Djamolidine Abdoujaparov

Djamolidine Mirgarifanovich Abdoujaparov (Jamoliddin Mirgarifanovich Abdujaparov; born 28 February 1964) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Uzbekistan. Abdoujaparov was a sprinter, nicknamed "The Tashkent Terror" as he was so ferocious in the sprints. His unorthodox and often erratic sprinting caused a number of crashes. He competed in the individual road race at the Olympic Games on two occasions: in 1988 for the Soviet Union and in 1996 for Uzbekistan; he placed fifth in 1988.

Career
Abdoujaparov was born in Tashkent to a Crimean Tatar family which was forcibly deported to Uzbekistan during Soviet rule. A graduate of the Soviet sports programme, he came into his prime just as his country gained independence; after initial difficulties (including Uzbekistan's not being affiliated to the UCI, which caused problems with the Cycling World Championship) he signed for a Western professional team and became one of the world's top sprinters. Abdoujaparov first rode with the team in 1990 before the team folded and he joined in 1991. Abdoujaparov had numerous tussles with Laurent Jalabert in the Tour de France's green sprinters jersey competition in the early 1990s. In 1991 Abdoujaparov won the competition despite a spectacular crash during the final stage on the Champs-Élysées in Paris, where he collided with the barriers 100 m before the finish and somersaulted into the air. Despite still holding enough points to win the sprinters' jersey, he had to cross the line unaided. Members of his team picked him up, put him back on the bike, and he rode slowly over the last few meters, medical staff walking alongside him.

In his last complete tour in 1996, Abdoujaparov achieved a mountain breakaway for his last stage win, unusual for a sprinter. By this stage, though, results were not as good, and after failing seven separate anti-doping tests during the 1997 season, including twice at the 1997 Tour de France, he retired from cycling. He failed the tests screening for the presence in his body of, among others, the anti-asthma drug clenbuterol.

Abdoujaparov, a British rock band formed by former Carter USM guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter, is named after him.

Major results

 * 1985
 * Tour de l'Avenir
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Points classification
 * 1st Stage 6b
 * Giro Ciclistico d'Italia
 * 1st Stages 4, 6 & 9
 * Circuit de la Sarthe-Pays de la Loire
 * 1st Stages 4a & 4b


 * 1987
 * Peace Race
 * 1st Stages 7, 11 & 14
 * 3rd Gran Premio Palio del Recioto


 * 1988
 * Peace Race
 * 1st Jersey white.svg Points classification
 * 1st Stages 1 & 12
 * Tour de Pologne
 * 1st Stages 2, 6 & 7
 * 5th Road race, Olympic Games


 * 1989
 * 1st Stage 1 Peace Race
 * 3rd Gran Premio della Liberazione


 * 1990
 * 8th Coppa Bernocchi


 * 1991
 * 1st Gent–Wevelgem
 * 1st Giro del Piemonte
 * Tour de France
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Points classification
 * 1st Stages 1 & 4
 * 1st Stage 7 Volta a Catalunya
 * 1st Stage 1 Settimana Internazionale di Coppi e Bartali
 * Vuelta a Murcia
 * 1st Stages 2 & 4b
 * 4th Milan–San Remo


 * 1992
 * Vuelta a España
 * 1st Jersey blue.svg Points classification
 * 1st Stages 2a, 4, 11 & 21
 * Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
 * 1st Stages 5a & 6
 * 1st Stage 3 Tour of Britain


 * 1993
 * Tour de France
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Points classification
 * 1st Stages 3, 18 & 20
 * Vuelta a España
 * 1st Stages 9, 12 & 20
 * 1st Stage 10 Tour de Suisse
 * 3rd Gent–Wevelgem
 * 4th Overall Three Days of De Panne


 * 1994
 * 1st Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen
 * 1st Polynormande
 * Tour de France
 * 1st Jersey green.svg Points classification
 * 1st Stages 1 & 20
 * Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Jersey violet.svg Points classification
 * 1st Jersey blue.svg Intergiro classification
 * 1st Stage 10
 * Paris–Nice
 * 1st Stages 3 & 8a
 * 1st Stage 10 Tour DuPont
 * 2nd Overall Three Days of De Panne
 * 1st Stages 1 & 3a
 * 2nd Overall Ronde van Nederland
 * 1st Stages 2 & 4
 * 2nd Classic Haribo
 * 3rd Scheldeprijs
 * 5th Gent–Wevelgem


 * 1995
 * 1st Stage 20 Tour de France
 * 1st Stage 3 Tour DuPont
 * 5th Scheldeprijs
 * 10th Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen


 * 1996
 * 1st Stage 14 Tour de France
 * 1st Stage 2 Tirreno–Adriatico
 * 1st Stage 1 Vuelta a Murcia
 * 1st Stage 2 Giro di Sardegna
 * 3rd Gran Premio Industria e Commercio di Prato


 * 1997
 * 1st La Côte Picarde
 * 1st Stage 7 Four Days of Dunkirk
 * Critérium du Dauphiné Liberé
 * 1st Stages 1 & 3