Linus Gerdemann

Linus Gerdemann (born 16 September 1982) is a German former professional road bicycle racer, who won a stage in the 2007 Tour de France and led the general classification for two days, wearing the yellow jersey.

After failing to find a contract for 2013, Gerdemann joined for the 2014 season. In 2015 he rode for Danish professional continental team Cult Energy-Vital Water. Early 2017, Gerdemann announced his retirement.

Career

After riding on amateur teams Team Winfix and Team AKUD Arnolds Sicherheit, in 2005 he became a professional rider for after a recommendation from Dennis Kraft, signing on for a 2-year contract. In his first year as a pro, he won the 7th stage of the UCI ProTour race Tour de Suisse and had the leader's jersey in Four Days of Dunkirk.

In late 2005 he agreed to a contract with rival UCI ProTour , starting from 2006. This got Team CSC owner Bjarne Riis to release Gerdemann from his contract at the end of 2005.

On Saturday 14 July 2007 he secured his biggest victory in his career, the seventh stage of the Tour de France from Bourg-en-Bresse to Le Grand-Bornand. The stage win gave him the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification, as well as the white jersey as leader of the young rider classification. He was also awarded the combativity award for this stage.

In March 2008 he sustained injuries from a crash in the Tirreno–Adriatico and was unable to race in the 2008 Tour de France or the Beijing summer Olympics. He came back from his injuries to win the Deutschland Tour in August 2008.

Gerdemann also won the Tour of Luxembourg in 2011 and 2015.

Major results

2003 6th Overall Tour de Berlin 2004 National Under-23 Road Championships

3rd Time trial 1st Stage 4 Tour de Berlin 4th Memoriał Henryka Łasaka 6th Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23 7th Rund um den Henninger Turm U23 2005 1st Stage 7 Tour de Suisse 2nd Overall Cinturón a Mallorca 3rd Overall Bayern Rundfahrt 5th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk 2006 6th Overall Volta a Catalunya 7th Overall Tour de Suisse 7th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton 8th Trofeo Calvià 2007 Tour de France 1st Stage 7

6th Gran Premio di Lugano 9th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía 9th Milano–Torino 2008

1st Stage 1

1st Stage 3a 1st Coppa Ugo Agostoni 3rd Monte Paschi Eroica 7th Overall Sachsen Tour 9th Gran Premio di Lugano 2009

1st Großen Preis der Stadt Dessau-Roßlau 5th Monte Paschi Strade Bianche 7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 2010 1st Trofeo Inca 1st Stage 1 Tirreno–Adriatico 9th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía 2011

1st Stage 2 4th Overall Tour of Britain 10th Overall Eneco Tour 2012 2nd Road race, National Road Championships 5th Overall Tour de Pologne 8th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León 2014 Tour d'Azerbaïdjan

1st Stage 4 5th Overall La Tropicale Amissa Bongo 2015

1st Stage 2 4th Rund um Köln 5th Gran Premio di Lugano 8th Classica Corsica 2016 10th Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León