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 World Championship, Track, Pursuit, Elite
1977
1st Stage 9 Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 5 Tirreno–Adriatico
2nd World Championship, Track, Pursuit, Elite
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
Held after Prologue
1st Prologue Paris–Nice
1st GP Eddy Merckx
2nd Trofeo Baracchi
Results timeline
Major championships results timeline
References
External links
1950 births
Living people
Norwegian male cyclists
Olympic gold medalists for Norway
Olympic cyclists for Norway
Cyclists at the 1968 Summer Olympics
Cyclists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Olympic medalists in cycling
Norwegian Giro d'Italia stage winners
Sportspeople from Levanger
Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Norwegian track cyclists