Rein Taaramäe
![]() Taaramäe at the 2012 Critérium du Dauphiné | |
Personal information | |
---|---|
Full name | Rein Taaramäe |
Nickname | Vader (from "Reinuvader Rebane" – a literary fox), Taarakas |
Born | Tartu, Estonia | April 24, 1987
Height | 1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)[1] |
Weight | 67 kg (148 lb; 10.6 st)[1] |
Team information | |
Current team | Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux |
Discipline | Road |
Role | Rider |
Amateur teams | |
2006–2007 | Roue d'or Saint-Amandoise |
2007 | Cofidis (stagiaire) |
Professional teams | |
2008–2014 | Cofidis |
2015 | Astana |
2016–2017 | Team Katusha |
2018–2020 | Direct Énergie[2][3] |
2021– | Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux |
Major wins | |
Grand Tours
|
Rein Taaramäe (born April 24, 1987) is an Estonian road bicycle racer, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux.[4][5]
Career
Cofidis (2008–14)
Taaramäe turned professional in 2008 for Cofidis after riding for the team as a stagiaire in late 2007 and winning a stage at the Circuit des Ardennes early in the season. In 2008 he won two stages of the Grand Prix du Portugal and a stage of the Tour de l'Avenir. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Taaramäe competed in the road race and the road time trial.
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/11/Tour_de_l%27Ain_2009_-_%C3%A9tape_4_-_Rein_Taaramae.jpg/300px-Tour_de_l%27Ain_2009_-_%C3%A9tape_4_-_Rein_Taaramae.jpg)
In 2009 he finished third at the Tour de Romandie and eighth at the Tour de Suisse. Taaramäe won both the Estonian National Road Race Championships and the Estonian National Time Trial Championships.[6] He also won the Tour de l'Ain after winning the last stage to Col du Grand Colombier.[7] In 2010 he finished seventh at the Paris-Nice and third at the Volta a Catalunya.
In 2011, Taaramäe finished 11th overall in the Tour de France. On Stage 14 of the Vuelta a España Taaramae and breakaway companion David de la Fuente were the last two riders of a 17-man breakaway, but with 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) to go de la Fuente dropped back to pace teammate Juan José Cobo up the climb allowing Taaramäe to solo to his first ever Grand Tour stage win. He ultimately withdrew from the race prior to its conclusion in Madrid.
Astana (2015)
In August 2014 Astana general manager Alexander Vinokourov announced that Taaramäe had signed a one-year contract with the team for the 2015 season.[8]
2015 began well for Taaramäe with the victory at the Vuelta a Murcia. Hopes were high with Grand Tours in mind, especially the Tour de France. At the race, Taaramäe was meant to help Vincenzo Nibali in the mountains. Unfortunately Taaramäe was forced to abandon the race during stage 11 due to illness. After the disappointing Tour, Taaramäe went on to win in style back-to-back in the Vuelta a Burgos and the Arctic Race of Norway in August.
Team Katusha (2016–17)
At the end of August 2015, Taaramäe signed an initial one-year deal with Team Katusha. He was named in the start list for the 2016 Giro d'Italia.[9] He won the 20th stage of the race, becoming the first Estonian to win a stage in the Giro.[10] After a short vacation at home in Estonia, Taaramäe went to win the overall at the Tour of Slovenia, together with a stage win on Stage 2.
Direct Ènergie (2018–2020)
During the 2018 Tour de France he had the opportunity to win stage 10, which would have given him a victory in all three grand tours. This was a very competitive stage, the first in the high mountains of that year's edition and there were several dozen riders fighting to get into the breakaway right from kilometer zero. Taaramäe led the race near the end but was eventually caught and dropped by Julian Alaphilippe, who used his world class descending skills to steal the victory.[11]
Taaramäe suffered dearly for his efforts and finished outside the time cut the following stage. He returned home to Estonia and took a break from cycling.[citation needed]
The following year his best place was 2nd overall in the Tour of Rwanda. His team, Direct Ènergie was one of the Pro-Continental level teams that rode this 2.1 Africa Tour event, which they rode again in 2020 where he won the King of the Mountains competition.
Intermarché–Wanty–Gobert Matériaux (2021–Present)
Taaramäe had an opportunity to wear a leader's jersey in a grand tour for the first time in his career during the 2021 Giro d'Italia. On stage 4 he was involved in the breakaway and near the end of the stage was one of three riders also fighting for the stage win. Two riders, including eventual stage winner Joe Dombrowski, eventually caught the trio and dropped them. Taaramäe finished in the top 10 on the stage, his best result in a grand tour in several years.
During the 2021 Vuelta a España he got involved in the breakaway on stage 3. With 15km to go in the stage, before the start of the final climb he was among the final dozen or so riders fighting for the stage win. Dombrowski launched an attack with about 5km to go which only Kenny Elissonde, who was seeking his first stage victory in eight years, and Taaramäe answered. With 2.8km to go Taaramäe attacked and rode solo to the finish line claiming the victory. With this he also took the Red Jersey as well as the King of the Mountains jersey.[12] He became the first rider from Estonia to ever lead the Vuelta and only the second Estonian rider to lead a grand tour following sprinter Jaan Kirsipuu, who led the Tour de France in 1999.
His team rode at the front of the race defending the leader's jersey for two stages and while he was involved in a crash, it was inside the final 3km of the stage and didn't affect the standings. He described the first day riding in the Red jersey as "beautiful" and would hold onto the mountains jersey for four stages.[13] Later in the race he would ride in support of his teammate Odd Christian Eiking, who took over the leader's jersey in a similar manner following a breakaway on stage 10 putting the team back at the front of the race for several stages.
The 2022 Giro d'Italia made the third straight grand tour he entered where he had a realistic opportunity to wear the general classification jersey early in the race. On stage 4 he was out in the breakaway all day and survived longer than most; but ended up finishing just over +0:30 behind the winner as Richard Carapaz and the other GC contenders crossed about two minutes beyond him.[14] He eventually fell back in the standings but rode strongly in support of Jan Hirt and Domenico Pozzovivo, both of whom finished in the top 10 overall as Intermarché finished 4th as a team.
Major results
- 2005
- 3rd Overall Course de la Paix Juniors
- 2006
- 1st
Time trial, National Under-23 Road Championships
- 1st GP Ouest–France Espoirs
- 1st Stage 1 Kreiz Breizh Elites
- 2007
- 2nd
Time trial, UEC European Under-23 Road Championships
- 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 2nd Les Boucles du Sud-Ardèche
- 3rd Overall Kreiz Breizh Elites
- 3rd Paris–Troyes
- 5th Overall Circuit des Ardennes
- 1st Stage 4
- 5th Boucle de l'Artois
- 2008
- 1st Stage 6 (ITT) Tour de l'Avenir
- 3rd Overall Grand Prix du Portugal
- 1st Stages 2 & 3
- 8th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
- 9th Tartu GP
- 2009
- National Road Championships
- 1st
Time trial
- 1st
Road race
- 1st
- 1st
Overall Tour de l'Ain
- 1st Stage 5
- 1st
Mountains classification, Tour of the Basque Country
- 3rd Overall Tour de Romandie
- 8th Overall Tour de Suisse
- 2010
- 3rd Overall Volta a Catalunya
- 7th Overall Paris–Nice
- 9th Overall Route du Sud
- 9th Trofeo Inca
- 2011
- 1st
Time trial, National Road Championships
- 1st Stage 14 Vuelta a España
- 3rd Overall Critérium International
- 4th Overall Paris–Nice
- 5th Tartu GP
- 8th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 10th Overall Circuit Cycliste Sarthe
- 2012
- National Road Championships
- 1st
Time trial
- 3rd Road race
- 1st
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a Andalucía
- 3rd Overall Étoile de Bessèges
- 6th Tallinn–Tartu GP
- 8th Overall Tour du Poitou-Charentes
- 2013
- National Road Championships
- 1st
Road race
- 2nd Time trial
- 1st
- 3rd Cholet-Pays de Loire
- 2014
- 1st Tour du Doubs
- 2nd Overall Tour of Turkey
- 1st Stage 3
- 6th Overall Tour du Limousin
- 8th Overall Étoile de Bessèges
- 2015
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 1st Stage 2 (TTT)
- 1st
Overall Arctic Race of Norway
- 1st Vuelta a Murcia
- 2nd Road race, National Road Championships
- 6th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 2016
- 1st
Overall Tour of Slovenia
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Stage 20 Giro d'Italia
- 2017
- 3rd Road race, National Road Championships
- 9th Overall Tour of Guangxi
- 2018
- 2nd Coppa Ugo Agostoni
- 2nd Tour du Gévaudan Occitanie
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a Aragón
- 3rd Overall Tour de l'Ain
- 3rd Tour du Doubs
- 4th Famenne Ardenne Classic
- 2019
- 1st
Time trial, National Road Championships
- 2nd Overall Tour du Rwanda
- 3rd Overall Tour de l'Ain
- 3rd Overall Vuelta a Aragón
- 3rd Mont Ventoux Dénivelé Challenge
- 2020
- 1st
Mountains classification, Tour du Rwanda
- 2021
- 1st
Time trial, National Road Championships
- Vuelta a España
- 3rd Overall Czech Cycling Tour
- 2022
- 1st
Time trial, National Road Championships
- 8th Overall Tour of Oman
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
![]() |
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | 29 | — | — | — | — | 51 | 46 |
![]() |
— | DNF | 11 | 36 | 102 | 88 | DNF | — | — | DNF | 66 | — | — | — |
![]() |
74 | — | DNF | — | — | — | — | DNF | 147 | — | — | — | 55 | — |
— | Did not compete |
---|---|
DNF | Did not finish |
References
- ^ a b "Rein Taaramäe profile". Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2013-12-27.
- ^ "Direct Énergie". Directvelo (in French). Association Le Peloton. Retrieved 14 January 2019.
- ^ "Total Direct Énergie". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 12 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
- ^ "Intermarché – Wanty – Gobert Matériaux". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ "Rein Taaramäe vahetab klubi" [Rein Taaramäe changes team]. Delfi (in Estonian). Ekspress Meedia. 14 August 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
- ^ Greg Johnson (28 July 2009). "Taaramae takes road title too". Cycling News. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
- ^ "Cofidis sweeps Horner aside". Cycling News. 12 August 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
- ^ "Taaramae signs one-year deal with Astana". cyclingnews.com. 20 August 2014. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ "99th Giro d'Italia Startlist". Pro Cycling Stats. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ "Sensational Nibali all but wins the Giro d'Italia as Taaramae takes stage 20". Eurosport. Retrieved 28 May 2016.
- ^ "Alaphilippe Shines Van Avermaet Extends on Mountainous Stage 10 Tour de France". Cyclingtips.com by Shane Stokes. 17 July 2018.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Veteran Rein Taaramäe Wins Stage 3 on Pico Blancon to Take Red Jersey". Eurosport by Felix Lowe. 16 August 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Rein Taaramäe Crashes but Retains Red Jersey". Cycling News by Patrick Fletcher. 18 August 2021.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Lowe, Felix (10 May 2022). "GIRO D'ITALIA 2022 STAGE 4 AS IT HAPPENED - MATHIEU VAN DER POEL LOSES PINK AFTER LENNARD KAMNA WINS ON ETNA". Eurosport. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
External links
![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Rein Taaramäe's blog (in Estonian)
- Rein Taaramäe at Cycling Archives
- {{ProCyclingStats}} template missing ID and not present in Wikidata.
- Palmarès by cyclingbase.com
- Taaramae believes in top 10 placing at Tour de France Cyclingnews.com story in March 2011
- Taaramae comes of age, still makes mistakes Cyclingnews.com story in March 2010
- CS1 French-language sources (fr)
- CS1 Estonian-language sources (et)
- CS1 maint: url-status
- Articles with short description
- All articles with unsourced statements
- Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021
- Commons category link is the pagename
- Articles with Estonian-language sources (et)
- Cycling Archives template with ID not in Wikidata
- ProCyclingStats template missing ID and not in Wikidata
- AC with 0 elements
- 1987 births
- Living people
- Sportspeople from Tartu
- Estonian male cyclists
- Estonian Vuelta a España stage winners
- Cyclists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Cyclists at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Olympic cyclists of Estonia
- Presidential Cycling Tour of Turkey stage winners
- Estonian Giro d'Italia stage winners