Julien Absalon

Julien Absalon
Absalon at the Albstadt round of the 2016 UCI Mountain Bike World Cup
Personal information
Full nameJulien Absalon
Born (1980-08-16) 16 August 1980 (age 44)
Remiremont, France
Height1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)
Weight70 kg (154 lb)
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineMountain bike racing
RoleRider
Rider typeCross-country
Amateur team
1996–2000Scott France
Professional teams
2001–2006Bianchi
2007–2012Orbea
2013–2018BMC Mountainbike Racing Team
Major wins
Mountain bike
Olympic Games XC (2004, 2008)
World XC Championships
(2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014)
European XC Championships
(2006, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016)
National XC Championships (2003–2016)
XC World Cup (2003, 2006–2009, 2014, 2016)
33 individual wins (2001, 20032016)
Medal record
Men's mountain bike racing
Representing  France
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Olympic Games 2 0 0
World Championships 5 2 2
World Cup 7 2 3
European Championships 5 4 0
Total 19 8 5
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2004 Athens Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2008 Beijing Cross-country
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2004 Les Gets Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2005 Livigno Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2006 Rotorua Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2007 Fort William Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2014 Hafjell Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2009 Canberra Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2015 Vallnord Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Champéry Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2016 Nové Město Cross-country
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2003 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2006 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2007 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2008 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2009 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2014 Overall Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2016 Overall Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2010 Overall Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2015 Overall Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2005 Overall Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2011 Overall Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Overall Cross-country
Bronze medal – third place 2019 Leogang E-MTB Cross-country
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2006 Lamosano Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2013 Bern Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2014 St. Wendel Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2015 Alpago Cross-country
Gold medal – first place 2016 Huskvarna Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2003 Graz Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2005 Kluisbergen Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2007 Göreme Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2011 Dohňany Cross-country
Silver medal – second place 2017 Darfo Boario Terme Cross-country

Julien Arnaud Absalon (born 16 August 1980) is a French former cross-country mountain biker, who competed as a professional from 2001 to 2018. He is considered to be one of the most successful cross-country cyclists of all time. Throughout his career, Absalon gold medals at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics, five World Championships (2004–2007, 2014), seven UCI World Cup overall titles (2003, 2006–2009, 2014, 2016) and 33 World Cup rounds, which was an all-time record before being broken by Nino Schurter in 2023. He also won all fourteen French cross-country championships between 2003 and 2016, and five European Championships (2006, 2013–2016).