Jimmy Casper

Jimmy Casper

Casper at the 2008 Four Days of Dunkirk
Personal information
Full name	Jimmy Casper
Born	May 28, 1978 Montdidier, Somme, France
Height	1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	69 kg (152 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	Sprinter
Professional team(s)
1998–2003	Française des Jeux
2004–2006	Cofidis
2007	Unibet.com
2008	Agritubel
2009–2011	Besson Chaussures–Sojasun
2012	Ag2r–La Mondiale
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 stage (2006)
Infobox last updated on 1 January 2013

Jimmy Casper (born May 28, 1978 in Montdidier, Somme) is a French retired road bicycle racer, who competed as a professional between 1998 and 2012. He is best known for winning stage 1 of 2006 Tour de France.

Career

He has on two occasions finished in last place in the General classification of the Tour de France, thereby 'winning' the red lantern.^[1]

Casper at the 2006 Tour de France.

Casper was suspended from his team, Agritubel because he tested positive for corticosteroid, an asthma drug that is banned unless the user has a medical exemption for its use, during the 2008 Tour de France by the Agence Française de Lutte contre le Dopage. The exemption had been renewed but with a previous asthma medication than the one prescribed and used during the Tour de France.^[2] He has been cleared of any charges during the hearing held by the Federation Francaise de Cyclisme. For 2009 he signed with the Besson Chaussures–Sojasun team, with whom he enjoyed success, winning two stages at the Étoile de Bessèges, a stage of the Critérium International, the Paris–Camembert, and the Grand Prix de Denain. Casper joined the Ag2r–La Mondiale team for the 2012 season.^[3]

In December 2012, Casper announced his retirement as a professional cyclist. He had a total of 61 victories and stated that he would like to remain in the cycling environment with a coaching job.^[4]

Major results

1999 – Française des Jeux

1st, Stages 1, 3, 4 & 8, Deutschland Tour

1st, Stage 4a, Four Days of Dunkirk

1st, Stage 1a, Tour de l'Ain

9th, Delta Profronde van Midden-Zeeland

2000 – Française des Jeux

8th, Overall, Tour de Normandie

2001 – Française des Jeux

1st, Stage 3, Tour Méditerranéen

1st, Stage 2b, Circuit des Mines

1st, Stage 2a, Route du Sud

1st, Stage 3, Tour du Poitou-Charentes

6th, Overall, Étoile de Bessèges

144th, Overall, Tour de France (Lanterne Rouge)

2002 – Française des Jeux

1st, GP Cholet-Pays de Loire

1st, Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

1st, Stage 2, GP Erik Breukink

1st, Stage 6a, Circuit des Mines

1st, Stage 9, Tour de l'Avenir

6th, Road Race, 2002 UCI Road World Championships

8th, Classic Haribo

2003 – FDJeux.com

1st, Stage 3a, Giro della Liguria

2nd, Overall, Driedaagse Van West-Vlaanderen

1st, Stage 1

3rd, GP de Villers-Cotterêts

6th, Kuurne-Brussel-Kuurne

8th, Overall, GP Erik Breukink

1st, Stage 1

8th, Grote Prijs Jef Scherens

2004 – Cofidis

1st, Overall, Circuit Franco-Belge

1st, Stage 2

1st, Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen

1st, Stage 1, Four Days of Dunkirk

1st, Stage 6, Danmark Rundt

2nd, Overall, Tour de Picardie

1st, Stage 4

5th, Gent–Wevelgem

6th, Nokere Koerse

7th, Classic Haribo

147th, Overall, Tour de France (Lanterne Rouge)

2005 – Cofidis

1st, Châteauroux – Classic de l'Indre

1st, Grand Prix de Denain

1st, Stage 5, Étoile de Bessèges

2nd, Overall, Circuit Franco-Belge

114th, Road Race, 2005 UCI Road World Championships

124th, Overall, Vuelta a España

2006 – Cofidis

1st, Overall, Tour de Picardie

1st, Stage 3

1st, Grand Prix de Denain

2nd, Tour de Vendée

137th, Overall, Tour de France

1st, Stage 1

2007 – Unibet.com

1st, Overall, Driedaagse van West-Vlaanderen

1st, Stage 1

1st, Memorial Samyn

2008 – Agritubel

1st, Stage 2, Tour Méditerranéen

1st, Stage 2, Circuit de Lorraine

2nd, Classic Loire Atlantique

2nd, Grand Prix de Denain

3rd, GP de la Ville de Rennes

7th, GP Cholet

8th, Overall, Boucles de la Mayenne

1st, Stage 2

9th, Tour de Picardie

10th, Route Adélie de Vitré

2009 – Besson Chaussures–Sojasun

1st, Paris–Camembert

1st, Grand Prix de Denain

1st, Châteauroux Classic

1st, Stages 1 & 2, Étoile de Bessèges

1st, Stage 1, Critérium International

1st, Stage 2, Tour de Gironde

1st, Stage 1, Ronde de l'Oise

1st, Stage 1, Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne

2nd, GP Cholet

3rd, Overall, Tour de Picardie

4th, Grand Prix de Fourmies

6th, Overall, Boucles de la Mayenne

1st, Stage 1

10th, Le Samyn

10th, Tro-Bro Léon

2010 – Saur–Sojasun

1st, Val d'Ille U Classic 35

1st, Stage 1, Tour of Oman

1st, Stage 4, Tour de Normandie

1st, Stage 3, Tour of Belgium

1st, Stage 3, Volta a Portugal

6th, Overall, Tour du Poitou Charentes et de la Vienne

1st, Stage 5

8th, Scheldeprijs

8th, Grand Prix de Denain

9th, GP Cholet

10th, Overall, Tour de Picardie

1st, Stage 3

10th, Châteauroux Classic

10th, GP de la Somme

2011 – Saur–Sojasun

1st, Overall, Boucles de la Mayenne

1st, Stages 2 & 3

1st, Grand Prix de Denain

1st, Stage 3, Tour de Picardie

1st, Stage 1, Tour de l'Ain

7th, Le Samyn

9th, Paris–Troyes

2012 – Ag2r–La Mondiale

4th, Flèche d'Emeraude

10th, Grand Prix de Denain

References

1. Lanterne Rouge
2. "Fifth Tour rider fails drugs test". BBC News. 9 August 2008.
3. "Jimmy Casper joins Ag2r-La Mondiale for one-year deal". VeloNews. Competitor Group, Inc. Agence France-Presse. 10 August 2011. Retrieved 1 January 2012.
4. "Casper retires from professional cycling". Cycling News. Future Publishing Limited. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.