# Knut Knudsen

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. He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 1972 and 1973.
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
### 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 Individual pursuit, UCI Track World Championships

### 1977

    1st Stage 9 Giro d'Italia
    1st Stage 5 Tirreno–Adriatico
    2nd Individual pursuit, UCI Track World Championships
    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
    1st Prologue Paris–Nice
    1st GP Eddy Merckx
    2nd Trofeo Baracchi

### General classification results timeline

Grand Tour general classification results timeline :
| 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 | — | — |
| Tour de Romandie | 9 | 3 | 26 | 3 | N/A | 9 | 6 | — |
| Volta a Catalunya | — | N/A | — | — | — | — | — | — |

### Classics results timeline

| Monument | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 |
| Milan–San Remo | — | — | — | — | — | 3 | — | — |
| Classic | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 |
| Amstel Gold Race | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| La Flèche Wallonne | — | — | — | — | — | — | 34 | 44 |

### Major championships results timeline

| Event | Event | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 | 1975 | 1976 | 1977 | 1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 |
| Olympic Games | Time trial | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held |
| Olympic Games | Road race | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held |
| Olympic Games | Team Time Trial | 5 | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held |
| Olympic Games | Individual Pursuit | 1 | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held | Not held | Not held | — | Not held |
| Road World Championships | Time trial | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held | Not held |
| Road World Championships | 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 | | | | | | | | |
| National Championships | Road race | 1 | 1 | | | | | | | | |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |
| | No results available |