# Bernhard Eisel

Bernhard Eisel (born 17 February 1981) is an Austrian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2001 and 2019 for the Mapei–Quick-Step, Française des Jeux, HTC–Highroad, Team Sky and Team Dimension Data teams. Following his retirement, he worked as an analyst and presenter for Eurosport and the Global Cycling Network (GCN), before joining Bora–Hansgrohe as a directeur sportif in 2022.

## Career

Born in Voitsberg, Eisel won his first race when he was 11 years old, since then he has won many races. When he was 17, he moved to Italy to race for the team Rinascita Ormelle, based in Treviso. After that he moved to Gli Amici Piave, the team of Moreno Argentin. In 2001 he joined the team Mapei–Quick-Step and became a professional cyclist, from 2003 on he joined FDJeux.com.
In 2007, Eisel changed to T-Mobile Team. Eisel enjoyed a successful first season with his main victory coming on Stage 2 of the Volta ao Algarve. Eisel established himself as the right-hand man of sprinter and teammate Mark Cavendish, protecting him throughout the flats and mountain stages and forming part of the HTC lead out train that saw Cavendish take many notable victories in the Tour de France and other races. Eisel also had opportunities to ride for himself, mainly in the classics. He won Paris–Bourges in 2008 and Gent–Wevelgem in 2010, and in 2011, Eisel recorded his best placing in a monument by finishing seventh in Paris–Roubaix. Eisel was appointed as a member of the inaugural UCI Athletes' Commission in 2011.
Following the announcement that HTC–Highroad would fold at the end of 2011, Eisel joined Mark Cavendish in moving to Team Sky. After Cavendish announced he would cut his three-year deal with the team short to move to Omega Pharma–Quick-Step, Eisel announced he would stay with Team Sky until the end of the 2015 season.
On 28 September 2015, Sky announced that Eisel would be among the riders leaving the team at the end of the year, following four seasons with the team. The following day it was announced that he had joined Cavendish (and Mark Renshaw, their former teammate at HTC) in signing for MTN–Qhubeka – to be renamed as Team Dimension Data.
On 14 January 2020 he announced his retirement from professional racing. Shortly afterwards he took up a role as a presenter, reporter and commentator for Eurosport and Global Cycling Network (GCN). In November 2021 Bora–Hansgrohe announced that Eisel would join them as a directeur sportif from the 2022 season.

## Major results
### 1999

    5th Road race, UCI Junior Road World Championships

### 2002

    1st Radclassic-Gleisdorf
    2nd Overall Paris–Corrèze
    4th Overall GP Erik Breukink

### 2003 (2 pro wins)

    1st Stage 4 Tour du Limousin
    3rd Overall GP Erik Breukink
       1st Stage 2
    7th Overall Circuit Franco-Belge

### 2004

    1st Stage 3 Criterium des Espoirs
    1st Bad Ischl
    5th Scheldeprijs
    7th Overall Tour de Picardie

### 2005 (4)

    Volta ao Algarve
       1st Points classification
       1st Stages 1 & 4
    1st Stage 1 Tour de Suisse
    2nd Overall Grande Prémio Internacional Costa Azul
       1st Points classification
       1st Stage 4

### 2006 (3)

    1st Stage 4 Tour of Qatar
    1st Stage 2 Volta ao Algarve
    1st Grazer Altstadt Kriterium
    1st Mayrhofen Europa-Kriterium
    2nd Overall Three Days of De Panne
       1st Points classification
       1st Stage 2a
    2nd Overall Grande Prémio Internacional Costa Azul
    5th Paris–Roubaix
    7th Gent–Wevelgem

### 2007 (3)

    1st Lancaster Classic
    1st Reading Classic
    1st Stage 2 Volta ao Algarve
    1st Linz criterium
    3rd Philadelphia International Championship
    4th Overall Tour of Qatar
    8th Trofeo Palma

### 2008 (2)

    1st Paris–Bourges
    1st Stage 5 Volta ao Algarve
    3rd Reading Classic
    4th Philadelphia International Championship
    6th E3 Prijs Vlaanderen
    9th Lancaster Classic

### 2009 (1)

    1st Stage 2 Tour de Suisse
    1st Welser Sparkassen Innenstadt-Kriterium
    2nd Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne
    3rd Road race, National Road Championships
    9th Scheldeprijs

### 2010 (1)

    1st Gent–Wevelgem
    1st Stage 1 (TTT) Vuelta a España
    7th Paris–Bourges
    8th Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
    9th Paris–Tours

### 2011

    7th Paris–Roubaix
    7th Gent–Wevelgem
    8th Overall Tour of Qatar

### 2012

    3rd E3 Harelbeke

### 2013

    5th Overall Tour of Qatar
    7th Gent–Wevelgem
    10th Milan–San Remo

### 2014

    3rd Road race, National Road Championships

### 2017

    1st Mountains classification, Arctic Race of Norway

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 |
| Giro d'Italia | 63 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 152 | — | 138 | 143 | — | — |
| Tour de France | — | 131 | 143 | 107 | 121 | 144 | 150 | 155 | 160 | 146 | — | 126 | — | 171 | 153 |
| Vuelta a España | — | — | DNF | DNF | — | — | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Classics results timeline

| Monument | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Milan–San Remo | 12 | DNF | DNF | 23 | 34 | 107 | DNF | 44 | 47 | DNF | 10 | 65 | DNF | — | 185 | — | 128 |
| Tour of Flanders | 14 | 103 | 13 | 15 | 86 | 11 | 72 | 16 | 14 | 54 | DNF | 60 | 99 | DNF | 104 | — | 117 |
| Paris–Roubaix | 22 | 35 | 49 | 5 | 65 | 17 | 47 | 38 | 7 | 86 | 12 | 13 | 71 | 44 | 36 | — | 66 |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career |
| Giro di Lombardia | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career | Did not contest during career |
| Classic | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | 18 | — | — | — | — | 132 | 121 | 8 | 95 | 23 | 64 | 81 | 71 | — | — | DNF | — |
| Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne | DNF | 35 | — | — | DNF | DNF | 2 | — | — | 113 | — | 45 | 83 | — | — | DNF | — |
| E3 Saxo Bank Classic | 35 | — | 16 | 64 | 73 | 6 | 11 | — | — | 3 | 36 | 54 | 86 | — | DNF | — | DNF |
| Gent–Wevelgem | DNF | DNF | DNF | 7 | 26 | 160 | DNF | 1 | 7 | 129 | 7 | 24 | DNF | — | 76 | — | DNF |
| Scheldeprijs | — | 5 | — | — | 51 | — | 9 | 85 | 141 | 62 | 119 | 109 | 13 | 121 | 40 | — | — |
| Paris–Tours | 55 | — | — | — | — | DNF | 44 | 9 | — | — | — | — | — | 43 | 106 | DNF | DNF |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |