Djamolidine Abdoujaparov

Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
Djamolidine Abdoujaparov
Born	Djamolidine Mirgarifanovich Abdoujaparov; February 28, 1964 (age 62); Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union
Occupation	Professional road racing cyclist (retired)
Years active	1990–1997 (professional)
Known for	Sprinter, nicknamed "The Tashkent Terror"

Adapted from the English Wikipedia article Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, available under CC BY-SA 4.0Updated 1 December 2025

Djamolidine Mirgarifanovich Abdoujaparov (; born 28 February 1964) is a retired professional road racing cyclist hailing from Uzbekistan. Known for his role as a sprinter, he earned the moniker "The Tashkent Terror" due to his fierce and often hazardous sprinting tactics that frequently led to crashes. Abdoujaparov participated in the individual road race at two Olympic Games: representing the Soviet Union in 1988 and Uzbekistan in 1996, achieving a fifth-place finish in the 1988 event.

Career

Born in Tashkent into a Crimean Tatar family that had been forcibly relocated to Uzbekistan during the Soviet era, Abdoujaparov emerged from the Soviet athletic system. His rise coincided with his nation's move toward independence. Initially facing difficulties due to Uzbekistan not being affiliated with the UCI, which hindered access to the Cycling World Championship, he eventually signed contracts with professional teams based in the West. His first professional engagement was with in 1990, followed by a transfer to in 1991.

Throughout the early 1990s, Abdoujaparov engaged in intense rivalry with Laurent Jalabert over the Tour de France's coveted points classification for sprinters. In 1991, he claimed the green jersey despite suffering a severe crash during the final stage on the Champs-Élysées, where he collided with barriers approximately 100 meters from the finish line and tumbled forward. Despite injuries sustained, he maintained sufficient points to secure victory and managed to cross the finish line without assistance, supported by his teammates.

During his last complete Tour de France appearance in 1996, Abdoujaparov achieved an uncommon feat for a sprinter by winning a mountain breakaway stage. Nevertheless, his performance waned thereafter, culminating in retirement following seven failed anti-doping tests in 1997—including two incidents during the 1997 Tour de France. These tests revealed presence of substances such as the anti-asthma medication clenbuterol.

The British rock group Abdoujaparov, formed by former Carter USM guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter, took its name from him.