# Rick Zabel

Rick Zabel (born 7 December 1993) is a German road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional from 2014 to May 2024. He is the son of Erik Zabel and grandson of Detlef Zabel.

## Cycling career

Born in Unna, Zabel won the National Novice Track Championships in 2009, in the Madison event. In 2010 he enjoyed more success in track events, and in 2011, at the UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen, he was fifth in the men's junior road race.
By summer of 2011 Zabel visited the Pierre de Coubertin sport gymnasium in Erfurt. He left high school without a diploma, in order to sign his first professional contract with the Rabobank Continental Team for the 2012 season. In 2012 he triumphed in the German road championship in the U23 class. In 2013, Zabel won the under-23 Tour of Flanders, and won a stage at the Tour de Normandie.
For the 2014 season, Zabel turned professional with the BMC Racing Team.
On 6 May 2015, Zabel was named in BMC's team for the Giro d'Italia, giving him his first Grand Tour start. On 7 July 2015, his father's 45th birthday, Zabel celebrated his first victory as a professional, winning stage 3 of the Tour of Austria.
In June 2017, he was named in the startlist for the Tour de France.
In May 2019, he won his second professional race in a sprint finish on stage two of the Tour de Yorkshire.
In May 2024, he announced his retirement from the sport following the Rund um Köln.

## Major results
### 2009

    1st Madison, National Novice Track Championships (with Thomas Schneider)

### 2010

    National Junior Track Championships
       2nd Madison (with Thomas Schneider)
       3rd Points race
       3rd Team pursuit

### 2011

    4th Overall Driedaagse van Axel
    5th Road race, UCI Junior Road World Championships

### 2012

    1st Road race, National Under-23 Road Championships
    2nd Ronde van Limburg
    9th GP Raf Jonckheere

### 2013

    1st Ronde van Vlaanderen Beloften
    1st Stage 5 Tour de Normandie
    4th Overall Tour de Gironde
    6th Paris–Tours Espoirs
    7th La Côte Picarde
    7th Münsterland Giro
    8th Overall Olympia's Tour
    10th Arno Wallaard Memorial

### 2014

    1st Stage 1 (TTT) Giro del Trentino
    6th Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop

### 2015 (1 pro win)

    1st Stage 3 Tour of Austria

### 2016

    4th Volta Limburg Classic

### 2017

    2nd Eschborn–Frankfurt – Rund um den Finanzplatz
    9th Paris–Bourges

### 2018

    10th Overall Dubai Tour

### 2019 (1)

    1st Stage 2 Tour de Yorkshire
    8th Grand Prix of Aargau Canton

### 2020

    Giro d'Italia
       Held after Stage 1

### 2022

    Giro d'Italia
       Held after Stage 3
       Combativity award Stage 2

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
| Giro d'Italia | 142 | 140 | — | — | — | 123 | — | 137 |
| Tour de France | — | — | 145 | DNF | DNF | — | 134 | — |
| Vuelta a España | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career | Did not contest during his career |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |