Knut Knudsen

Knut Knudsen (born 12 October 1950) is a retired Norwegian road and track cyclist. As an amateur, he placed fifth in the 4000m individual pursuit at the 1968 Olympics before becoming Olympic champion in the same discipline in 1972. He would follow this up with another gold at the 1973 World Championships. At the 1972 Olympics he also placed fifth in the 100 km team time trial on the road. He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 1972 and 1973.

In 1974 he turned professional and cycled in Italy until 1981. He won six stages of the Giro d'Italia and wore the Maglia Rosa leader's jersey twice, becoming the first Norwegian to do so and the only wearer until Andreas Leknessund managed the same feat some 42 years after Knudsen last held it. The first time he held the pink leader jersey was for two stages after winning Stage 1 of the 1975 Giro d'Italia on 17 May, Norway's constitution day. In 1981 he could once again put on the pink jersey after winning the prologue. After finishing second in the race three times, Knudsen won Tirreno–Adriatico in 1979. He was chosen the world's best time trial cyclist by two biggest sporting magazines from 1979 to 1981. In total he won 49 professional races.

Major results

1966 1st Individual pursuit, National Junior Track Championships 1967 1st Individual pursuit, National Junior Track Championships 1968 1st Road race, National Junior Road Championships 1st Road race, Nordic Junior Road Championships 2nd Team time trial, Nordic Road Championships 1969 National Track Championships 1st Kilo 1st Individual pursuit 1972

National Road Championships 1st Road race 1st Time trial National Track Championships 1st Kilo 1st Individual pursuit Nordic Amateur Road Championships 1st Road race 2nd Team time trial 1973 1st Individual pursuit, UCI Amateur Track World Championships National Road Championships 1st Road race 1st Time trial National Track Championships 1st Kilo 1st Individual pursuit 2nd Team time trial, Nordic Amateur Road Championships 1974 1st Stage 5b Tour de Romandie 2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1975 Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 1 Held after Stages 1–2 Held after Stage 1

2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Stage 5 3rd Overall Tour de Romandie 3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna 1976 1st Stage 1 Tour de Romandie

1977 1st Stage 9 Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 5 Tirreno–Adriatico

3rd Overall Tour de Romandie 1st Stage 4b 1978

1st Stage 3 1st Overall Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria 1st Trofeo Laigueglia 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Roy Schuiten) 2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Stage 5 3rd Trofeo Pantalica 1979 1st Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1st Stage 5 1st Overall Giro del Trentino 1st Prologue Tour de Romandie 1st Stages 3 & 5b Giro d'Italia 1st Stage 10 Held after Stage 1 2nd Giro del Lazio 3rd Milan–San Remo 1980 1st Stage 1a Paris–Nice 1st Stage 4b Tour de Romandie 1st Prologue Deutschland Tour 1st GP Eddy Merckx 2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna 3rd Trofeo Pantalica 1981 Giro d'Italia 1st Prologue, Stage 13 & 23a Held & after Prologue 1st Prologue Paris–Nice 1st GP Eddy Merckx 2nd Trofeo Baracchi

General classification results timeline

Classics results timeline

Major championships results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish No results available