Jesper Skibby : biography
Jesper Skibby (born 21 March 1964 in Silkeborg, Denmark) is a retired professional rider in road bicycle racing. He was one of the most popular in Denmark, not only because of his talent, but also because of his wit and his constant banter. He rode for the Dutch TVM from 1991 to 1997, but switched to the Danish team Team home – Jack & Jones in 1998, where he ended his active career in 2000.
He participated in Tour de France 11 times, completed it 8 times, and won stage 5 between Avranches and Évreux in 1993. He is one of the relatively few riders to have won stages in all three major tours (Tour de France, Giro d’Italia and Vuelta a España), and the only Dane. In March 1993 Skibby suffered a double fracture of the skull during a crash in the bunch sprint of stage 5 of Tirreno–Adriatico, however he made a remarkable recovery and was back racing later that year.
Skibby won the Tour of Holland stage race in 1994 after an epic breakaway on the last stage, as well as numerous individual stages in other races. In the 1987 Tour of Flanders, he was the hero, in that his bike got driven over by a race director car on the Koppenberg, resulting in a deformed wheel. As a result, the Koppenberg got taken out of the official track of the Tour of Flanders, only to return in 2004.
In 2005 he participated in the television show Vild Med Dans (Dancing with the Stars).
Doping
In November 2006, he released his autobiography, in which he confesses to having used doping for more than 10 years. In 1991 he started using steroids, in 1992 growth hormones and testosterone, and in 1993 he was also using EPO. He claims that he requested the drugs himself, and he does not name any other riders or contacts in the book.
Palmarès
- 1986
- 1. Mechelen
- 1987
- 1. Danmark Rundt stage 1b
- 1988
- 1. Danmark Rundt stage 5a
- 1989
- 1. GP Libération
- 1990
- 1. Tour de la Communauté Europeènne stage 3
- 1. Tour de la Communauté Europeènne stage 10
- 1991
- Vuelta a España:
- 1. stage 3
- 1. stage 7
- 1992
- 1993
- Tour de France:
- 1. stage 5
- 1. Ronde van Nederland stage 5
- 1994
- 1. Ronde van Nederland
- 1. stage 5
- 1995
- Vuelta a España:
- 1. stage 9
- 1. Danmark Rundt stage 2
- 1. Danmark Rundt stage 5
- 1996
- 1. Danmark Rundt stage 4a
- 1997
- 1998
- 1. Omloop der Vlaamse Ardennen
- 1999
- Circuito de Getxo
- 1. Tour de Luxembourg stage 5
- 1. Postgirot Open stage 3
- National Team Time Trial Championship
- 2000