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Michael Valgren
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Michael Valgren Hundahl (né Andersen; born 7 February 1992) is a Danish professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam EF Education–EasyPost.[6] In 2018, Valgren won Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Amstel Gold Race.[7][8]
Key Information
Career
[edit]He became a professional in 2011 at the age of just 19 riding for the Danish continental team Glud & Marstrand–LRØ, where he won two editions of the U23 Liège–Bastogne–Liège and several other noticeable wins. He worked in the same fish factory as Jonas Vingegaard while pursuing a career as a pro cyclist.[9]
In 2014 he entered the WorldTour, when he joined Tinkoff–Saxo. He made an immediate impact, as he won the Danish National Road Race Championships and the Danmark Rundt.[10]
He has ridden the Tour de France 6 times (2015 to 2020) as well as the 2014 Vuelta a Espana. 2018 served as a breakout year seeing him win the classics Omloop Het Nieuwsblad and the Amstel Gold Race.[11]
In November 2020, Valgren signed a two-year contract with the EF Education–Nippo team.[12] He was added to the start list of the Tour de France for the 7th time in his career in 2021. In September, he won the Coppa Sabatini and the Giro della Toscana one-day races as well as the bronze medal in the UCI World road race championships.[13]
At the Route d'Occitanie in June 2022, Valgren was badly injured in a crash, sustaining a fractured pelvis, dislocated hip, injuries to the ACL and MCL and a damaged meniscus.[14] He was unable to race for the rest of the year, and moved down to the EF Education–Nippo Development Team the following year as he transitioned back to racing. He returned to competition on April 30, 2023, and soon after announced he would rejoin the World Tour squad the following year.[15]
Major results
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- 2009
- 2nd Time trial, National Junior Road Championships
- 3rd Overall GP Général Patton
- 1st Stage 1
- 6th Overall Trofeo Karlsberg
- 8th Overall Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt der Junioren
- 2010
- National Junior Road Championships
- 2nd Time trial
- 3rd Road race
- 10th Overall Liège–La Gleize
- 10th Time trial, UCI Juniors Road World Championships
- 2011
- 4th Himmerland Rundt
- 2012
- 1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs
- 2nd Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop U23
- 6th Overall Kreiz Breizh Elites
- 8th Overall Coupe des nations Ville Saguenay
- 2013
- 1st
Overall Flèche du Sud
- 1st
Young rider classification - 1st Stage 3
- 1st
- 1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège Espoirs
- 1st Stage 3 Tour de l'Avenir
- 2nd Eschborn–Frankfurt City Loop U23
- 9th Overall Thüringen Rundfahrt der U23
- 10th GP Herning
- 2014 (2 pro wins)
- National Road Championships
- 1st
Road race - 3rd Time trial
- 1st
- 1st Overall Danmark Rundt
- 1st Young rider classification
- 1st
- 3rd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
- 4th Overall Tour des Fjords
- 4th Japan Cup
- 2015
- 1st Young rider classification, Dubai Tour
- 2016 (2)
- 1st
Overall Danmark Rundt
- 1st Stage 3
- National Road Championships
- 2nd Road race
- 2nd Time trial
- 2nd Amstel Gold Race
- 2017
- 2nd Overall Danmark Rundt
- 6th Overall BinckBank Tour
- 6th E3 Harelbeke
- 2018 (2)
- 1st Amstel Gold Race
- 1st Omloop Het Nieuwsblad
- 2nd Bretagne Classic
- 4th Tour of Flanders
- 7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 8th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 9th Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec
- 2019
- 4th Bretagne Classic
- 5th Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal
- 6th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
- 6th Chrono des Nations
- 10th Overall BinckBank Tour
- 2021 (2)
- 1st Coppa Sabatini
- 1st Giro della Toscana
- 3rd
Road race, UCI Road World Championships - 4th Road race, National Road Championships
- 2023
- 3rd GP Herning
- 8th Coppa Sabatini
- 9th Japan Cup
- 2024
- 4th Road race, National Road Championships
- 8th Dwars door Vlaanderen
- 2025
- 8th Strade Bianche
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
[edit]| Grand Tour | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 38 |
 Tour de France
|
— | DNF | 77 | 61 | 44 | 75 | 73 | 53 | — | — | — |
 Vuelta a España
|
128 | — | — | — | — | — | 33 | — | — | — | — |
Classics results timeline
[edit]| Monument | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan–San Remo | — | — | — | 35 | 97 | — | 99 | 52 | 25 | — | 100 | |
| Tour of Flanders | — | — | — | 11 | 4 | 102 | 21 | DNF | 36 | — | 45 | |
| Paris–Roubaix | — | — | — | — | — | — | NH | DNF | — | — | — | |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | DNF | DNF | 14 | — | 19 | DNF | DNF | 58 | — | — | — | |
| Giro di Lombardia | — | — | — | — | — | 40 | — | — | — | — | — | |
| Classic | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | — | — | — | 30 | 1 | 45 | 21 | — | DNF | — | 67 | 132 |
| Strade Bianche | — | — | — | 36 | — | 45 | 30 | — | 11 | — | — | 8 |
| E3 Harelbeke | — | — | — | 6 | 14 | 39 | NH | — | 20 | — | 73 | |
| Dwars door Vlaanderen | — | — | — | — | DNF | 29 | 45 | 73 | — | 8 | ||
| Amstel Gold Race | 123 | 22 | 2 | 35 | 1 | 53 | 13 | 15 | — | — | ||
| Bretagne Classic | — | 45 | 16 | 33 | 2 | 4 | — | 22 | — | — | 43 | |
| Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec | — | 125 | 99 | — | 9 | 19 | Not held | — | — | 111 | ||
| Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal | — | 33 | 23 | — | 8 | 5 | — | — | DNF | |||
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
| NH | Not held |
References
[edit]- ^ "Michael Valgren Andersen " Tinkoff-Saxo". Procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
- ^ "Michael Valgren og Jesper Hansen skifter til Astana" (in Danish). Danmarks Radio. 1 August 2016. Retrieved 1 August 2016.
- ^ "Dimension Data finalise 2019 roster". Cyclingnews.com. Immediate Media Company. 22 November 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
- ^ "NTT Pro Cycling Team". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 3 January 2020. Retrieved 3 January 2020.
- ^ "EF Education - Nippo". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 1 January 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ "EF Education–EasyPost". UCI. Retrieved 7 January 2024.
- ^ "Uitslag – Résultat – Result" (PDF). KBWB-RVLB.com. Royal Belgian Cycling League. 24 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
- ^ "Michael Valgren takes impressive victory at Amstel Gold Race 2018". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 15 April 2018.
- ^ James Hilsum, Benoit Vittek (23 July 2022). "JONAS VINGEGAARD ON HIS FISH-RELATED JOBS THAT HELPED HIM PURSUE CYCLING AND TOUR DE FRANCE DREAM". Eurosport. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
- ^ "Michael Valgren - Tinkoff Saxo". Archived from the original on 31 March 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ "Valgren: Dimension Data will shoot with one missile, hopefully that will be me". cyclingnews.com. 27 December 2018. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
- ^ Benson, Daniel (13 November 2020). "Michael Valgren signs for EF Pro Cycling". Cyclingnews.com. Future plc. Retrieved 13 November 2020.
- ^ "Julian Alaphilippe defends world title with stunning victory in Flanders World Championships". Cycling News. 26 September 2021. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
- ^ Thewlis, Tom (31 May 2023). "'What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger' - Michael Valgren on getting through injury and returning to racing". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 26 April 2024.
- ^ EF Education-EasyPost, Michael Valgren vede la luce dopo il tremendo infortunio dello scorso anno: il danese tornerà nella squadra WorldTour
External links
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Michael Valgren.
- Michael Valgren at UCI
- Michael Valgren at Cycling Archives
- Michael Valgren at ProCyclingStats
- Michael Valgren at Cycling Quotient
- Michael Valgren at CycleBase
- Michael Valgren at Olympedia
- Michael Valgren at InterSportStats
Michael Valgren
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Early life and amateur career
Early life
Michael Valgren Hundahl, born Michael Andersen on 7 February 1992 in Østerild, Denmark, grew up in the rural area on the country's west coast near the North Sea.[1][2] His childhood was spent in this windswept, coastal region, where he often rode between nearby towns like Klitmøller and Hanstholm, imagining himself competing in the Tour de France.[1] Coming from a family passionate about team sports such as football and handball—where Valgren himself became a national handball champion twice as a child—he initially focused on those activities.[5] At age 12, after failing to make a national handball talent squad, he borrowed his uncle's bike during a Tour de France broadcast and shifted his interests to cycling, quitting football and handball to pursue it seriously.[5] His parents supported this transition by driving him to local races every weekend, helping him build connections in the Danish cycling community through nearby clubs, though he struggled competitively for the first five years.[5] In November 2018, following his marriage to Sissel Hundahl, Valgren adopted her surname, becoming Michael Valgren Hundahl, and the couple settled with their family in Denmark.[6] This personal milestone coincided with his established life in his home country, where he continues to ride familiar local roads with his children.[1]Amateur career
Valgren began his competitive cycling career in 2011 at age 19, joining the Danish continental team Glud & Marstrand–LRØ, where he raced for two seasons.[7] During this period, he competed in domestic and international under-23 events, building experience in longer road races and stage competitions.[8] In 2012, he claimed his first major under-23 victory by soloing to win Liège–Bastogne–Liège U23 after a decisive breakaway.[9] The following year, Valgren repeated his success at Liège–Bastogne–Liège U23, again triumphing solo in a display of attacking prowess that highlighted his classics potential.[9] He also featured in other key under-23 races, including a 28th-place finish at the Tour of Flanders U23, and achieved strong domestic results in the Danish National Championships, placing fourth in the under-23 road race. These performances underscored his development as a versatile rider suited to hilly terrain and one-day events.[10] Following his 2013 successes, Valgren transitioned to a full professional contract with the UCI Professional Continental team Christina Watches–Onform (also known as Team Cult Energy), marking the end of his under-23 career and the start of his elite-level racing.[7]Professional career
Team Cult Energy and Tinkoff (2013–2016)
Valgren made his professional debut in 2013 at the age of 21 with the Danish UCI Continental team Team Cult Energy, competing primarily in events on the UCI Europe Tour.[7] This step up from his successful amateur career allowed him to race against more experienced professionals in one-day and stage events across Europe, where the team emphasized development in classics-style races suited to his aggressive riding style.[11] In 2014, following a strong rookie season, Valgren signed with the UCI WorldTeam Tinkoff-Saxo, transitioning to the elite level of professional cycling.[12] He quickly made an impact by winning the Danish National Road Race Championship in Faaborg, outsprinting a select group to claim his first national title.[13] Later that year, he secured overall victory in the Danmark Rundt, a key Danish stage race, by finishing strongly in the decisive final stage in Frederiksberg and holding off challengers like Lars Bak.[14] These results highlighted his potential as a punchy all-rounder capable of contending in both national and international competitions. During his tenure with Tinkoff from 2014 to 2016, Valgren's role evolved from supporting team leaders as a domestique in Grand Tours and classics to emerging as a reliable contender in one-day races.[15] The team's focus on classics provided him with valuable experience in high-stakes events, refining his skills in positioning and late-race attacks. In 2016, he achieved another general classification win at the Danmark Rundt, solidifying his status in Danish cycling by dominating the queen stage and finishing ahead of compatriots Magnus Cort and Mads Würtz Schmidt.[16] He also claimed stage victories in multi-day tours, such as stage 3 of the Tour of Denmark, where he broke away late and soloed to the line for a solo triumph.[17] These successes underscored his growth into a versatile rider ready for greater international challenges.Astana Pro Team (2017)
Valgren joined Astana Pro Team for the 2017 season, signing as part of a trio of riders from the disbanded Tinkoff squad, including Oscar Gatto and Jesper Hansen, to bolster the team's classics lineup.[18] This move marked a new chapter for the Danish rider at the WorldTour level, where he was tasked with leadership responsibilities in one-day races despite the higher competition intensity.[19] His adaptation to Astana's tactics was aided by prior experience on continental and WorldTour teams, allowing him to contribute effectively while targeting personal results as a puncheur. In the spring classics, Valgren showed promise with a 6th place at E3 Harelbeke and 11th at Ronde van Vlaanderen, though his Ardennes Week yielded a 35th in Amstel Gold Race and a DNF in Flèche Wallonne due to a crash.[20] Later, he supported the team's Grand Tour efforts, notably finishing 7th on stage 8 of the Tour de France, a hilly stage suiting his strengths. Domestically, Valgren delivered strong performances, placing 15th in the Danish national road race championships but excelling at the Tour of Denmark with stage podiums (2nd on stage 3, 3rd on stage 4 time trial, 5th on stage 5) en route to 2nd overall.[21] While often supporting Astana's broader strategy in bunch sprints and lead-outs, his consistent top-20 finishes across 78 race days earned him growing recognition as a versatile all-rounder.[20]Astana Pro Team (2018)
Valgren's tenure with Astana continued into 2018, marked by breakthrough victories that solidified his status as an emerging force in one-day racing. On February 24, Valgren soloed to triumph in Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, edging out the chase group by 12 seconds to claim the first win for a Danish rider in the race's history.[22] Later that spring, on April 15, he outkicked Roman Kreuziger in a two-man sprint to win the Amstel Gold Race, securing Astana's first victory in the Dutch Ardennes classic. These successes were complemented by strong showings elsewhere in the cobbled calendar, including a fourth-place finish at the Ronde van Vlaanderen, where he animated the race from the front group on the Oude Kwaremont. Valgren's aggressive style and tactical acumen in these events highlighted his adaptation to the demands of WorldTour-level spring campaigns. Throughout 2018, Valgren balanced his classics ambitions with domestique duties, supporting teammates in various stage races. Although 2019 saw him depart for Dimension Data, his 2018 campaign propelled him into the top echelons of the sport, culminating in a career-high 29th position in the UCI World Ranking with 1,103 points. This rise underscored Astana's role in nurturing Valgren into a reliable classics contender capable of challenging elite pelotons.Dimension Data / NTT Pro Cycling (2019–2020)
Valgren joined Dimension Data ahead of the 2019 season, continuing his focus on spring classics after his 2018 successes. In 2019, he achieved consistent results, including top-10 finishes in several European one-day races, though without major victories. The team rebranded to NTT Pro Cycling for the 2020 season, with sponsorship from Japanese telecommunications firm NTT. The 2020 campaign was severely curtailed by the COVID-19 pandemic, which halted professional cycling from March until August and led to the cancellation or relocation of numerous one-day races central to Valgren's strengths. With the UCI WorldTour calendar compressed and classics largely absent, his opportunities were limited, though he showed promise in pre-lockdown events by finishing fifth on stage 5 of the Étoile de Bessèges.[23] Valgren contributed to the team's Grand Tour efforts, competing in his sixth Tour de France and placing 73rd overall while supporting general classification contender Domenico Pozzovivo. He later rode the Vuelta a España, earning a strong fifth place on the mountainous stage 6 finish at Aramón Formigal, highlighting his punchy climbing ability amid a disrupted schedule.[24]EF Education–EasyPost (2021–present)
Valgren joined EF Education–Nippo ahead of the 2021 season. In 2021, he added wins in the Coppa Sabatini and Giro della Toscana, along with a third-place finish in the UCI Road World Championships road race.[4][3] In 2022, a severe crash during the Route d'Occitanie resulted in a fractured pelvis and knee injuries, sidelining him for the remainder of the season and into recovery.[25] Following rehabilitation throughout late 2022 and into 2023, Valgren was rostered with the EF Education-NIPPO Development Team, a Continental squad affiliated with his parent WorldTour team, allowing for controlled racing volume without the pressures of elite competition.[26][27] He made his 2023 racing debut in March at the Région Pays de la Loire Tour, marking his first competition after nearly 10 months sidelined, where he prioritized completion over results to rebuild confidence and form.[26] Over the season, he participated in 41 race days, accumulating 6,135 km, with selective appearances in European one-day events and stage races to test his endurance rather than pursuing sprint finishes, a shift necessitated by lingering effects of his injuries.[28] Notable performances included a third-place finish at the Grand Prix Herning in August, a top-20 in stages of the Tour de l'Ain, and consistent mid-pack general classification results like 35th overall at the PostNord Danmark Rundt, demonstrating steady progress in fitness without major victories.[28][29] The year presented ongoing challenges from his 2022 injuries, including managed training loads and a cautious approach to avoid setbacks, with Valgren emphasizing mental resilience in interviews as key to his recovery process.[30] By late 2023, having built sufficient base endurance through these limited outings, Valgren expressed determination to return to WorldTour-level racing, leading to his promotion back to the EF Education-EasyPost roster for 2024.[31] After recovering from the 2022 injury, Valgren returned to full-time WorldTour competition with EF Education–EasyPost in 2024. In 2024, Valgren demonstrated a strong resurgence, highlighted by an 8th-place finish at Dwars door Vlaanderen, showcasing his enduring prowess in the cobbled classics.[23] His Grand Tour debut post-injury came at the Giro d'Italia, where he secured a runner-up position on stage 5 in a successful breakaway effort and ultimately placed 38th overall, contributing valuable support to his teammates while proving his competitive edge had returned.[32][33] Valgren's form carried into 2025, beginning with an impressive 8th place at Strade Bianche, where he played a key role in supporting teammate Ben Healy's fourth-place finish by marking attacks in the elite front group.[34] He participated in several cobbled and Ardennes classics throughout the spring, including E3 Harelbeke, Gent-Wevelgem, Tour of Flanders, Paris-Roubaix, Amstel Gold Race, Flèche Wallonne, and Liège-Bastogne-Liège, though without additional top-10 results in those events.[35] At the Tour de France, Valgren finished 72nd overall and achieved a 9th-place stage result on stage 15, while later in the season he placed 40th at the Critérium du Dauphiné and 23rd in the Danish National Road Race Championships, with the campaign concluding with a 96th overall at the Tour of Guangxi as of November 2025.[35][36] Within EF Education–EasyPost, Valgren has established himself as a veteran classics specialist, leveraging his experience from prior Monument wins to lead the team's efforts in one-day races and mentor younger riders on tactics and positioning in demanding terrain.[1]Cycling achievements
Major victories
Michael Valgren has secured 13 UCI-level victories throughout his career as of 2025.[37] His major wins span from his under-23 days to professional classics and stage races, highlighting his prowess in one-day events and multi-stage competitions. In 2013, Valgren claimed victory in the under-23 edition of the Amstel Gold Race, launching a decisive solo attack to win by a significant margin, marking an early sign of his potential in Ardennes-style terrain.[9] The following year, 2014, he dominated domestically by winning the Danish National Road Race Championships in a bunch sprint finish after 272 kilometers of racing.[13] That same season, he captured the overall title at the Danmark Rundt (Tour of Denmark), securing the general classification lead through consistent performances across the six-stage event.[38] Valgren repeated his success at the Danmark Rundt in 2016, again taking the overall victory and demonstrating his endurance in his home tour. His breakthrough on the international stage came in 2018 with Astana, where he became the first Danish rider to win Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, outsprinting a select group in the final kilometers of the cobbled classic.[22] Just weeks later, he added the Amstel Gold Race to his palmarès, attacking late to distance rivals like Peter Sagan and Alejandro Valverde before holding off Roman Kreuziger in a two-up sprint, solidifying his status as a classics contender.[39] After a period without major wins, Valgren revived his career in 2021 with EF Education-Nippo, soloing to victory in the Giro della Toscana over 191 kilometers of hilly terrain, becoming the first Danish winner of the Italian one-day race.[40] The next day, he defended his form by winning the Coppa Sabatini in another aggressive display, edging out Sonny Colbrelli in a reduced-group sprint to claim consecutive triumphs ahead of the UCI Road World Championships. In 2021, Valgren achieved third place in the UCI Road World Championships road race in Leuven, Belgium.[41][42]Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Valgren's Grand Tour general classification results reflect his role as a classics specialist who has occasionally supported his teams in multi-week stage races, primarily the Tour de France, with limited but consistent finishes outside the top 30.[43]| Year | Giro d'Italia | Tour de France | Vuelta a España |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | — | 61 | — |
| 2018 | — | 44 | — |
| 2019 | — | 75 | — |
| 2020 | — | 73 | 33 |
| 2021 | — | 53 | — |
| 2022 | — | — | — |
| 2023 | — | — | — |
| 2024 | 38 | — | — |
| 2025 | — | 72 | — |
Classics results timeline
Michael Valgren's career in the one-day classics has been marked by a breakthrough in 2018, where he secured victories in two prestigious events, alongside consistent top-10 finishes in Monuments. His results evolved from promising U23 performances to professional highlights, though a severe crash in June 2022 limited his participation in 2022 and 2023. The table below outlines his positions in major cobbled and Ardennes classics from 2013 to 2025, focusing on top finishes where applicable; dashes indicate no top-20 result or non-participation based on available records.| Race | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strade Bianche | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 8th [45] |
| Omloop Het Nieuwsblad | — | — | — | — | — | 1st [4] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tour of Flanders | — | — | — | — | — | 4th | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Paris–Roubaix | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | DNF [46] | — | — | — | — |
| Amstel Gold Race | — | — | — | 2nd [47] | — | 1st [4] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Liège–Bastogne–Liège | — | — | — | — | — | 19th [48] | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |