Viatcheslav Ekimov

Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Viatcheslav Ekimov

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image_caption = Ekimov in the prologue of the 2006 Tour of California.
fullname = Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov
nickname = Eki
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1966|02|4
country = RUS
currentteam = Retired
discipline = Road
role = Rider
ridertype =
amateurteams =
amateuryears =
proyears = 1990-1992
1993
1994
1995
1996
1997-1998
1999
2000-2005
proteams = Panasonic
Novemail
WordPerfect
Novell
Rabobank
US Postal
Amica Chip
US Postal, Discovery Channel
majorwins = Vuelta a España, 1 stage
Tour de France, 1 stage
Züri-Metzgete (1992)
RUS National Road Race Champion (1997)
updated = September 6, 2007

Viatcheslav Vladimirovich Ekimov (Russian Вячеслав Владимирович Екимов; born February 4, 1966 in Vyborg near St Petersburg, Russia), nicknamed "Eki", was a heralded professional bicycle racer. An Olympic gold and silver medalist, he was awarded the title of Russian Cyclist of the Century in 2001.

Ekimov started training as a cyclist at age 12 with a bicycle school affiliated with the famous centre of Alexander Kuznetsov. He trained in Leningrad at Lokomotiv and later Armed Forces sports society during the Soviet era. He first competed professionally in 1990.

Ekimov won two Olympic gold medals: in the track team pursuit in Seoul (1988) for the USSR, and in an upset, in the road time trial in Sydney (2000) for Russia. At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Ekimov won the silver medal for Russia in the men's road individual time trial, losing to American Tyler Hamilton. Hamilton's initial blood sample tested positive for blood doping, but the lab mistakingly froze the backup sample, rendering it unsuitable for the required second test. Though the Russian Olympic committee appealed the final standings on Ekimov's behalf, the lab's error made it impossible to definitively establish Hamilton's culpability and the American retained the gold medal. (Hamilton again tested positive a few weeks later and received a two-year competition ban.)

Ekimov joined the USPS team in 1997 as its first key international signing, briefly retiring in 2001 before rejoining the team the following year. In the 2003 Tour de France Ekimov placed 10th in the prologue. He was a key force in the winning team time trial effort in stage four and was important to Lance Armstrong's fifth Tour victory both on the flats and in the mountains. He missed the 2004 Tour de France due to a injuries received in a training ride with Armstrong in Texas. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/4503913.stm Ekimov blow hits Armstrong's team] ] During the final stage of the 2006 Tour de France, now racing for the Discovery Channel Pro Cycling Team, he announced that the 2006 Tour would be his last. He was honored by the peloton on the final stage, who allowed him to lead them over the line on the first of the eight laps of the Champs-Élysées. Ekimov started and finished 15 Tours de France, tying him with Lucien Van Impe for the second most Tour finishes.

In September 2006 he finished riding for Discovery, but stayed with the team as Assistant Directeur Sportif to Johan Bruyneel. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/5367764.stm Discovery Channel axe 11 riders] ] He helped guide the Discovery riders during the U.S. Pro Cycling Championships in 2006 as well as the Tour of California and the Tour de Georgia.

Career highlights

;1988:Regio-Tour:Vuelta al Táchira;1989:Circuit Franco-Belge;1991 :1st, Stage 20, Tour de France;1992:Züri-Metzgete;1993:Clásica de Almería;1994:Tour DuPont (1st overall):Veenendaal-Veenendaal;1995:Tour DuPont (2nd overall):4th, Paris-Roubaix;1996:Three Days of De Panne;1997:RUS National Road Race Champion;1998:2nd Overall, Ronde van Nederland;2000:1st (Gold Medal), Sydney Summer Olympics Men's Time Trial [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/3563256.stm Medal haul boosts Britain] ] :GP Eddy Merckx (teamed with Lance Armstrong):Three Days of De Panne;2003:Stage 4 (TTT) Tour de France [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/tour_de_france_2003/3053781.stm Colombian Pena takes yellow] ] :Stage 4 (ITT) and Overall, Ronde van Nederland:3rd, Paris-Roubaix;2004:Stage 4 (TTT) Tour de France [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/other_sports/cycling/3874523.stm Armstrong takes Tour lead] ] :Stage 4, 2nd Overall, Ronde van Nederland:2nd Stage 4, 2nd Overall (0'19"), Tour de Languedoc-Roussillon:2nd (Silver Medal), Athens Summer Olympics Men's Time Trial:5th Overall, Tour de Georgia:5th, GP Eddy Merckx;2005:Stage 4 (ITT), Three Days of De Panne

References