World Championships
1981
1st Overall Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt
1982
1st Overall Peace Race
1983
1st Overall Tour de l'Avenir
1st Overall DDR Rundfahrt
1985
1st Overall DDR Rundfahrt
1986
1st Overall Peace Race
1988
1st Road race, Olympic Games
1990
Tour de France
1st Points classification
1st Stage 8
Tour de Trump
1st Points classification
1st, Stage 1, 2 & 9
1991
1st E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
9th UCI Road World Rankings
1992
1st Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st UCI Road World Cup
1st Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne[3]
1st Amstel Gold Race
1st Dwars door Vlaanderen
1st Grand Prix de Fourmies
1st Stage 21 Tour de France
2nd Paris–Roubaix
5th UCI Road World Rankings
1994
1st Rund um den Henninger Turm
1995
1st Veenendaal–Veenendaal
1996
1st Stage 2 Vuelta a Andalucía
3rd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st Stage 1
3rd Overall Three Days of De Panne
1st Stage 1
3rd Omloop Het Volk
5th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
8th Rund um den Henninger Turm

Books

Olaf Ludwig: Höllenritt auf der Himmelsleiter. Etappen meines Lebens. Herausgegeben von Helmut Wengel. RhinoVerlag, Arnstadt & Weimar 1997, ISBN 3-932081-18-8 (german)

References

  1. ^ Cycling4Fans – Portraits: Ex-Profis: Ludwig, Olaf
  2. ^ "Olaf Ludwig". Pro Cycling Stats. 14 September 2021.
  3. ^ "Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne past winners". cyclingnews.com. 26 February 2011. Retrieved 28 February 2021.
Awards
Preceded by East German Sportsman of the Year
1986
Succeeded by
Preceded by East German Sportsman of the Year
1988
Succeeded by