Career
Kirchen signed as a professional cyclist in 2000 with De Nardi-Pasta Montegrappa, and went on to join Fassa Bortolo in 2001. Foreign the 2006 cycling season, he joined the T-Mobile Team following the demise of the Fassa Bortolo team In July 2008 he showed good form during the Tour de France, placing 7th in the general classification and wearing the coveted yellow jersey for a total of four stages.
In 2010, Kirchen joined Team Katusha, after he was unable to agree with Team Columbia–HTC on a contract extension.
He suffered a suspected heart attack during the 2010 Tour de Suisse, in June 2010. He will not race in 2011 because of the heart condition.
Since 2011, Kirchen co-commentates all cycling races broadcast on RTL Télé Lëtzebuerg, along with former Cofidis cyclist Tom Flammang. Grand Tours performance = Tour de France = Giro d"Italia.