# Michael Mørkøv

Michael Mørkøv Christensen (Danish pronunciation:; 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.

## 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 has 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 |
| Giro d'Italia | 129 | 156 | — | — | — | — | — | — | 107 | — | — | — | DNF | — | — |
| Tour de France | — | — | 93 | — | 134 | — | DNF | — | — | 152 | 130 | 138 | DNF | 150 | DNF |
| 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)