Rubén Plaza Molina (born 29 February 1980) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer,[3] who competed professionally between 2001 and 2019 for the Comunidad Valenciana–Kelme, Benfica, Liberty Seguros, Movistar Team (over three spells), Lampre–Merida, Orica–Scott and Israel Cycling Academy teams. During his career, he recorded a top 5 overall placing in the 2005 Vuelta a España, and won three Grand Tour stages.
 Plaza at the 2010 Tour de France | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Rubén Plaza Molina |
| Nickname | El Professore |
| Born | 29 February 1980 Ibi, Spain |
| Height | 1.90 m (6 ft 3 in) |
| Weight | 77 kg (170 lb; 12.1 st) |
| Team information | |
| Current team | |
| Discipline | Road |
| Role |
|
| Rider type | Climber |
| Amateur team | |
| 1999–2000 | Banesto amateur |
| Professional teams | |
| 2001–2003 | iBanesto.com |
| 2004–2006 | Comunidad Valenciana–Kelme |
| 2007 | Caisse d'Epargne |
| 2008 | Benfica |
| 2009 | Liberty Seguros |
| 2010–2014 | Caisse d'Epargne |
| 2015 | Lampre–Merida |
| 2016–2017 | Orica–GreenEDGE |
| 2018–2019 | Israel Cycling Academy[1][2] |
| Managerial teams | |
| 2021– | Israel Cycling Academy |
| 2023– | Israel–Premier Tech |
| Major wins | |
Grand Tours
| |
Following his retirement, Plaza has worked as a directeur sportif for UCI Continental team Israel Premier Tech Academy since 2021,[4] and for UCI ProTeam Israel–Premier Tech,[5] since the start of the 2023 season.
Career
editPlaza was born in Ibi, Spain. In 2006 he was implicated in the Operación Puerto doping case, but was later acquitted of any involvement. Nevertheless, after an abridged 2007 season with Caisse d'Epargne he spent 2008 and 2009 with smaller Continental level teams in Portugal. Despite this, in 2009 he was able to take his second victory in the Spanish national championships, before finishing 4th overall in the Volta a Portugal, a result which was later upgraded to 3rd by the disqualification of his Liberty Seguros teammate Nuno Ribeiro for a doping violation.[6] The simultaneous positive tests of two of the team's other riders caused the team to disband, leaving Plaza without a ride for 2010. Despite being linked to the Astana team, Plaza returned to Caisse d'Epargne, the signing made official in December 2009.[7]
In 2015, he won Stage 16 of the Tour de France, his second Grand Tour stage win.[8]
In 2015, he also won Stage 20 of the Vuelta a España. He was named in the start list for the 2016 Giro d'Italia.[9]
Major results
editSource:[10]
- 1997
- National Junior Road Championships
- 1st
Road race - 3rd Time trial
- 1st
- 1998
- 1st Time trial, National Junior Road Championships
- 2003
- 1st Road race, National Road Championships
- 1st Stage 5 Regio-Tour
- 2004
- 1st Stage 5 (ITT) Troféu Joaquim Agostinho
- 3rd Trofeo Cala Millor
- 4th Overall Vuelta a Murcia
- 6th Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 10th Circuito de Getxo
- 2005
- 1st
Overall Grande Prémio Internacional Costa Azul
- 1st Mountains classification
- 1st Stage 2
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Aragón
- 1st Stage 4 (ITT)
- 1st Stage 2 Vuelta a Murcia
- 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 4th Time trial, UCI Road World Championships
- 5th Overall Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 20 (ITT)
- 5th Klasika Primavera
- 6th Overall Critérium International
- 2006
- 1st Clásica a los Puertos de Guadarrama
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a La Rioja
- 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 4th Overall Vuelta a Asturias
- 1st Stage 5
- 4th Overall Troféu Joaquim Agostinho
- 1st Stage 1
- 9th Subida a Urkiola
- 2007
- 1st Overall Vuelta a La Rioja
- 4th Overall Clásica Internacional de Alcobendas
- 5th Overall Euskal Bizikleta
- 10th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
- 2008
- 1st Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana
- 1st Stage 1 (ITT) Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid
- 2nd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 3rd Overall Volta a Portugal
- 1st Prologue
- 9th Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 2009
- National Road Championships
- 1st Road race
- 3rd Time trial
- 1st
- 1st Stage 2 GP CTT Correios de Portugal
- 2nd Overall Vuelta a Murcia
- 1st Stage 4
- 3rd Overall Volta ao Algarve
- 3rd Overall Volta a Portugal
- 1st Stage 6[a]
- 4th Overall Circuit de Lorraine
- 1st Stage 3
- 2010
- 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 10th Overall Tour de France
- 2012
- 10th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
- 2013
- 1st
Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
- 1st Stage 3
- 3rd Time trial, National Road Championships
- 4th Vuelta a la Comunidad de Madrid
- 6th Overall Route du Sud
- 9th Overall Vuelta a Asturias
- 2015
- 1st Stage 16 Tour de France
- Vuelta a España
- 1st Stage 20
Combativity award Stage 20
- 2018
- 1st Overall Vuelta a Castilla y León
- 1st Stage 3
- 9th Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia
- 2019
- 6th Overall Tour of Antalya
- 10th GP Miguel Induráin
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
edit| Grand Tour | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Giro d'Italia
|
— | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 56 | 30 | 47 | 71 |
 Tour de France
|
— | — | — | — | — | 10 | — | 101 | 47 | 91 | 30 | 72 | — | — | — |
 Vuelta a España
|
5 | — | — | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | — |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
Notes
edit- ^ The original winner, Eladio Jiménez, was later suspended for use of EPO and testosterone. The victory was awarded to Plaza, who had originally finished second.
References
edit- ^ Malach, Pat (24 August 2017). "Cycling Academy add Hermans and Plaza for 2018". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 4 January 2018.
- ^ "Israel Cycling Academy finalises 2019 roster, adds Sorensen as DS". Cyclingnews.com. 4 December 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2019.
- ^ Ostanek, Daniel (11 December 2019). "Israel Cycling Academy become Israel Start-Up Nation as WorldTour beckons". Cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
Departing riders include Rubén Plaza, who retires, and Kristian Sbaragli, who is heavily linked with a move to Mathieu van der Poel's Corendon squad.
- ^ "Ruben Plaza and his ICA boys". Israel Start-Up Nation. Cycling Academy Ltd. 18 April 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ "Israel - Premier Tech". UCI.org. Union Cycliste Internationale. Archived from the original on 4 June 2023. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
- ^ "Ribeiro, Nozal and Guerra positive for CERA".
- ^ "Rubén Plaza returns to Caisse d'Epargne".
- ^ "Tour de France stage 16: Plaza gives Lampre–Merida a win in Gap". Cyclingnews.com. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 20 July 2015.
- ^ "99th Giro d'Italia Startlist". Pro Cycling Stats. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
- ^ "Rubén Plaza". FirstCycling.com. FirstCycling AS. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
External links
edit
Media related to Rubén Plaza at Wikimedia Commons
- Rubén Plaza at Cycling Archives (archived)
- Rubén Plaza at CQ Ranking
- Rubén Plaza at ProCyclingStats
