Joan Llaneras

Joan Llaneras Rosselló (born 17 May 1969 in Porreres, Majorca) is a former Spanish World and Olympic points race champion track cyclist. He specialises in the madison and points race events.

Joan Llaneras

Llaneras in 2011
Personal information
Full name	Joan Llaneras Rosselló
Born	(1969-05-17) 17 May 1969 Porreres, Spain
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	143 lb (65 kg)[1]
Team information
Discipline	Track
Role	Rider
Rider type	Madison and points
Professional teams
1991–1995	ONCE
1998	U.S. Postal Service
Medal record Representing  Spain Men's track cycling Olympic Games 2000 Sydney Points race 2008 Beijing Points race 2004 Athens Points race 2008 Beijing Madison World Championships 1996 Manchester Points race 1997 Perth Madison 1998 Bordeaux Points race 1999 Berlin Madison 2000 Manchester Points race 2006 Bordeaux Madison 2007 Palma de Mallorca Points race 2000 Manchester Madison 2001 Antwerp Madison 2003 Stuttgart Points race 1997 Perth Points race 2005 Los Angeles Points race

Llaneras began his cycling career on the road with the ONCE professional cycling team but switched to concentrate on track cycling. Llaneras is a four-time world champion in the points race and three-time champion in the Madison. He is a double Olympic champion, winning the event at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney and in Beijing in 2008.

Llaneras teamed up with Isaac Gálvez to compete on the lucrative Six Days of Ghent racing circuit in November 2006. It resulted with the death of Gálvez after colliding with Dimitri De Fauw and hitting the railings.[2] Llaneras had decided to quit cycling, but a few months later in an interview with Spanish daily newspaper Marca, he said:

"Clearly I thought about leaving it all. It was the first reaction. Logical... Natural... Normal after what had happened, but life goes on, and giving it all up, unfortunately, will not solve anything. In addition, the track is my life, is my dream, my family, it is almost everything to me."

He returned to competition in 2007, and although he had no intention of returning to Madison racing,[3] Llaneras teamed up with Antonio Tauler[4] to take the silver medal in the Madison at the 2008 Summer Olympics, adding to the gold he won in the points race three days earlier. In doing so, he became the Spaniard with the most Olympic medals ever, with 2 gold and 2 silver to his name. After the Beijing Olympics, Llaneras retired.[5]