Jesper Skibby

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Jesper Skibby bigraphy, stories - Danish racing cyclist

Jesper Skibby : biography

21 March 1964 –

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