Michael Mørkøv

Michael Mørkøv
Mørkøv in 2020
Personal information
Full nameMichael Mørkøv Christensen
Born (1985-04-30) 30 April 1985 (age 41)
Kokkedal, Denmark
Height1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight71 kg (157 lb)
Cycling career
SportCycling
Current teamRetired
Disciplines
RoleRider
Rider typeLead out man
Amateur teams
1996–2003Lyngby Cycle Club
2004Team Bornholm
Professional teams
2005–2008Team GLS
2009–2015Team Saxo Bank
2016–2017Team Katusha
2018–2023Quick-Step Floors
2024Astana Qazaqstan Team
Major wins
Road

Grand Tours

Vuelta a España
1 individual stage (2013)

One-day races and Classics

National Road Race Championships
(2013, 2018, 2019)
Track
Olympic Games
Madison (2020)
World Championships
Madison (2009, 2020, 2021)
Team pursuit (2009)
Medal record
Men's track cycling
Representing  Denmark
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place2020 TokyoMadison
Silver medal – second place2008 BeijingTeam pursuit
Bronze medal – third place2024 ParisMadison
World Championships
Gold medal – first place2009 PruszkówMadison
Gold medal – first place2009 PruszkówTeam pursuit
Gold medal – first place2020 BerlinMadison
Gold medal – first place2021 RoubaixMadison
Bronze medal – third place2007 Palma de MallorcaTeam pursuit
Bronze medal – third place2008 ManchesterMadison
Bronze medal – third place2024 BallerupMadison
European Championships
Gold medal – first place2019 ApeldoornMadison
Silver medal – second place2011 ApeldoornTeam pursuit
Bronze medal – third place2024 ApeldoornMadison

Michael Mørkøv Christensen (Danish pronunciation: [ˈmiˌkʰɛˀl ˈmɶɐ̯kʰøw]; born 30 April 1985) is a Danish former racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2005 to 2024. He is the brother of racing cyclists Jacob and Jesper Mørkøv.

After retiring he became the national coach of Denmark.

Career

Born in Kokkedal, Mørkøv started as a track cyclist, becoming national champion in the points race in 2004. In the 2008 Olympic games, he won the silver medal in the team pursuit.

As a road cyclist, Mørkøv became national time trial champion in 2005. Mørkøv rode the 2010 and 2011 Giro d'Italia, finishing both. Mørkøv rode his first Tour de France in 2012, drawing attention by featuring in the most important escapes of the first three stages, where he gained enough points to lead the mountains classification. He held polka-dot jersey until stage 7, where stage winner Chris Froome took it.

In 2013, he won Stage 6 in the Vuelta a España.

In August 2015, it was announced that Mørkøv would join Team Katusha for the 2016 season, at the request of Alexander Kristoff, with a view to working for Kristoff as part of his sprint train and as a domestique in the classics.

Mørkøv joined the Belgian Quick Step team in 2018 and since then acted as a successful lead-out man for Sam Bennett and then, as a late replacement for Bennett as the team's sprinter for the 2021 Tour de France, Mark Cavendish. Mørkøv has been highly praised; Cavendish said "It’s a known fact Michael is the best leadout man in the world" and retired sprinter Marcel Kittel said "Many sprinters would win with him as the last man on the sprint train".

In 2021, when the Madison track race was reinstated into the Olympic Games of Tokyo 2020, Mørkøv won the gold medal (partnered with Lasse Norman Hansen).

Major results

Road

2004
3rd Speditørløbet
2005
1st Team time trial, National Championships
2006
1st Post Cuppen Skive
2nd Team time trial, National Championships
4th Rund um den Elm
2007
2nd Ronde Van Vlaanderen Beloften
2008
1st Midt Data Løbet
1st Team time trial, National Championships
1st Stage 2 Giro del Capo
2nd Speditørløbet
2nd Duo Normand
9th GP Nordjylland
2009
7th Châteauroux Classic
2010
1st Herlev-løbet
3rd Time trial, National Championships
4th Overall Tour du Limousin
2011
1st Fyen Rundt
3rd Overall Danmark Rundt
8th GP Herning
10th Himmerland Rundt
2012
3rd Time trial, National Championships
4th Overall Post Cuppen
1st Roskilde
1st Ringsted
Tour de France
Held after Stages 1–6
Combativity award Stage 3 & 13
2013 (2 pro wins)
1st Road race, National Championships
1st Stage 6 Vuelta a España
2nd Paris–Tours
4th Overall Tour de l'Eurométropole
2014
3rd Road race, National Championships
3rd Overall Tour de Luxembourg
5th Overall Tour of Qatar
2015 (1)
1st Stage 6 Danmark Rundt
2016
10th Gent–Wevelgem
2018 (1)
1st Road race, National Championships
2nd Fyen Rundt
2019 (1)
1st Road race, National Championships
3rd London–Surrey Classic
5th Road race, UEC European Championships
7th Cadel Evans Great Ocean Road Race
2020
3rd Road race, National Championships
5th Race Torquay
2021
5th Elfstedenronde
8th Classic Brugge–De Panne
2022
7th Milano–Torino
2023
9th Elfstedenronde

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
A pink jersey Giro d'Italia 129 156 — — — — — — 107 — — — DNF — —
A yellow jersey Tour de France — — 93 — 134 — DNF — — 152 130 138 DNF 150 DNF
A red jersey Vuelta a España — — — 128 — — — 137 148 — 121 — — — —
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

Track

2001
3rd Team pursuit, National Junior Championships
2002
National Junior Championships
2nd Individual pursuit
2nd Team pursuit
2003
National Junior Championships
1st Points race
2nd Team pursuit
2nd Team pursuit, National Championships
2004
National Championships
1st Points race
2nd Team pursuit
3rd UIV Cup München
2005
1st Madison, UEC European Under-23 Championships (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Overall UIV Cup
1st Stuttgart
1st Berlin
1st Amsterdam
2nd Copenhagen
3rd Bremen
2nd Madison, UCI World Cup, Sydney (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Madison, National Championships (with Marc Hester)
2006
National Championships
1st Madison (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Points race
3rd Team pursuit
3rd Scratch
UCI World Cup
1st Madison, Sydney (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Team pursuit, Sydney
2nd Madison, Sydney (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Team pursuit, Sydney
3rd Madison, Moscow (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Omnium, Danmarksturneringen i Banecykling
2nd Six Days of Grenoble (with Alex Rasmussen)
3rd Points race, UEC European Under-23 Championships
2007
National Championships
1st Madison (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Points race
3rd Team pursuit
UCI World Cup
1st Madison, Los Angeles (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Team pursuit Los Angeles
3rd Madison, Sydney (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Six Days of Grenoble (with Alex Rasmussen)
3rd Team pursuit, UCI World Championships
3rd Six Days of Zürich (with Danny Stam)
2008
National Championships
1st Madison (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Team pursuit
1st Scratch
1st Points race
UCI World Cup
1st Madison, Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Madison, Los Angeles (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Team pursuit, Copenhagen
2nd Team pursuit, Los Angeles
2nd Team pursuit, Olympic Games
2nd Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)
3rd Madison, UCI World Championships (with Alex Rasmussen)
2009
1st Madison, UCI World Championships (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Madison, National Championships (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Six Days of Munich (with Alex Rasmussen)
2010
1st Madison, National Championships (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Six Days of Berlin (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)
3rd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Alex Rasmussen)
3rd Six Days of Ghent (with Alex Rasmussen)
2011
National Championships
1st Madison (with Alex Rasmussen)
1st Omnium
1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Team pursuit, UEC European Championships
3rd Six Days of Berlin (with Alex Rasmussen)
2012
1st Six Days of Amsterdam (with Pim Ligthart)
2nd Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)
2013
1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Lasse Norman Hansen)
2014
2nd Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)
3rd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Alex Rasmussen)
2015
1st Six Days of Ghent (with Iljo Keisse)
1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Alex Rasmussen)
2nd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Alex Rasmussen)
2017
1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Lasse Norman Hansen)
2nd Six Days of Rotterdam (with Lasse Norman Hansen)
2018
1st Six Days of Copenhagen (with Kenny De Ketele)
2019
1st Madison, UEC European Championships (with Lasse Norman Hansen)
2020
1st Madison, UCI World Championships (with Lasse Norman Hansen)
2021
1st Madison, Olympic Games (with Lasse Norman Hansen)
1st Madison, UCI World Championships (with Lasse Norman Hansen)
2024
3rd Madison, Olympic Games (with Niklas Larsen)
3rd Madison, UCI World Championships (with Niklas Larsen)
3rd Madison, UEC European Championships (with Theodor Storm)

References

  1. 1 2 Brown, Gregor (5 November 2010). "Rasmussen to join Saxo Bank, a Danish dream?". Cycling Weekly. IPC Media Limited. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  2. 1 2 "Michael Mørkøv, Deceuninck – Quick-Step Cycling team". Archived from the original on 15 July 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2019.
  3. ↑ "Team Saxo-Tinkoff (TST) – DEN". UCI World Tour. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 12 January 2013.
  4. ↑ "Morkov signs two-year contract with Quick-Step Floors". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 22 August 2017. Retrieved 2 January 2018.
  5. ↑ Ryan, Barry (31 December 2019). "2020 Team Preview: Deceuninck-QuickStep". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  6. ↑ "Deceuninck - Quick-Step". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Retrieved 1 January 2021.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link)
  7. ↑ "Astana Qazaqstan Team". UCI. Retrieved 10 January 2024.
  8. ↑ Jacobsen, Mogens (3 February 2015). "Alle tre Mørkøv-brødre står på spring til podiet" [All three Mørkøv brothers poised for the podium]. Politiken (in Danish). Retrieved 27 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 15 January 2026.
  10. ↑ Westemeyer, Susan (7 July 2012). "Froome leads double Sky success on La Planche des Belles Filles". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Mørkøv signs for Katusha at the request of Kristoff". cyclingnews.com. 16 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  12. 1 2 3 "Michael Mørkøv: The man making Tour de France history with Mark Cavendish". 10 July 2021.