Olaf Pollack Explained

Olaf Pollack
Fullname:	Olaf Pollack
Birth Date:	20 September 1973
Birth Place:	Räckelwitz, Bezirk Dresden, East Germany
Currentteam:	Retired
Discipline:	Road and track
Role:	Rider
Proyears1:	1997–1999
Proyears2:	2000–2004
Proyears3:	2005–2006
Proyears4:	2007
Proyears5:	2008
Proyears6:	2009
Proteam6:	RSC Cottbus
Show-Medals:	yes

Olaf Pollack (born 20 September 1973) is a German former professional track and road racing cyclist specializing in sprint races and competitions.

Track race

At the 2000 Olympic Games, Pollack entered the team pursuit and the madison. Pollack rode in the qualifying rounds for the team pursuit, but was not used in the German team that rode the final and won; Pollack still received a golden medal.^[1] For winning the gold medal at the Olympic Games 2000 Pollack was decorated with the Silver Laurel Leaf by Bundespräsident Johannes Rau (President of the Federal Republic of Germany) on 2 February 2001^[2] At the madison, Pollack rode together with Guido Fulst, and finished in sixth place.^[1]

Pollack returned to the track in 2008, when he rode at the 2008 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, and finished in second place in the madison. At the 2008 Olympic Games, Pollack rode the madison together with Roger Kluge, and they finished fifth.^[1]

Road race

Olaf Pollack began his road cycling career at small German team Agro-Adler-Brandenburg in 1997. After 3 years he left for Team Gerolsteiner. In 2005 and 2006 he rode for T-Mobile, leaving in 2007 for Team Wiesenhof. The highlight of his road cycling career was wearing the pink jersey as leader of the general classification at the 2004 and 2006 Giro d'Italia.

In August 2009, an eye problem made him end his cycling career, but a month later it became known that he had failed a drug test.^[3] In 2009 he was suspended by the German Cycling Federation.^[4]

Major results

1990

2nd, World Championship, Track, Team Pursuit, Juniors, Middlesbrough

1991

2nd, World Championship, Track, Team Pursuit, Juniors

1997 - Agro Adler

1st, 1 stage - Niedersachsen Rundfahrt

1st, 1 stage - Clásico RCN

1998 - Agro-Adler-Brandenburg

1st, 2 stages - Tour of Slovenia

1st, 2 stages - Olympia's Ronde

1999 - Agro-Adler-Brandenburg

1st, 1 stage - Peace Race

1st, 1 stage - Tour of Chile

2nd, Rund um Berlin

2nd, National Championship, Track, Team Pursuit, Elite

2nd, National Championship, Road, ITT, Elite

3rd, World Championship, Track, Madison, Elite, Berlin

3rd, General Classification, Niedersachsen Rundfahrt

1st, 1 stage

2000 - Team Gerolsteiner

1st, 2 stages - Rapport-Toer

1st, 1 stage - Tour of Tasmania

1st, National Championship, Track, Madison, Elite

2nd, Six Days, Berlin

2001 - Team Gerolsteiner

1st, 2 stages - Niedersachsen Rundfahrt

1st - Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt

2002 - Team Gerolsteiner

1st overall - Groningen–Münster

1st, General Classification - Niedersachsen Rundfahrt

1st, Stage 2 and Stage 3

1st, Stages 1, 2, 3 - Peace Race

1st, Points Classification - Danmark Rundt

1st, Stage 5

1st, Groningen-Münster

1st, Stage 1 - Hessen-Rundfahrt

2nd, Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt

2nd, Paris–Brussels

3rd, General Classification Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen

3rd, Criterium, Bad Salgau

2003 - Team Gerolsteiner

1st, Points Classification - Bayern Rundfahrt

1st, Stage 5 - Niedersachsen Rundfahrt

1st, Stage 7 - Deutschland Tour

2nd, Krefeld–Rund um die Sparkasse

2nd, General Classification Tour of Qatar

2nd, Groningen–Münster

2004 - Team Gerolsteiner

1st, Stage 2 - Sachsen-Tour

1st (after Stage 1), general classification - Giro d'Italia

112th, General Classification

2nd, Criterium, Radevormwald

2005 - T-Mobile Team

Giro d'Italia

3rd, points classification

132nd, General Classification

Tour of California

1st, Stages 6 & 7

1st, Points Classification (Green jersey)

1st, Stage 1 Cologne Classic

1st, Stage 4 Post Danmark Rundt

2nd, Criterium, Radevormwald

2007 - Team Wiesenhof–Felt

1st, Stage 1, Critérium International

1st, Rheda–Wiedenbrück

1st, Dahme Trophy

2nd, Derny Cup, Griessen

2nd, National Championship, Track, Pursuit, Elite, Germany, Berlin

2nd, National Championship, Track, Team Pursuit, Elite, Germany, Berlin

2nd, National Championship, Track, Madison, Elite, Germany, Berlin

2nd, Rund um die Nürnberger Altstadt, Nürnberg

3rd, Six Days, Stuttgart

2008

3rd, World Cup, Track, Madison, Los Angeles

Notes and References

Web site: Olaf Pollack Biography and Olympic Results. https://web.archive.org/web/20200417222746/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/po/olaf-pollack-1.html. dead. 17 April 2020. Sports Reference/Olympic Sports. 3 June 2012. Sports Reference LLC.
Statement of the Chief Office of the president of the Federal Republic of Germany (in German: Bundespräsidialamt) on decorating with the Silver Laurel Leaf of all winners of medals during the Olympic Games 2000
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pollack-to-fight-two-year-doping-suspension Pollack to fight two-year doping suspension
http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/pollack-and-cronjager-suspended Pollack and Cronjäger suspended