Julien Absalon

Julien Arnaud Absalon (born 16 August 1980) is a French former cross-country mountain biker, who competed as a professional from 2001 to 2018. He is considered to be one of the most successful cross-country cyclists of all time. Throughout his career, Absalon gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, five World Championships (2004–2007, 2014), seven UCI World Cup overall titles (2003, 2006–2009, 2014, 2016) and 33 World Cup rounds, which was an all-time record before being broken by Nino Schurter in 2023. He also won all fourteen French cross-country championships between 2003 and 2016, and five European Championships (2006, 2013–2016).

Julien Absalon
Absalon at the Albstadt round of the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
Personal information
Full nameJulien Absalon
Born (1980-08-16) 16 August 1980
Remiremont, France
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineMountain bike racing
RoleRider
Rider typeCross-country
Amateur team
1996–2000Scott France
Professional teams
2001–2006Bianchi
2007–2012Orbea
2013–2018BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
Major wins
Mountain bike
Olympic Games XC (2004, 2008)
World XC Championships
(2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014)
European XC Championships
(2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
National XC Championships (2003–2016)
Medal record
Men's mountain bike racing
Representing  France
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 0 0
World Championships 5 2 2
World Cup 7 2 3
European Championships 5 4 0
Total 19 8 5
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Cross-country
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Les GetsCross-country
Gold medal – first place 2005 LivignoCross-country
Gold medal – first place 2006 RotoruaCross-country
Gold medal – first place 2007 Fort WilliamCross-country
Gold medal – first place 2014 Hafjell Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2009 CanberraCross-country
Silver medal – second place 2015 VallnordCross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Champéry Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Nové Město Cross-country
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2003 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2006 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2007 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2008 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2009 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2014 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2016 Overall Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2010 Overall Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2015 Overall Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Overall Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Overall Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Overall Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Leogang E-MTB Cross-country
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 LamosanoCross-country
Gold medal – first place 2013 BernCross-country
Gold medal – first place 2014 St. WendelCross-country
Gold medal – first place 2015 AlpagoCross-country
Gold medal – first place 2016 HuskvarnaCross-country
Silver medal – second place 2003 GrazCross-country
Silver medal – second place 2005 KluisbergenCross-country
Silver medal – second place 2007 GöremeCross-country
Silver medal – second place 2011 DohňanyCross-country
Silver medal – second place 2017 Darfo Boario TermeCross-country

Career highlights

Source: [1] 2003: Absalon won his first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

2004: Gold at World Champions and the Athens Olympic Games.

2005: Absalon again won the World Championships.

2006: Winner at the World Championships, European Championships, French Championships and the overall World Cup.

2007: World Champion and World Cup Champion

2008: Won 2nd Gold Medal at the Beijing Olympic Games, World Cup Champion

2009: Number 1 World Ranking for all but 5 days of the year. Winner of UCI MTB World Cup for the 5th time, silver at the World Championships

2010: 2nd Overall at World Championships

2011: 3rd at the World Championships and World Cup

2012: At the 2012 Summer Olympics cross-country race, he suffered a tyre puncture in the opening lap. After changing tyre and noticing that he was trailing the leader by 55 seconds, he decided to abandon the race, seeing that his chances of winning a medal had disappeared.[2][3]

2013: Won European Championships

2014: Wins 5th World Championship title, French and European Championships. His season was cut short when, that November, he suffered a broken collarbone during a cyclocross race.

2015: Absalon wins the European Championships, French Championships, and finished second overall in the World Championships. Completed the season ranked world number 1.

2016: Finishes the Rio Olympic Games in 8th place.

Major results
1998
1st Cross-country, UCI World Junior Championships
1st Cross-country, UEC European Junior Championships
1st Cross-country, National Junior Championships
1999
2nd Cross-country, UEC European Under-23 Championships
2nd Cross-country, National Under-23 Championships
5th Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships
2000
2nd Team relay, UCI World Championships
4th Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships
2001
1st Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships
UCI XCO World Cup
1st Durango
1st Cross-country, UEC European Under-23 Championships
1st Team relay, UEC European Championships
1st Cross-country, National Under-23 Championships
2002
1st Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships
1st Cross-country, UEC European Under-23 Championships
1st Cross-country, National Under-23 Championships
2nd Team relay, UCI World Championships
2003
1st Cross-country, National Championships
1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Mont-Sainte-Anne
3rd Kaprun
3rd Sankt Wendel
3rd Fort William
3rd Grouse Mountain
2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships
2004
1st Cross-country, Olympic Games
1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships
1st Cross-country, National Championships
UCI XCO World Cup
1st Schladming
3rd Houffalize
3rd Madrid
5th Cross-country, UEC European Championships
2005
1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships
1st Cross-country, National Championships
2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships
3rd Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Spa-Francorchamps
1st Madrid
3rd Willingen
2006
1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships
1st Cross-country, National Championships
1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Spa-Francorchamps
1st Fort William
1st Madrid
2nd Curaçao
3rd Mont-Sainte-Anne
2007
1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships
1st Cross-country, National Championships
1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Saint-Félicien
1st Offenburg
1st Mont-Sainte-Anne
1st Champéry
2nd Houffalize
2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships
2008
1st Cross-country, Olympic Games
1st Cross-country, National Championships
1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Madrid
1st Mont-Sainte-Anne
1st Houffalize
1st Offenburg
1st Bromont
2009
1st Cross-country, National Championships
1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Madrid
1st Mont-Sainte-Anne
1st Houffalize
1st Offenburg
2nd Champéry
2nd Pietermaritzburg
2nd Cross-country, UCI World Championships
2010
1st Cross-country, National Championships
2nd Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Offenburg
2nd Val di Sole
2nd Dalby Forest
5th Cross-country, UCI World Championships
2011
1st Cross-country, National Championships
2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships
3rd Cross-country, UCI World Championships
3rd Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Offenburg
2nd Pietermaritzburg
2nd Dalby Forest
3rd Nové Město
2012
1st Cross-country, National Championships
UCI XCO World Cup
1st Houffalize
1st La Bresse
4th Cross-country, UCI World Championships
4th Cross-country, UEC European Championships
2013
1st Cross-country, UEC European Championships
1st Cross-country, National Championships
3rd Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Mont-Sainte-Anne
2nd Nové Město
2nd Val di Sole
2014
1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships
1st Cross-country, UEC European Championships
1st Cross-country, National Championships
1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Pietermaritzburg
1st Cairns
1st Albstadt
2nd Mont-Sainte-Anne
2nd Méribel
2nd Windham
2015
1st Cross-country, UEC European Championships
1st Cross-country, National Championships
2nd Cross-country, UCI World Championships
2nd Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st Albstadt
2nd Val di Sole
2nd Windham
2nd Mont-Sainte-Anne
3rd Nové Město
2016
1st Cross-country, UEC European Championships
1st Cross-country, National Championships
1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup
1st La Bresse
1st Vallnord
1st Mont-Sainte-Anne
2nd Albstadt
2nd Lenzerheide
3rd Cairns
3rd Cross-country, UCI World Championships
2017
2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships
UCI XCO World Cup
3rd Nové Město
3rd Vallnord
2018
1st Cross-country, National E-MTB Championships
2019
2nd Cross-country, National E-MTB Championships
3rd Cross-country, UCI World E-MTB Championships

References
  1. "Julien Absalon - BMC Switzerland". www.bmc-switzerland.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016.
  2. "Absalon crashes as Kulhavy wins Olympic mountain bike gold". Reuters. Archived from the original on 19 April 2013. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
  3. "2-time Olympic champ Absalon fails to finish after puncture in Olympic mountain bike race". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 13 April 2017. Retrieved 15 August 2012.


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