Iljo Keisse
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.jpg) Keisse at the 2018 Deutschland Tour | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Iljo Keisse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Jolly Jumper | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 21 December 1982 Ghent, Belgium | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.83 m (6 ft 0 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 72 kg (159 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Current team | Retired | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Disciplines |
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| Role | Rider | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rider type | Endurance (track) Classics rider (road) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| 2004 | Jong Vlaanderen 2016 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Professional teams | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005–2008 | Chocolade Jacques–T Interim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2009 | John Saey–Deschacht–Huyandai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2010–2022 | Quick-Step[1][2][3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Grand Tours
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Iljo Keisse (born 21 December 1982) is a Belgian former racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2005 to 2022. Keisse races on the track and on the road, specializing himself until recently in riding six-day races. He notably has won the Six Days of Ghent seven times and reached the podium a total of 12 times.[4]
Keisse was born in Ghent. Together with his teammate Matthew Gilmore, he won three Six-day races in 2005–2006: Grenoble, Ghent and Hasselt. After his victory in the 2008 Six Days of Ghent, both his A and B samples tested positive for cathine and a diuretic which has been used to mask the presence of doping agents. He was fired by his team Topsport Vlaanderen–Mercator on 11 January 2009.[5] He joined the John Saey-Deschacht-Hyundai team in May 2009.[6]
On 2 November 2009, Keisse was cleared of any wrongdoing, with investigators finding that the positives were not the result of intentional doping and likely resulted from a contaminated dietary supplement.[7] On 7 July 2010, the Court of Arbitration for Sport upheld an appeal by the World Anti-Doping Agency and reinstated Keisse's ban. He is credited for the 11 months he already sat out, meaning he was eligible to return to competition in August 2011.[8] In November, the CAS' decision was overturned by the Belgian Court of Appeals, allowing Keisse to ride the 2010 Six Days of Ghent.[9] Keisse remained banned in Belgium until 27 January 2012, but re-signed with Omega Pharma–Quick-Step for the 2012 season.[10]
On 28 April 2012, Keisse won Stage 7 of the Tour of Turkey in dramatic fashion. After leaving the rest of a seven-man breakaway, Keisse crashed on the final corner. He remounted his bike, realized his chain was off, restrung it, and held off the chasing peloton by three bike lengths in a sprint for the line. The first chasers were given the same time as his.[11] This was the first professional win of his career and his last for over two years. His next victory was in the Châteauroux Classic in August 2014.[12] Another win came in 2015, at the Ronde van Zeeland Seaports; he won this race from a group of three Etixx–Quick-Step riders who had escaped earlier.[13] In the Giro d'Italia, Keisse won the last stage in Milan, upsetting the sprinters' plans. He got clear with Orica–GreenEDGE's Luke Durbridge and outsprinted him for the victory.[14]
Keisse announced during the 2022 season that he would retire and that his final race would be the Gent Six. Racing alongside Jasper De Buyst, he finished during his 18th and final appearance 3rd.[15]
