Evgeni Berzin

Evgeni Berzin

Personal information
Full name	Evgeni Berzin
Born	(1970-06-03) 3 June 1970 Vyborg, Soviet Union
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Professional team(s)
1993	Mecair-Ballan
1994–1995	Gewiss-Ballan
1996	Gewiss-Playbus
1997	Batik-Del Monte
1998	La Française des jeux
1999	Amica Chips-Costa de Almeria
1999	Mobilvetta Design-Rossin
2000	Mobilvetta Design-Formaggi Trentini
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France 1 individual stage (1996) Giro d'Italia General classification (1994) Young rider Classification (1994) 5 individual stages (1994, 1995, 1996) One-day races and Classics National Time Trial Championship (1994) Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1994)

Evgeni Berzin (Russian: Евгений Берзин; born 3 June 1970 in Vyborg, Russia) is a Russian former cyclist whose best year was 1994, when he won the Giro d'Italia and Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

Career

Berzin won the Men's Individual Pursuit, at the 1990 Amateur World Championships and the Team Pursuit at both the 1990 and 1991 Amateur World Championships, before turning professional with Italian team, Mecair-Ballan, in 1993.

He rode the Kellogg's Tour of Britain in 1993, for Mecair-Ballan, where he finished second on Stage 4. The end of the stage was notable for the on-road arguments between Berzin and the stage winner, Peter de Clercq, as Berzin had refused to assist with pace-making over the final 10 km of the stage.^[1] The same year, he was the runner-up in the Settimana Ciclistica, in Lombarda, Italy.

In 1994, at the age of 24 and riding for Gewiss-Ballan, he won the Liège–Bastogne–Liège, ahead of Lance Armstrong. He followed this with overall victory at the Giro d'Italia, defeating Miguel Indurain, the winner of the previous two editions of the race and the preeminent Grand Tour rider of the time. Berzin won three stages - one in the mountains and two individual time trials - the latter a discipline which Indurain normally dominated. He held the Maglia Rosa from Stage 4 to the end of the race, a total of 19 stages. He also won the White Jersey, for best young rider. Consequently, Berzin was expected to become the next cycling megastar but he was never quite able to live up to the results of 1994.

The following year, again riding with Gewiss-Ballan, he won the Euskal Bizikleta, in Spain and finished second to Tony Rominger at the Giro d'Italia, winning the mountainous penultimate Stage 21. He also won Stage 3 of the 1995 Tour de France, which was a team time trial and was 4th on Stage 8.

Berzin returned for the 1996 Giro d'Italia, where he finished in 10th place, winning one individual time trial stage. He also rode the Tour de Suisse, winning the prologue and Stage 8. In the 1996 Tour de France, he took the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in the Alps and won the time trial to Val d'Isere the next day but lost the lead to Bjarne Riis on the following stage.

At the 1997 Giro d'Italia, Berzin rode for Batik-Del Monte but his decline continued, as he was unable to win a stage and finished in 20th place, 49 minutes behind the winner, Ivan Gotti. He rode the Tour de France again, finishing 3rd in the prologue time trial, in Rouen but he later abandoned the race.

On 19 October 1997, Berzin attempted to break the hour record in Bordeaux but he aborted the attempt after 17 minutes, being already too far from Chris Boardman's record.

Later career

Berzin missed the 1998 Giro d'Italia but rode the Tour de France, finishing in 25th position. By 1999, his performances had deteriorated considerably. He rode his final Giro d'Italia, this time for Amica Chips-Costa de Almería but he finished in 52nd place, over 2 hours down on the winner.

Berzin was prevented from starting the 2000 Giro d'Italia, as he received a two-week ban, due to an elevated haematocrit level.^[2][3] He never won another professional race and retired in May 2001, aged 30.

After Cycling

Berzin owns three Fiat car dealerships, in Lombardy.^[4]

Career achievements

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Grand Tour	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000
Giro d'Italia	90	1	2	10	20	—	52	DNF
Tour de France	—	—	DNF	20	DNF	25	—	—
Vuelta a España	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

Legend

—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish

References

External links

• Evgeni Berzin at Cycling Archives
• Official Tour de France results for Eugeni Berzin

See also

• List of doping cases in cycling