Bernhard Eisel (born 17 February 1981) is an Austrian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2019 for the Mapei–Quick-Step, Française des Jeux, HTC–Highroad, Team Sky and Team Dimension Data teams. Following his retirement, he worked as an analyst and presenter for Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network (GCN),[4] before joining Bora–Hansgrohe as a directeur sportif in 2022.[5]
 Eisel, Düsseldorf, Tour de France, 2017. | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Bernhard Eisel |
| Nickname | Bernie |
| Born | 17 February 1981 Voitsberg, Austria |
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) |
| Weight | 78 kg (172 lb) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Classics specialist Road captain |
| Amateur teams | |
| - | Rinascita Ormelle |
| - | Gli Amici Piave |
| Professional teams | |
| 2001–2002 | Mapei–Quick-Step |
| 2003–2006 | FDJeux.com |
| 2007–2011 | T-Mobile Team |
| 2012–2015 | Team Sky[1][2] |
| 2016–2019 | Team Dimension Data[3] |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Career
editBorn in Voitsberg, Eisel won his first race when he was 11 years old, since then he has won many races. When he was 17, he moved to Italy to race for the team Rinascita Ormelle, based in Treviso. After that he moved to Gli Amici Piave, the team of Moreno Argentin. In 2001 he joined the team Mapei–Quick-Step and became a professional cyclist, from 2003 on he joined FDJeux.com.
In 2007, Eisel changed to T-Mobile Team. Eisel enjoyed a successful first season with his main victory coming on Stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve. Eisel established himself as the right-hand man of sprinter and teammate Mark Cavendish, protecting him throughout the flats and mountain stages[6] and forming part of the HTC lead out train that saw Cavendish take many notable victories in the Tour de France and other races. Eisel also had opportunities to ride for himself, mainly in the classics. He won Paris–Bourges in 2008 and Gent–Wevelgem in 2010, and in 2011, Eisel recorded his best placing in a monument by finishing seventh in Paris–Roubaix. Eisel was appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission in 2011.[7]
Following the announcement that HTC–Highroad would fold at the end of 2011, Eisel joined Mark Cavendish in moving to Team Sky.[1] After Cavendish announced he would cut his three-year deal with the team short to move to Omega Pharma–Quick-Step, Eisel announced he would stay with Team Sky until the end of the 2015 season.[8]
On 28 September 2015, Sky announced that Eisel would be among the riders leaving the team at the end of the year, following four seasons with the team.[9] The following day it was announced that he had joined Cavendish (and Mark Renshaw, their former teammate at HTC) in signing for MTN–Qhubeka – to be renamed as Team Dimension Data.[10]
On 14 January 2020 he announced his retirement from professional racing. Shortly afterwards he took up a role as a presenter, reporter and commentator for Eurosport and Global Cycling Network (GCN).[4][11] In November 2021 Bora–Hansgrohe announced that Eisel would join them as a directeur sportif from the 2022 season.[5]
Major results
edit- 1999
- 5th Road race, UCI Junior Road World Championships
- 2002
- 1st Radclassic-Gleisdorf
- 2nd Overall Paris–Corrèze
- 4th Overall GP Erik Breukink
- 2003 (2 pro wins)
- 1st Stage 4 Tour du Limousin
- 3rd Overall GP Erik Breukink
- 1st Stage 2
- 7th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge
- 2004
- 1st Stage 3 Criterium des Espoirs
- 1st Bad Ischl
- 5th Scheldeprijs
- 7th Overall Tour de Picardie
- 2005 (4)
- Volta ao Algarve
- 1st
Points classification
- 1st Stages 1 & 4
- 1st
- 1st Stage 1 Tour de Suisse
- 2nd Overall Grande Prémio Internacional Costa Azul
- 1st Points classification
- 1st Stage 4
- 2006 (3)
- 1st Stage 4 Tour of Qatar
- 1st Stage 2 Volta ao Algarve
- 1st Grazer Altstadt Kriterium
- 1st Mayrhofen Europa-Kriterium
- 2nd Overall Three Days of De Panne
- 1st
- 1st Stage 2a
- 1st
- 2nd Overall Grande Prémio Internacional Costa Azul
- 5th Paris–Roubaix
- 7th Gent–Wevelgem
- 2007 (3)
- 1st Lancaster Classic
- 1st Reading Classic
- 1st Stage 2 Volta ao Algarve
- 1st Linz criterium
- 3rd Philadelphia International Championship
- 4th Overall Tour of Qatar
- 8th Trofeo Palma
- 2008 (2)
- 1st Paris–Bourges
- 1st Stage 5 Volta ao Algarve
- 3rd Reading Classic
- 4th Philadelphia International Championship
- 6th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
- 9th Lancaster Classic
- 2009 (1)
- 1st Stage 2 Tour de Suisse
- 1st Welser Sparkassen Innenstadt-Kriterium
- 2nd Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
- 3rd Road race, National Road Championships
- 9th Scheldeprijs
- 2010 (1)
- 1st Gent–Wevelgem
- 1st Stage 1 (TTT) Vuelta a España
- 7th Paris–Bourges
- 8th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- 9th Paris–Tours
- 2011
- 7th Paris–Roubaix
- 7th Gent–Wevelgem
- 8th Overall Tour of Qatar
- 2012
- 3rd E3 Harelbeke
- 2013
- 5th Overall Tour of Qatar
- 7th Gent–Wevelgem
- 10th Milan–San Remo
- 2014
- 3rd Road race, National Road Championships
- 2017
- 1st
Mountains classification, Arctic Race of Norway
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
edit| Grand Tour | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 152 | — | 138 | 143 | — | — | |
| — | 131 | 143 | 107 | 121 | 144 | 150 | 155 | 160 | 146 | — | 126 | — | 171 | 153 | |
| — | — | DNF | DNF | — | — | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Classics results timeline
edit| Monument | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan–San Remo | 12 | DNF | DNF | 23 | 34 | 107 | DNF | 44 | 47 | DNF | 10 | 65 | DNF | — | 185 | — | 128 | |
| Tour of Flanders | 14 | 103 | 13 | 15 | 86 | 11 | 72 | 16 | 14 | 54 | DNF | 60 | 99 | DNF | 104 | — | 117 | |
| Paris–Roubaix | 22 | 35 | 49 | 5 | 65 | 17 | 47 | 38 | 7 | 86 | 12 | 13 | 71 | 44 | 36 | — | 66 | |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | Did not contest during career | |||||||||||||||||
| Giro di Lombardia | ||||||||||||||||||
| Classic | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | |
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | 18 | — | — | — | — | 132 | 121 | 8 | 95 | 23 | 64 | 81 | 71 | — | — | DNF | — | |
| Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne | DNF | 35 | — | — | DNF | DNF | 2 | — | — | 113 | — | 45 | 83 | — | — | DNF | — | |
| E3 Saxo Bank Classic | 35 | — | 16 | 64 | 73 | 6 | 11 | — | — | 3 | 36 | 54 | 86 | — | DNF | — | DNF | |
| Gent–Wevelgem | DNF | DNF | DNF | 7 | 26 | 160 | DNF | 1 | 7 | 129 | 7 | 24 | DNF | — | 76 | — | DNF | |
| Scheldeprijs | — | 5 | — | — | 51 | — | 9 | 85 | 141 | 62 | 119 | 109 | 13 | 121 | 40 | — | — | |
| Paris–Tours | 55 | — | — | — | — | DNF | 44 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | 106 | DNF | DNF | |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
References
edit- ^ a b "Cavendish, Eisel join Team Sky". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
- ^ "Team Sky (SKY) – GBR". UCI World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 4 January 2014.
- ^ "Dimension Data finalise 2019 roster". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ a b "Global Cycling Network announces former road racer Bernie Eisel as new presenter". Eurosport. 3 March 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
- ^ a b "Bernhard Eisel and Enrico Gasparotto join Bora-Hansgrohe as sport directors". VeloNews. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
- ^ McGrath, Andy (11 October 2011). "Eisel follows Cavendish to Team Sky". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 11 October 2011.
- ^ Ryan, Barry (5 March 2015). "UCI Athletes' Commission holds first meeting in Aigle". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 5 March 2015.
- ^ "Eisel extends with Sky until 2015". Cyclingnews.com. Future Publishing Limited. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
- ^ "Team Sky confirm 2016 line-up". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ O'Shea, Sadhbh (29 September 2015). "Mark Cavendish joins Team Dimension Data for 2016". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. Archived from the original on 20 November 2015. Retrieved 29 September 2015.
- ^ "Eisel kehrt zurück" [Eisel returns]. Austrian Olympic Committee (in German). 4 March 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2020.
External links
edit- Official website
- Bernhard Eisel at UCI
- Bernhard Eisel at Cycling Archives (archived)
- Bernhard Eisel at ProCyclingStats
- Bernhard Eisel at Cycling Quotient
- Bernhard Eisel at CycleBase
- Bernhard Eisel profile at Team Sky