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 won 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).

Career highlights

Source: 2003: Absalon won his first UCI Mountain Bike World Cup.

2004: Gold at World Champions and the Athens Olympic Games.

2005: Absalon again won the World Championships.

2006: Winner at the World Championships, European Championships, French Championships and the overall World Cup.

2007: World Champion and World Cup Champion

2008: Won 2nd Gold Medal at the Beijing Olympic Games, World Cup Champion

2009: Number 1 World Ranking for all but 5 days of the year. Winner of UCI MTB World Cup for the 5th time, silver at the World Championships

2010: 2nd Overall at World Championships

2011: 3rd at the World Championships and World Cup

2012: At the 2012 Summer Olympics cross-country race, he suffered a tyre puncture in the opening lap. After changing tyre and noticing that he was trailing the leader by 55 seconds, he decided to abandon the race, seeing that his chances of winning a medal had disappeared.

2013: Won European Championships

2014: Wins 5th World Championship title, French and European Championships. His season was cut short when, that November, he suffered a broken collarbone during a cyclocross race.

2015: Absalon wins the European Championships, French Championships, and finished second overall in the World Championships. Completed the season ranked world number 1.

2016: Finishes the Rio Olympic Games in 8th place.

Major results

1. 1998

2. 1st Cross-country, UCI World Junior Championships

3. 1st Cross-country, UEC European Junior Championships

4. 1st Cross-country, National Junior Championships

5. 1999

6. 2nd Cross-country, UEC European Under-23 Championships

7. 2nd Cross-country, National Under-23 Championships

8. 5th Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships

9. 2000

10. 2nd Team relay, UCI World Championships

11. 4th Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships

12. 2001

13. 1st Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships

14. UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Durango

    1st Cross-country, UEC European Under-23 Championships

15. 1st Team relay, UEC European Championships

16. 1st Cross-country, National Under-23 Championships

17. 2002

18. 1st Cross-country, UCI World Under-23 Championships

19. 1st Cross-country, UEC European Under-23 Championships

20. 1st Cross-country, National Under-23 Championships

21. 2nd Team relay, UCI World Championships

22. 2003

23. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

24. 1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Mont-Sainte-Anne

    2. 3rd Kaprun

    3. 3rd Sankt Wendel

    4. 3rd Fort William

    5. 3rd Grouse Mountain

    2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships

25. 2004

26. 1st Cross-country, Olympic Games

27. 1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships

28. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

29. UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Schladming

    2. 3rd Houffalize

    3. 3rd Madrid

    5th Cross-country, UEC European Championships

30. 2005

31. 1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships

32. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

33. 2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships

34. 3rd Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Spa-Francorchamps

    2. 1st Madrid

    3. 3rd Willingen

    2006

35. 1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships

36. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

37. 1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Spa-Francorchamps

    2. 1st Fort William

    3. 1st Madrid

    4. 2nd Curaçao

    5. 3rd Mont-Sainte-Anne

    2007

38. 1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships

39. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

40. 1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Saint-Félicien

    2. 1st Offenburg

    3. 1st Mont-Sainte-Anne

    4. 1st Champéry

    5. 2nd Houffalize

    2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships

41. 2008

42. 1st Cross-country, Olympic Games

43. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

44. 1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Madrid

    2. 1st Mont-Sainte-Anne

    3. 1st Houffalize

    4. 1st Offenburg

    5. 1st Bromont

    2009

45. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

46. 1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Madrid

    2. 1st Mont-Sainte-Anne

    3. 1st Houffalize

    4. 1st Offenburg

    5. 2nd Champéry

    6. 2nd Pietermaritzburg

    2nd Cross-country, UCI World Championships

47. 2010

48. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

49. 2nd Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Offenburg

    2. 2nd Val di Sole

    3. 2nd Dalby Forest

    5th Cross-country, UCI World Championships

50. 2011

51. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

52. 2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships

53. 3rd Cross-country, UCI World Championships

54. 3rd Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Offenburg

    2. 2nd Pietermaritzburg

    3. 2nd Dalby Forest

    4. 3rd Nové Město

    2012

55. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

56. UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Houffalize

    2. 1st La Bresse

    4th Cross-country, UCI World Championships

57. 4th Cross-country, UEC European Championships

58. 2013

59. 1st Cross-country, UEC European Championships

60. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

61. 3rd Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Mont-Sainte-Anne

    2. 2nd Nové Město

    3. 2nd Val di Sole

    2014

62. 1st Cross-country, UCI World Championships

63. 1st Cross-country, UEC European Championships

64. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

65. 1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Pietermaritzburg

    2. 1st Cairns

    3. 1st Albstadt

    4. 2nd Mont-Sainte-Anne

    5. 2nd Méribel

    6. 2nd Windham

    2015

66. 1st Cross-country, UEC European Championships

67. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

68. 2nd Cross-country, UCI World Championships

69. 2nd Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st Albstadt

    2. 2nd Val di Sole

    3. 2nd Windham

    4. 2nd Mont-Sainte-Anne

    5. 3rd Nové Město

    2016

70. 1st Cross-country, UEC European Championships

71. 1st Cross-country, National Championships

72. 1st Overall UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 1st La Bresse

    2. 1st Vallnord

    3. 1st Mont-Sainte-Anne

    4. 2nd Albstadt

    5. 2nd Lenzerheide

    6. 3rd Cairns

    3rd Cross-country, UCI World Championships

73. 2017

74. 2nd Cross-country, UEC European Championships

75. UCI XCO World Cup

    1. 3rd Nové Město

    2. 3rd Vallnord

    2018

76. 1st Cross-country, National E-MTB Championships

77. 2019

78. 2nd Cross-country, National E-MTB Championships

79. 3rd Cross-country, UCI World E-MTB Championships

References

External links