Fabien Sanchez (born 30 March 1983 in

Hyères Hyères (), Provençal dialect, Provençal Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a Communes of France, commune in the Var (département), Var Departments of France, department in the Provence-Al ...

) is a French retired professional track cyclist. He won the bronze medal in men's team pursuit at the

2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships The 2003 UCI Track Cycling World Championships were the World Championship for track cycling. They took place at the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle in Stuttgart, Germany from July 30 to August 3, 2003. The championships were due to be held in Shenzh ...

, and later represented his nation

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

in two editions of the Olympic Games (2004 and 2008). Before his official retirement in late 2008, Sanchez rode for three seasons on the pro cycling team, following by his annual stint on in 2006. Sanchez is also a four-time French track cycling champion in both the individual and team pursuit and in the points race.

Racing career

Before his professional cycling career, Sanchez sought headlines in the international scene, when he led the French team for the gold in a team pursuit final match against the Germans at the 2001 UCI Junior Track Cycling World Championships in

Trexlertown, Pennsylvania Trexlertown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Upper Macungie Township in Lehigh County, Pennsylvania. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,382. It is part of the Lehigh Valley, which had a population of ...

, United States. In August 2003, Sanchez turned his sights to professional cycling when he signed a triple seasonal contract with . On that same year, he delivered the French foursome a bronze-medal time of 4:04.119 to defeat the Russians in men's team pursuit at the

UCI Track Cycling World Championships The UCI Track Cycling World Championships are the set of world championship events for the various disciplines and distances in track cycling. They are regulated by the Union Cycliste Internationale. Before 1900, they were administered by the UCI ...

Stuttgart, Germany Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

, earning them a guaranteed spot for the Olympics. An official member of the French cycling team, Sanchez made his debut at the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, where he finished sixth in the men's individual pursuit (4:21.235), and seventh in the men's team pursuit (4:07.336), along with Anthony Langella,

Mathieu Ladagnous Matthieu Ladagnous (born 12 December 1984) is a French former road and track racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2006 to 2023, spending his entire career with UCI WorldTeam . Riding entirely for the team and its succeeding ite ...

, and Jérôme Neuville. Shortly after the 2004 Summer Olympics, Sanchez extended his career resume by scoring two triumphs each in men's individual and team pursuit at the French Championships, while competing for and pro cycling teams. At the end of 2006 season, Sanchez decided to return to his amateur sporting career, and later joined the La Pomme Marseille Cycling Club (). The following year, Sanchez qualified for his second French squad, as a 25-year-old, in the men's individual pursuit at the

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

based on the nation's selection process from the UCI Track World Rankings. Sanchez could not produce a more striking effort in the prelims after losing out his 4 km opening match to Australia's

Brett Lancaster Brett Lancaster (born 15 November 1979) is an Australian former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2003 and 2016. Born in Shepparton, Victoria, Lancaster started cycle racing at the age of 14 in 1993. He spent four y ...

by a seven-second gap in 4:33.100, dropping him to fifteenth place in the overall standings. Setting up his official retirement from competitive cycling in 2010, Sanchez currently works on a full-time position as an athletic director for La Pomme Marseille Cycling Club ().

Career highlights

;2001 : UCI Junior World Championships (Team pursuit),

(USA) ;2003 :

(Team pursuit),

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; ; Swabian German, Swabian: ; Alemannic German, Alemannic: ; Italian language, Italian: ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Baden-Württemberg by population, largest city of the States of Germany, German state of ...

(GER) : 3rd French Championships (Individual pursuit),

(FRA) ;2004 : 1st MaillotFra

French Championships (Individual pursuit),

: 6th

Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes from around the world participate in a Multi-s ...

(

Individual pursuit The individual pursuit is a track cycling event where two cyclists begin the race from a stationary position on opposite sides of the track. It is held at over for men and women. The riders start at the same time and set off to complete the rac ...

(GRE) : 7th

(

Team pursuit The team pursuit is a track cycling event similar to the individual pursuit, except that two teams, each of up to four riders, compete, starting on opposite sides of the velodrome. Race format Both men's and women's events are competed over ...

(GRE) ;2005 : 1st MaillotFra

French Championships (Team pursuit), France : 2nd French Championships (Individual pursuit), France ;2007 : 1st MaillotFra

French Championships (Individual pursuit),

(FRA) : 2nd French Championships (Points race),

(FRA) : 3rd French Championships (Team pursuit),

(FRA) ;2008 : 1st MaillotFra

French Championships (Points race), France : 2nd French Championships (Individual pursuit), France : 15th

(

(CHN)

References

External links

French Olympic Team Profile

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sanchez, Fabien 1983 births Living people French male cyclists French track cyclists Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics Olympic cyclists for France Sportspeople from Hyères Cyclists from Var (department) 21st-century French sportsmen