Brian Holm Sørensen (born 2 October 1962) is a retired Danish professional rider in

road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The ...

from 1986 to 1998, who rode for Team Telekom from 1993 to 1997 and was part of the team that brought his fellow Dane

Bjarne Riis Bjarne Lykkegård Riis (; born 3 April 1964), nicknamed ''The Eagle from Herning'' (), is a Denmark, Danish former professional road bicycle racer who won the 1996 Tour de France. For many years he was the owner and later manager of the Oleg Tink ...

to victory in the

1996 Tour de France The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd edition of the Tour de France, starting on 29 June and ending on 21 July, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day (10 July). It was won by Danish rider Bjarne Riis. Th ...

Biography

Brian Holm was born in Copenhagen. He was a reliable domestique for most of his career, and also sports 11 individual victories, including a national championship (1990), the one-day classic

Paris–Brussels The Brussels Cycling Classic (known until June 2013 as Paris–Brussels) is a semi classic European bicycle race, one of the oldest races on the international calendar. History Paris–Brussels was first run on 12 August 1893 as an amateur eve ...

and the semi-classic Paris–Camembert. After his active career, Brian Holm has acted as a sport director, first for Danish pro-teams Team Acceptcard (1999) and Team Fakta, then for the Danish national team, and from 2003 for Team Telekom (sponsors changed several times) until 2011 when the team, latterly known as HTC-Highroad, came to an end. Holm is cited as a motivational influence on prominent HTC-Highroad cyclist,

Mark Cavendish Sir Mark Simon Cavendish (born 21 May 1985) is a Manx people, Manx retired professional cyclist. As a Track cycling, track cyclist he specialised in the Madison (cycling), madison, points race, and scratch race disciplines; as a road racer he ...

. During the 2011 UCI Road World Championships in Copenhagen, won by Cavendish, he reportedly rode in the team support car with Great Britain coach Rod Ellingworth. In February 2004 he was diagnosed with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

, and underwent surgery before returning to racing. Following his experience with cancer, Holm established ''La Flamme Rouge'', as a means to raise money for charitable organisations supporting cancer patients through sport. La Flamme Rouge sells various products such as cycle clothing designed for them by Paul Smith.

is one of its ambassadors. In November 2013 Holm was elected as a municipal councillor in

Frederiksberg Frederiksberg () is a part of the Capital Region of Denmark. It is an independent municipality, Frederiksberg Municipality, separate from Copenhagen Municipality, but both are a part of the region of Copenhagen. It occupies an area of less tha ...

, a town forming an enclave in the

Copenhagen Municipality Copenhagen Municipality (), also known in English language, English as the Municipality of Copenhagen, located in the Capital Region of Denmark, is the largest of the four municipalities that constitute the City of Copenhagen (), the other three ...

, despite undertaking little campaigning. Holm stood for election as a candidate of the Conservative People's Party. In May 2014 Holm was charged with indecent exposure towards a 7-year-old girl, who had slept over in his house. Holm was acquitted

Doping

In his 2002 autobiography, he admitted having used doping during the 1990s. This did not cost him his job as manager for the Danish national team, despite some concern about him being a role model for the young riders. In May 2007, he admitted having used

erythropoietin Erythropoietin (; EPO), also known as erythropoetin, haematopoietin, or haemopoietin, is a glycoprotein cytokine secreted mainly by the kidneys in response to cellular hypoxia; it stimulates red blood cell production ( erythropoiesis) in th ...

(EPO) on two occasions in 1996 at Team Telekom.

Major results

;1983 :1st Duo Normand (with

Jack Olsen Jack Olsen (June 7, 1925 – July 16, 2002) was an American journalist and author known for his crime reporting. Olsen was senior editor-in-chief for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' in 1954. He was Midwest bureau chief for ''Time'' and a senior edito ...

) :7th Overall Tour of Sweden ;1984 :1st Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers :4th UCI Amateur Road Race World Championships :9th Overall Tour of Norway ;1986 –

Roland Roland (; ; or ''Rotholandus''; or ''Rolando''; died 15 August 778) was a Frankish military leader under Charlemagne who became one of the principal figures in the literary cycle known as the Matter of France. The historical Roland was mil ...

:1st Circuit de la Frontiers : Templeuve : Omloop van de Grenstreek :3rd Trofeo Baracchi (with

Jesper Skibby Jesper Skibby (born 21 March 1964 in Silkeborg, Denmark) is a retired professional road racing cyclist. He won at least one stage at each of the major tours. He was one of the most popular in Denmark, not only because of his talent, but also bec ...

) :4th

Grand Prix Pino Cerami Grand Prix Pino Cerami is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in April in Hainaut, Belgium. From 2005 to 2019, the race was organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, before being cancelled from 2019 to 2022. Upon its return in 2 ...

:7th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens ;1987 :9th Overall Danmark Rundt ;1988 :2nd Grand Prix de la Libération :4th

Nokere Koerse Nokere Koerse is a European semi classic single day cycle race held in the Belgian region of Flanders. The Nokere Koerse was created in 1944, initially as the ''Grand Prix Jules Lowie'' in honour of 1938 Paris–Nice winner Jules Lowie who ...

:5th Overall Danmark Rundt ;1989 :3rd Grand Prix de la Libération :7th

;1990 – Histor :1st National championship,

individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also trac ...

:1st GP Wieler Revue :1st Stage 4 (TTT)

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional road bicycle racing, cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the ...

:1st Stage 3 Tour d'Armorique : Stage 2,

Tour de l'Oise The Tour de Picardie was a professional multi-stage cycle road race that was held between 1936 and 2016 in Picardy, France. In its last twelve editions, it was organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a se ...

:4th Grand Prix de la Libération :5th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx (with Paul Haghedooren) :6th Trofeo Luis Puig :6th

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

:6th

Rund um Köln The Rund um Köln is a Classic cycle races, classic cycling race around the German city of Cologne. Since 2005 it is part of the UCI Europe Tour, being organised as UCI race classifications, 1.1 race (in 2007 the race was categorised as 1.HC). It ...

:8th Grand Prix des Nations :9th Omloop Het Volk :9th Brabantse Pijl ;1991 – Histor-Sigma :1st Paris–Camembert :1st

:5th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx (with Benjamin Van Itterbeeck) :9th Brabantse Pijl :10th Grand Prix de la Libération ;1992 :2nd Omloop van de Vlaamse Scheldeboorden :4th Overall

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk () is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been held over a 5 or 6 day period for ...

:6th Grote Prijs Jef Scherens :7th

Grand Prix of Aargau Canton Grand Prix of Aargau Canton () is a semi classic European bicycle race held in Aargau canton, one of the more northerly cantons of Switzerland. The race consists of fifteen laps around the Swiss town of Gippingen, which belongs to the municipa ...

:10th Grand Prix Eddy Merckx (with Herman Frison) ;1993 :5th Grand Prix de Wallonie :5th

Grand Prix de Fourmies The Grand Prix de Fourmies is a bicycle race held in the Fourmies commune of France. From 2005 to 2019 it was organised as a 1.HC event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2021, it joined the UCI ProSeries The UCI ProSeries is the second tier men's ...

:6th Druivenkoers Overijse :6th

:8th Grote 1-MeiPrijs :8th Overall Hofbräu Cup ;1994 :3rd

Grand Prix de Denain Grand Prix de Denain is a professional road bicycle racing, cycle road race held in Denain, France. For 10 years from 2005 the race was organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour, before becoming a 1.HC event for th ...

:4th Veenendaal–Veenendaal :7th Grand Prix de Wallonie ;1995 – Team Telekom :Stage 6, Boland Bank International :2nd National Road Race Championships :5th Omloop Mandel :10th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne ;1996 – Team Telekom :3rd Dwars door België :5th Overall

Tour de Luxembourg The Tour de Luxembourg is an annual stage race in professional road bicycle racing held in Luxembourg. The Tour de Luxembourg is classified as a UCI race classifications, 2.Pro race, the highest rating below the UCI World Tour, World Tour, by the ...

:6th Danish National Road Race Championships :7th

:7th

Paris–Roubaix Paris–Roubaix is a one-day professional bicycle road race in northern France, starting north of Paris and finishing in Roubaix, at the border with Belgium. It is one of cycling's oldest races, and is one of the 'Cycling monument, Monuments' ...

:7th Overall Danmark Rundt ;1997 – Team Telekom :3rd

E3 Prijs Vlaanderen E3 Saxo Bank Classic, previously known as E3 BinckBank Classic, E3 Harelbeke, Harelbeke–Antwerp–Harelbeke and E3-Prijs Vlaanderen, is an annual road cycling race in Flanders, Belgium. The race starts and finishes in Harelbeke, covering 203 ki ...

:4th Grand Prix Herning :6th Overall Danmark Rundt :6th Tre Valli Varesine :7th Grand Prix Aarhus ;1998 – Acceptcard Pro Cycling :1st Stage 3 Danmark Rundt :7th Danish National Road Race Championships :8th

Ronde van Drenthe Ronde van Drenthe () was an elite men's and women's professional road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professiona ...

:8th Omloop Mandel :9th Overall

Étoile de Bessèges The Étoile de Bessèges () is an early-season five-day road bicycle racing stage race held annually around Bessèges, in the Gard department of the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. First organized in 1971 as a one-day race, it became a ...

Bibliography

* ''Smerten – glæden : erindringer fra et liv på cykel'', , Denmark, 2002. . :An

autobiography An autobiography, sometimes informally called an autobio, is a self-written account of one's own life, providing a personal narrative that reflects on the author's experiences, memories, and insights. This genre allows individuals to share thei ...

written in Danish. The title can be translated to ''The pain – the joy: memories of a life on the bike''. * ''Den sidste kilometer – En bog om at blive klogere'', People's Press, Denmark, 2009, . A book in Danish about his cancer. The title can be translated to ''The last kilometer – A book about becoming wiser''.

References

External links