Knut Knudsen (born 12 October 1950) is a retired Norwegian road and track cyclist. As an amateur, he placed fifth in the 4000m individual pursuit at the 1968 Olympics before becoming Olympic champion in the same discipline in 1972. He would follow this up with another gold at the 1973 World Championships. At the 1972 Olympics he also placed fifth in the 100 km team time trial on the road.[1] He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 1972 and 1973.[2]

Knut Knudsen
Kundsen on a stamp of Umm al-Quwain
Personal information
Born (1950-10-12) 12 October 1950 (age 73)
Levanger, Norway
Height185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight79 kg (174 lb)
Major wins
Grand Tours
Giro d'Italia
6 individual stages (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981)

Stage races

Tirreno–Adriatico (1979)
Giro del Trentino (1979)
Medal record
Representing  NOR
Men's cycling
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1972 Munich Individual pursuit
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1973 San Sebastián Individual pursuit, amateurs
Silver medal – second place 1975 Rocourt Individual pursuit, elite
Bronze medal – third place 1976 Monteroni di Lecce Individual pursuit, elite
Silver medal – second place 1977 San Cristóbal Individual pursuit, elite

In 1974 he turned professional and cycled in Italy until 1981. He won six stages of the Giro d'Italia and wore the Maglia Rosa leader's jersey twice, becoming the first Norwegian to do so and the only wearer until Andreas Leknessund managed the same feat some 42 years after Knudsen last held it. The first time he held the pink leader jersey was for two stages after winning Stage 1 of the 1975 Giro d'Italia on 17 May, Norway's constitution day. In 1981 he could once again put on the pink jersey after winning the prologue. After finishing second in the race three times, Knudsen won Tirreno–Adriatico in 1979. He was chosen the world's best time trial cyclist by two biggest sporting magazines from 1979 to 1981. In total he won 49 professional races.

Major results

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1966
1st   Individual pursuit, National Junior Track Championships
1967
1st   Individual pursuit, National Junior Track Championships
1968
1st   Road race, National Junior Road Championships
1st Road race, Nordic Junior Road Championships
2nd Team time trial, Nordic Road Championships
1969
National Track Championships
1st   Kilo
1st   Individual pursuit
1972
1st   Individual pursuit, Olympic Games
National Road Championships
1st   Road race
1st   Time trial
National Track Championships
1st   Kilo
1st   Individual pursuit
Nordic Amateur Road Championships
1st Road race
2nd Team time trial
1973
1st   Individual pursuit, UCI Amateur Track World Championships
National Road Championships
1st   Road race
1st   Time trial
National Track Championships
1st   Kilo
1st   Individual pursuit
2nd Team time trial, Nordic Amateur Road Championships
1974
1st Stage 5b Tour de Romandie
2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
1975
Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 1
Held   after Stages 1–2
Held   after Stage 1
2nd   Individual pursuit, UCI Track World Championships
2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stage 5
3rd Overall Tour de Romandie
3rd Overall Giro di Sardegna
1976
1st Stage 1 Tour de Romandie
3rd   World Championship, Track, Pursuit, Elite
1977
1st Stage 9 Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 5 Tirreno–Adriatico
2nd   World Championship, Track, Pursuit, Elite
3rd Overall Tour de Romandie
1st Stage 4b
1978
1st Overall Giro di Sardegna
1st Stage 3
1st Overall Giro della Provincia di Reggio Calabria
1st Trofeo Laigueglia
1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Roy Schuiten)
2nd Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stage 5
3rd Trofeo Pantalica
1979
1st   Overall Tirreno–Adriatico
1st Stage 5
1st   Overall Giro del Trentino
1st Prologue
Tour de Romandie
1st Stages 3 & 5b
Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 10
Held   after Stage 1
2nd Giro del Lazio
3rd Milan–San Remo
1980
1st Stage 1a Paris–Nice
1st Stage 4b Tour de Romandie
1st Prologue Deutschland Tour
1st GP Eddy Merckx
2nd Overall Giro di Sardegna
3rd Trofeo Pantalica
1981
Giro d'Italia
1st Prologue, Stage 13 & 23a
Held   after Prologue
Held   after Prologue
1st Prologue Paris–Nice
1st GP Eddy Merckx
2nd Trofeo Baracchi

Results timeline

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Grand Tour general classification results timeline[3]
Grand Tour 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
  Vuelta a España
  Giro d'Italia 54 42 57 70 DNF DNF 15 22
  Tour de France DNF 64 27
Major stage race general classification results timeline
Race 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
  Paris–Nice 6 18
  Tirreno–Adriatico 2 2 31 2 1
  Volta a Catalunya N/A
  Tour de Romandie 9 3 26 3 N/A 9 6
Monuments results timeline
1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
Milan–San Remo 3
Classics results timeline
1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
Amstel Gold Race 10
La Flèche Wallonne 34 44

Major championships results timeline

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Event 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981
  Olympic Games Time trial Not held
Road race Not held Not held Not held
Team Time Trial 5 Not held Not held Not held
Individual Pursuit 1 Not held Not held Not held
  Road World Championships Time trial Not held
Road race DNF DNF DNF DNF DNF 7 DNF 65
  Amateur Track Cycling World Championships Amateur Individual Pursuit 1
  UCI Track Cycling World Championships Individual Pursuit 2 3 2
  National Championships Time trial 1 1
Road race 1 1
Legend
Did not compete
DNF Did not finish
No results available

References

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  1. ^ "Knut Knudsen Olympic Results". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2014.
  2. ^ "National Championship, Road, Elite, Norway". Cycling Archives. Retrieved 6 April 2015.
  3. ^ "Knut Knudsen".
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