Knut Knudsen

Knut Knudsen

Kundsen on a stamp of Umm al-Quwain
Personal information
Born	(1950-10-12) 12 October 1950 (age 73) Levanger, Norway
Height	185 cm (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	79 kg (174 lb)
Major wins
Grand Tours Giro d'Italia 6 individual stages (1975, 1977, 1979, 1981) Stage races Tirreno–Adriatico (1979) Giro del Trentino (1979)
Medal record Representing  NOR Men's cycling Olympic Games 1972 Munich Individual pursuit World Championships 1973 San Sebastián Individual pursuit, amateurs 1975 Rocourt Individual pursuit, elite 1976 Monteroni di Lecce Individual pursuit, elite 1977 San Cristóbal Individual pursuit, elite

Knut Knudsen (born 12 October 1950) is a retired Norwegian road and track cyclist. As an amateur, he placed fifth in the 4000m individual pursuit at the 1968 Olympics before becoming Olympic champion in the same discipline in 1972. He would follow this up with another gold at the 1973 World Championships. At the 1972 Olympics he also placed fifth in the 100 km team time trial on the road.^[1] He won the Norwegian National Road Race Championships in 1972 and 1973.^[2]

In 1974 he turned professional and cycled in Italy until 1981. He won six stages of the Giro d'Italia and wore the Maglia Rosa leader's jersey twice, becoming the first Norwegian to do so and the only wearer until Andreas Leknessund managed the same feat some 42 years after Knudsen last held it. The first time he held the pink leader jersey was for two stages after winning Stage 1 of the 1975 Giro d'Italia on 17 May, Norway's constitution day. In 1981 he could once again put on the pink jersey after winning the prologue. After finishing second in the race three times, Knudsen won Tirreno–Adriatico in 1979. He was chosen the world's best time trial cyclist by two biggest sporting magazines from 1979 to 1981. In total he won 49 professional races.