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Samuel Sanchez

Key Stats

Nationality: Spanish
Born: February 5, 1978
Hometown: Oviedo, Ausurias, Spain
Height: 5-foot-9
Weight: 141 pounds
Strengths: Climbing, sprinting, stage racing
Turned Pro: 2000

Palmares

Career Highlights:

1st, 2008 Olympic road race
3rd overall, Vuelta a España (2007)
2nd overall, UCI ProTour
2nd overall, La Fleche Wallonne (2006)
1st, points classification, Paris-Nice (2006)
6th overall, Vuelta a España (2006)

2008
1st, Olympic road race

2007
3rd overall, Vuelta al País Vasco
1st, stage 6 Vuelta al País Vasco
1st, stage 7, Volta a Catalunya
3rd overall, Vuelta a España
1st, stage 15 Vuelta a España
1st - stage 19, Vuelta a España
1st - stage 20(ITT) Vuelta a España

2006
1st overall, Züri-Metzgete
6th overall, Vuelta a España
1st, stage 13, Vuelta a España
7th overall, Vuelta al País Vasco
1st, stage 2, Vuelta al País Vasco
1st, stage 3, Vuelta al País Vasco
1st, stage 3, Vuelta Asturias
1st, Points classification, Paris-Nice
2nd overall, Giro di Lombardia
2nd, La Flèche Wallonne
2nd overall, UCI ProTour

2005
10th overall, Vuelta a España
1st, stage 13, Vuelta a España
1st, Escalada a Montjuïc

2004
1st, Escalada a Montjuïc

2003
2nd overall, Tour du Haut Var
3rd overall, Vuelta al País Vasco

Biography

Sanchez started his professional career in 2000 at the Basque team Euskaltel-Euskadi. He is highly unusual in being a non-Basque member of the team, but has proven his extremely high value to the team with many victories in his seven years as a professional. Sanchez scored his biggest career win in 2008 by taking the Olympic road race gold medal in Beijing.