Stefan Schumacher
Encyclopedia
Stefan Schumacher is a German
professional road racing cyclist.
, he made his UCI ProTour
debut with Team Gerolsteiner after posting impressive continental circuits results on the UCI Europe Tour.
Schumacher has been involved in a series of controversial incidents during his career. He was implicated in a doping case in 2005 when he tested positive for an amphetamine. His mother, a doctor, had prescribed an asthma medication after failing to find it on the World Anti-Doping Agency
's list of banned substances, and checking with the appropriate Dutch agency. He was cleared by the German cycling federation of a doping offence.
In 2006 Schumacher, now riding for Team Gerolsteiner
, won the Eneco Tour of Benelux by one second after colliding with his main rival George Hincapie
in the closing metres of the final stage, when time bonuses were available for the leading finishers. Schumacher claimed he had collided first with a spectator and the race jury accepted his story.
Following his third place in the 2007 world championships in his home town of Stuttgart, Schumacher was arrested for drunken driving. Four months later he revealed that the blood test taken at the time of his arrest had shown traces of amphetamines, whilst denying that he had knowingly taken drugs or had any knowledge of how the positive test had come about. Since a rule change in 2004 amphetamines were no longer on the WADA's out-of-competition banned list; as a result the German federation again exonerated him.
In the 2008 Tour de France
, Schumacher, riding as leader of Team Gerolsteiner
, won both time trials, beating Swiss favorite Fabian Cancellara
, and took the yellow jersey of race leader after the first. After Gerolsteiner was announced to be folding, Schumacher signed a two-year contract with .
On October 6, 2008, the media reported that Schumacher had tested positive for the controlled substance CERA
(Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator), a new generation of EPO, in a blood sample taken during the 2008 Tour de France. CERA was also the drug for which Italian cyclists Riccardo Riccò
and Leonardo Piepoli
tested positive during the Tour de France. The German cycling federation is likely to take disciplinary action Schumacher continues to assert his innocence, believed he was eligible to ride in the 2009 season, and is still officially under contract with Quick Step, though Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevre has said Schumacher's contract will not be honored.
At 19 February 2009, Schumacher was banned for two years by the UCI. In April 2009, Schumacher's name was raised in connection with a positive test for performance enhancing drugs at the 2008 Summer Olympics
. Both his "A" and "B" samples tested positive for CERA at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
2004
2005
2006
2007
2011
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
professional road racing cyclist.
Career
First professionally employed with Team Telekom in 2002, he was released the following year. In 20062006 UCI ProTour
The 2006 UCI ProTour was the second year of the UCI ProTour system, in which the ProTour teams are guaranteed, and obliged to, participate in the series of ProTour races....
, he made his UCI ProTour
UCI ProTour
The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI . Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, each of whom are required to compete in every round of the series...
debut with Team Gerolsteiner after posting impressive continental circuits results on the UCI Europe Tour.
Schumacher has been involved in a series of controversial incidents during his career. He was implicated in a doping case in 2005 when he tested positive for an amphetamine. His mother, a doctor, had prescribed an asthma medication after failing to find it on the World Anti-Doping Agency
World Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency , , is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee . It was set up on November 10, 1999 in Lausanne, Switzerland, as a result of what was called the "Declaration of Lausanne", to promote, coordinate and...
's list of banned substances, and checking with the appropriate Dutch agency. He was cleared by the German cycling federation of a doping offence.
In 2006 Schumacher, now riding for Team Gerolsteiner
Team Gerolsteiner
Gerolsteiner was a German road bicycle racing team in the UCI ProTour. It was sponsored by the mineral water company Gerolsteiner Brunnen and Specialized....
, won the Eneco Tour of Benelux by one second after colliding with his main rival George Hincapie
George Hincapie
George Hincapié Garcés is an American professional road bicycle racer currently riding for UCI ProTeam . Hincapie resides in Greenville, South Carolina...
in the closing metres of the final stage, when time bonuses were available for the leading finishers. Schumacher claimed he had collided first with a spectator and the race jury accepted his story.
Following his third place in the 2007 world championships in his home town of Stuttgart, Schumacher was arrested for drunken driving. Four months later he revealed that the blood test taken at the time of his arrest had shown traces of amphetamines, whilst denying that he had knowingly taken drugs or had any knowledge of how the positive test had come about. Since a rule change in 2004 amphetamines were no longer on the WADA's out-of-competition banned list; as a result the German federation again exonerated him.
In the 2008 Tour de France
2008 Tour de France
The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th Tour de France. The event took place from 5–27 July 2008. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regular final destination, which was reached in the 21st stage...
, Schumacher, riding as leader of Team Gerolsteiner
Team Gerolsteiner
Gerolsteiner was a German road bicycle racing team in the UCI ProTour. It was sponsored by the mineral water company Gerolsteiner Brunnen and Specialized....
, won both time trials, beating Swiss favorite Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara
Fabian Cancellara is a Swiss professional road bicycle racer for UCI ProTeam . A time trial specialist, he is a four-time World Time Trial Champion and is the current Olympic gold medalist...
, and took the yellow jersey of race leader after the first. After Gerolsteiner was announced to be folding, Schumacher signed a two-year contract with .
On October 6, 2008, the media reported that Schumacher had tested positive for the controlled substance CERA
Continuous erythropoiesis receptor activator
Continuous erythropoietin receptor activator is the generic term for drugs in a new class of third-generation erythropoietic-stimulating agents . In the media, these agents are commonly referred to as 'EPO', short for erythropoietin...
(Continuous Erythropoiesis Receptor Activator), a new generation of EPO, in a blood sample taken during the 2008 Tour de France. CERA was also the drug for which Italian cyclists Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò
Riccardo Riccò is a professional road bicycle racer from Italy, currently under contract to UCI Continental team Meridiana-Kamen, and suspended from competition. He was ejected from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and suspended...
and Leonardo Piepoli
Leonardo Piepoli
Leonardo Piepoli is an Italian professional road racing cyclist. He most recently rode for on the UCI ProTour, but had his contract suspended in July 2008 during the Tour de France amid allegations of the use of the blood boosting drug EPO in the team.-Career:He is a record four-time winner of the...
tested positive during the Tour de France. The German cycling federation is likely to take disciplinary action Schumacher continues to assert his innocence, believed he was eligible to ride in the 2009 season, and is still officially under contract with Quick Step, though Quick Step manager Patrick Lefevre has said Schumacher's contract will not be honored.
At 19 February 2009, Schumacher was banned for two years by the UCI. In April 2009, Schumacher's name was raised in connection with a positive test for performance enhancing drugs at the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
. Both his "A" and "B" samples tested positive for CERA at the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Palmarès
2002- 1st, U23 Competition, Internationale Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt
- 1st, U23 Competition, Peace Race
2004
- 1st, Overall, Druivenkoers OverijseDruivenkoers OverijseDruivenkoers Overijse is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in Overijse, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.-Winners:...
- 1st, Stage 6, Bayern-RundfahrtBayern-RundfahrtThe International Bayern Rundfahrt is a stage race cycling race held each year in Bavaria, Germany. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour.The race was held as an amateur race between 1980 and 1988.- Winners :...
2005
- 1st, Overall, Rheinland-Pfalz RundfahrtRheinland-Pfalz RundfahrtThe International Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt is a multi-stage road bicycle race held in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 2.1 race.In its early years, it was an amateur race...
(and Stage 1, 2, 3 and 4b wins) - 1st, Overall, Ster Elektrotour
- 1st, Overall, Internationale Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt
- 2nd, Overall, Rund um KölnRund um KölnThe Rund um Köln is a classic cycling race which is based around the German city of Cologne. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as 1.1 race . It is one of the oldest cycling races still running in Germany, just after Rund um die Hainleite, which was first held in 1908...
- 2nd, Overall, Hel van het MergellandHel van het MergellandHel van het Mergelland is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June in Limburg, Netherlands. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.- Winners :-External links:*...
2006
- 1st, Overall, Tour de Pologne (and Stage 6 & 7 win)
- 1st, Overall, Eneco Tour of Benelux (and Prologue stage win)
- 1st, Stages 3 and 18, Giro d'Italia2006 Giro d'ItaliaThe 2006 Giro d'Italia was the 89th running of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It was held from 6 May to 28 May 2006, and covered , beginning in the Belgian mining town of Seraing and ending in Milan...
(2 days in Maglia rosaMaglia rosaThe pink jersey is awarded to the leader of the General Classification at the Giro d'Italia. The leader of the GC is the rider who has the fastest time when all the stage results are added together, taking into account time bonuses for high finishes and intermediate sprints...
General classification leader's jersey) - 1st, Overall, Circuit Cycliste Sarthe
- 1st, Stage 4, Sachsen-Tour International
2007
- 1st, Overall, Bayern-RundfahrtBayern-RundfahrtThe International Bayern Rundfahrt is a stage race cycling race held each year in Bavaria, Germany. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour.The race was held as an amateur race between 1980 and 1988.- Winners :...
(and time trial stage win) - 1st, Amstel Gold Race2007 Amstel Gold RaceThe 2007 Amstel Gold Race cycling race took place on Sunday April 22. It was the 42nd edition of the annual road race in the Dutch province of Limburg....
- 4th Overall, Tirreno–Adriatico
- 1st, Stage 5 (ITTIndividual time trialAn individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
)` - 2nd, Stage 4
- 1st, Stage 5 (ITT
- 3rd (Bronze), UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race
2011
- 8th Overall, Settimana internazionale di Coppi e BartaliSettimana internazionale di Coppi e BartaliThe Settimana internazionale di Coppi e Bartali is an Italian cycle road race. It is run typically in late March over five days in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.-History:...
- 1st, Stage 1, Vuelta a AsturiasVuelta a AsturiasVuelta a Asturias is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in early May each year. The event was first run in 1925 but has not been held consistently until 1968 to present. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
- 1st, Stage 2b, Vuelta a AsturiasVuelta a AsturiasVuelta a Asturias is a professional cycle road race held in Spain in early May each year. The event was first run in 1925 but has not been held consistently until 1968 to present. Since 2005, the race has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour...
- 3rd, GP Kanton Aargau
- 1st, Prologue, Azerbaijan International Cycling Tour
- 1st, Stage 5; Azerbaijan International Cycling Tour