Thomas Frischknecht

Swiss cyclist

Thomas Frischknecht

Frischknecht in 1996

Personal information

Full name

Thomas Frischknecht

Nickname

Frischi

Born

(1970-02-17) 17 February 1970 (age 54)
Feldbach, Switzerland

Height

1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)

Weight

69 kg (152 lb)

Team information

Current team

Swisspower

Discipline

MTB

Role

Rider

Professional teams

1990-2000

Ritchey

2001-

Swisspower

Major wins

World MTB Marathon Champion (2003, 2005)
World MTB Cross Country Champion (1996)

Medal record

Representing Switzerland

Men's mountain bike racing
Olympic Games
	1996 Atlanta	Cross Country
World Championships
	1996 Cairns	Cross Country
	2003 Lugano	Marathon
	2005 Lillehammer	Marathon
	1990 Durango	Cross Country
	1991 Ciocco	Cross Country
	1992 Bromont	Cross Country
	2001 Vail	Cross Country
	2002 Kaprun	Cross Country
	2004 Les Gets	Cross Country
Men's cyclo-cross
World Championships
	1997 Munich	Elite Men's Race

Thomas Frischknecht (born 17 February 1970 in Feldbach, Switzerland) is a former Swiss mountain bike and cyclo-cross racer, often called Europe's Elder Statesman of mountain biking,^[1] because of his extraordinarily long career at the top level of the sport. A professional since 1990, he was on top of the Mountain Bike World Championship podium for the first time in 1996 and most recently in 2004.^[2]

Biography

Frischi (as he is called) advocates staying 'fit for life' and dope free racing. He is considered an excellent example of a clean sportsman.^[1]^[3]

In 1996 he was second at the World Cross-country Mountain Bike Championships, but after France's Jérôme Chiotti confessed having used EPO when he won the title that year, he got the rainbow jersey from Chiotti, handed over as a friendly act in an unofficial ceremony.^[4]

He won the Olympic silver medal in 1996. The next day he competed in the men's road race on a Ritchey cyclocross bike after fellow Swiss team member Tony Rominger fell ill. He finished the race in the middle of the pack.^[5]

Frischknecht also competes in cyclo-cross, where he won an Amateur World Champion title, was Vice World Champion in 1997 and is a multiple-time Swiss Champion.^[6]

Thomas first traveled to America in 1990 to compete in the then new genre of mountain biking. He became closely linked to Tom Ritchey, a major bike-components producer, who provided support and became a mentor and a good friend. Ritchey has sponsored him ever since. Ritchey's Swiss Cross frame draws its name from Fischknecht. Other major sponsors include Swisspower, an electric utility consortium, and Scott bicycles.

Frischknecht was author of a book on mountain biking, Richtig Mountainbiken. He is currently involved with the Frischi Bike School in the Engadin/St. Moritz area of Switzerland.

Victories

1988

World Championship, Cyclo-cross, Juniors, Hagendorf
1989

Roma, Cyclo-cross (ITA)
1990

Schulteiss-Cup, Cyclo-cross (GER)
1991

National Championship, Cyclo-cross, Elite, Switzerland (SUI); Overijse, Cyclo-cross (BEL); Schulteiss-Cup, Cyclo-cross (GER); Wetzikon, Cyclo-cross (SUI); World Championship, Cyclo-cross, Amateurs, Gieten
1992

Dagmersellen, Cyclo-cross (SUI); Mont Sainte-Anne, Mountainbike (CAN); Roma, Cyclo-cross (ITA); Schulteiss-Cup, Cyclo-cross (GER); Landgraaf, Mountainbike (NED); Strathpeffer, Mountainbike (GBR); Mount Snow, Mountainbike (USA)
1993

European Championship, Mountainbike, Elite; Schulteiss-Cup, Cyclo-cross (GER); Wetzikon, Cyclo-cross (SUI)
1994

Dagmersellen, Cyclo-cross (SUI); Mont Sainte-Anne, Mountainbike (CAN)
1995

Vail, Mountainbike (USA); Mammoth Lakes, Mountainbike (USA)
1996

World Championship, Mountainbike XC Elite, Cairns; Sankt-Wendel, Mountainbike (GER); Gansingen, Cyclo-cross (SUI)
1997

National Championship, Cyclo-cross, Elite, Switzerland, Liestal (SUI); Sankt-Wendel, Mountainbike (GER)
1998

Budapest, Mountainbike (HUN); Hombrechtikon, Cyclo-cross (SUI)
1999

Meilen, Cyclo-cross (SUI); Zeddam, Cyclo-cross (NED); Magstadt, Cyclo-cross (GER); National Championship, Cyclo-cross, Elite, Switzerland, Eschenbach (SUI); Canmore, Mountainbike (CAN); Liestal, Cyclo-cross (SUI); Obergögsen, Cyclo-cross (SUI)
2001

Safenwil, Cyclo-cross (SUI); Magstadt, Cyclo-cross (GER); Kaprun, Mountainbike (AUT); Castelnuovo, Cyclo-cross (ITA); Dagmersellen, Cyclo-cross (SUI)
2002

Dagmersellen, Cyclo-cross (SUI); National Championship, Cyclo-cross, Elite, Switzerland (SUI); Hittnau, Cyclo-cross (SUI); San Mateo, Cyclo-cross (USA); Hombrechtikon, Cyclo-cross (SUI)
2003

World Championship, Mountainbike Marathon; Russikon, Cyclo-cross (SUI)
2004

San Mateo, Cyclo-cross (b) (USA); San Mateo, Cyclo-cross (USA)
2005

World Championship, Mountainbike Marathon, Lillehammer (NOR); Magstadt, Cyclo-cross (GER)
2017

Absa Cape Epic Mixed category (RSA)

References

^ ^a ^b "Thomas Frischknecht". Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. 1999. Archived from the original on 30 June 2006. Retrieved 7 March 2017.
^ "Men, Mountain Bike World Cup". UCI. Retrieved July 25, 2006.
^ "Doping statement". Frischknecht's home page. Archived from the original on March 18, 2005. Retrieved July 25, 2006.
^ "News for May 25, 2000: Chiotti hands it back". Cycling News. May 25, 2000. Retrieved July 25, 2006.
^ "Interview: Thomas Frischknecht". Bike Radar. August 12, 2008. Retrieved July 25, 2008.
^ "CycloX World Cup: Coupe du Monde - 1998-1999". Union Cycliste Internationale. January 3, 1999. Retrieved July 25, 2006.