Michael Mørkøv

Michael Mørkøv Christensen

After retiring he became the national coach of Denmark.

Career Born in Kokkedal, Mørkøv started as a track cyclist, becoming national champion in the points race in 2004. In the 2008 Olympic games, he won the silver medal in the team pursuit.

As a road cyclist, Mørkøv became national time trial champion in 2005. Mørkøv rode the 2010 and 2011 Giro d'Italia, finishing both. Mørkøv rode his first Tour de France in 2012, drawing attention by featuring in the most important escapes of the first three stages, where he gained enough points to lead the mountains classification. He held polka-dot jersey until stage 7, where stage winner Chris Froome took it.

In 2013, he won Stage 6 in the Vuelta a España.

In August 2015, it was announced that Mørkøv would join for the 2016 season, at the request of Alexander Kristoff, with a view to working for Kristoff as part of his sprint train and as a domestique in the classics.

Mørkøv joined the Belgian Quick Step team in 2018 and since then acted as a successful lead-out man for Sam Bennett and then, as a late replacement for Bennett as the team's sprinter for the 2021 Tour de France, Mark Cavendish. Mørkøv has been highly praised; Cavendish said "It’s a known fact Michael is the best leadout man in the world" and retired sprinter Marcel Kittel said "Many sprinters would win with him as the last man on the sprint train".

In 2021, when the Madison track race was reinstated into the Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020, Mørkøv won the gold medal (partnered with Lasse Norman Hansen).

Major results Road

2004 3rd Speditørløbet 2005

2006 1st Post Cuppen Skive 2nd Team time trial, National Championships 4th Rund um den Elm 2007 2nd Ronde Van Vlaanderen Beloften 2008 1st Midt Data Løbet

1st Stage 2 Giro del Capo 2nd Speditørløbet 2nd Duo Normand 9th GP Nordjylland 2009 7th Châteauroux Classic 2010 1st Herlev-løbet 3rd Time trial, National Championships 4th Overall Tour du Limousin 2011 1st Fyen Rundt 3rd Overall Danmark Rundt 8th GP Herning 10th Himmerland Rundt 2012 3rd Time trial, National Championships 4th Overall Post Cuppen 1st Roskilde 1st Ringsted Tour de France

2013 (2 pro wins)

1st Stage 6 Vuelta a España 2nd Paris–Tours 4th Overall Tour de l'Eurométropole 2014 3rd Road race, National Championships 3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg 5th Overall Tour of Qatar 2015 (1) 1st Stage 6 Danmark Rundt 2016 10th Gent–Wevelgem 2018 (1)

2nd Fyen Rundt 2019 (1)

3rd London–Surrey Classic 5th Road race, UEC European Championships 7th Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race 2020 3rd Road race, National Championships 5th Race Torquay 2021 5th Elfstedenronde 8th Classic Brugge–De Panne 2022 7th Milano–Torino 2023 9th Elfstedenronde

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish

Track

2001 3rd Team pursuit, National Junior Championships 2002 National Junior Championships 2nd Individual pursuit 2nd Team pursuit 2003 National Junior Championships

2nd Team pursuit 2nd Team pursuit, National Championships 2004 National Championships

2nd Team pursuit 3rd UIV Cup München 2005

1st Overall UIV Cup 1st Stuttgart 1st Berlin 1st Amsterdam 2nd Copenhagen 3rd Bremen 2nd Madison, UCI World Cup, Sydney (with Alex Rasmussen) 2nd Madison, National Championships (with Marc Hester) 2006 National Championships

3rd Team pursuit 3rd Scratch UCI World Cup 1st Madison, Sydney (with Alex Rasmussen) 1st Team pursuit, Sydney 2nd Madison, Sydney (with Alex Rasmussen) 2nd Team pursuit, Sydney 3rd Madison, Moscow (with Alex Rasmussen) 1st Omnium, Danmarksturneringen i Banecykling 2nd Six Days of Grenoble (with Alex Rasmussen)

2007 National Championships

2nd Points race 3rd Team pursuit UCI World Cup 1st Madison, Los Angeles (with Alex Rasmussen) 2nd Team pursuit Los Angeles 3rd Madison, Sydney (with Alex Rasmussen) 1st Six Days of Grenoble (with Alex Rasmussen)

3rd Six Days of Zürich (with Danny Stam) 2008 National Championships

UCI World Cup 1st Madison, Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen) 2nd Madison, Los Angeles (with Alex Rasmussen) 2nd Team pursuit, Copenhagen 2nd Team pursuit, Los Angeles

2nd Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)

2009

1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen) 1st Six Days of Ghent (with Alex Rasmussen) 2nd Six Days of Munich (with Alex Rasmussen) 2010

1st Six Days of Berlin (with Alex Rasmussen) 1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen) 3rd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Alex Rasmussen) 3rd Six Days of Ghent (with Alex Rasmussen) 2011 National Championships

1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)

3rd Six Days of Berlin (with Alex Rasmussen) 2012 1st Six Days of Amsterdam (with Pim Ligthart) 2nd Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen) 2013 1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Lasse Norman Hansen) 2014 2nd Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen) 3rd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Alex Rasmussen) 2015 1st Six Days of Ghent (with Iljo Keisse) 1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen) 2nd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Alex Rasmussen) 2017 1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Lasse Norman Hansen) 2nd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Lasse Norman Hansen) 2018 1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Kenny De Ketele) 2019

2020

2021

2024