Thorleif Andresen

Thorleif Andresen was a Norwegian cyclist who specialised in the time trial. Andresen was one of the best cyclists in Norway in the 1960s and 1970s. Andresen won the Norwegian national road race championships in 1969 and 1971. However, it was in the time trial that Andresen dominated. Andresen’s first success was when he won the junior individual time trial title in 1962. He won the elite national individual time trial title in 1964. Andresen won 12 titles in the national team time trial event from 1963 to 1979.

Andresen competed at three Olympic Games; 1968 Mexico City, 1972 München Olympics, and the 1976 Montréal Olympics. Andresen had two fifth-place finishes in the 100 kilometres team time trial (1968, 1972), and a best individual performance of 13th in the road race at the 1968 Games.

Andresen trained as a painter before becoming a gymnastics teacher at Ski Upper Secondary School (“Ski videregående skole”). Andresen went on to coach the men’s national cycling team at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.