Aitor González
Aitor González Jiménez (born 27 February 1975) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 1998 and 2005, and was the winner of the 2002 Vuelta a España.
 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Aitor González Jiménez |
| Nickname | Terminaitor |
| Born | 27 February 1975 Zumárraga, Spain |
| Team information | |
| Current team | Retired |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role | Rider |
| Rider type | Climber |
| Professional teams | |
| 1998 | Avianca–Telecom |
| 1999–2002 | Kelme–Costa Blanca |
| 2003–2004 | Fassa Bortolo |
| 2005 | Euskaltel–Euskadi |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Career
Born in Zumárraga, Gipuzkoa, González turned professional in 1998 with Avianca–Telecom. He won the 2002 Vuelta a España with Kelme–Costa Blanca after attacking his teammate leading the race; he also won three stages during the race. Following his Vuelta victory, he transferred to Fassa Bortolo, after a long controversy surrounding a previous contract signed with Acqua e Sapone–Cantina Tollo.[1][2] He also won two stages at the 2002 Giro d'Italia, one at the 2003 Giro d'Italia and one at the 2004 Tour de France. He won the 2005 Tour de Suisse, before he retired in January 2006 after being tested positive for methyltestosterone metabolite twice during the 2005 season.[3] He was also linked with the Operación Puerto doping case.[4]
Post-cycling
After retirement, González had several run-ins with the law. In 2007, he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and cocaine. In 2008, a second arrest followed when he allegedly hired people to beat up a person who owed him money.[4] In 2011, González was again arrested for taking part in a bank fraud.[5] Lastly, in 2016, he was taken into custody a fourth time, for allegedly taking part in a robbery.[4]
Career achievements
Major results
- 2000
- 1st Stage 2 Volta ao Algarve
- 2nd Gran Premio de Llodio
- 5th Overall Tour du Limousin
- 1st
Young rider classification - 1st Stage 3
- 1st
- 5th Subida a Urkiola
- 6th Overall Tour de Pologne
- 2001
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a Murcia
- 1st
Points classification - 1st Stage 5 (ITT)
- 1st
- 4th Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 4th Gran Premio de Llodio
- 9th Overall Critérium International
- 9th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 2002
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a España
- 6th Overall Giro d'Italia
- 1st Stages 8 & 19 (ITT)
- 6th Overall Critérium International
- 7th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
- 8th Overall Tour de Romandie
- 2003
- 1st Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
- 1st Stage 15 (ITT) Giro d'Italia
- 2004
- 1st Stage 14 Tour de France
- 6th Time trial, National Road Championships
- 2005
- 1st Overall Tour de Suisse
- 1st Stage 9
- 5th Overall Euskal Bizikleta
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia |
— | 6 | 19 | — | DNF |
| Tour de France |
DNF | — | DNF | 45 | — |
| Vuelta a España |
— | 1 | DNF | DNF | DNF |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
See also
References
- Henry, Chris (3 November 2002). "UCI wades into Gonzalez contract debate". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- Henry, Chris (20 November 2002). "UCI approves Gonzalez transfer to Fassa Bortolo". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 23 September 2019.
- Stokes, Shane (23 December 2006). "González gets two year ban". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- "Aitor Gonzalez arrested for robbery in Spain". cyclingnews.com. 27 October 2016. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
- Cossins, Peter (19 August 2011). "Vuelta winner González arrested on fraud charges". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 10 May 2019.
External links
- "Spanish fanpage". Archived from the original on 2005-09-05. Retrieved 2005-07-07.
- Aitor González at ProCyclingStats
- Aitor González at Cycling Archives