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Raymond Poulidor

Raymond Poulidor (French pronunciation: [ʁɛmɔ̃ pulidɔʁ]; 15 April 1936 – 13 November 2019), nicknamed "Pou-Pou" (pronounced [pu pu]), was a French professional racing cyclist, who rode for Mercier his entire career.

Raymond Poulidor
Poulidor at the 1966 Tour de France
Personal information
Full nameRaymond Poulidor
NicknamePoupou
The Eternal Second[1]
Born(1936-04-15)15 April 1936
Masbaraud-Mérignat, France
Died13 November 2019(2019-11-13) (aged 83)
Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, France
Height1.73 m (5 ft 8 in)[2]
Weight71 kg (157 lb; 11 st 3 lb)[2]
Team information
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Professional team
1960–1977Mercier–BP–Hutchinson
Major wins
Grand Tours
Vuelta a España
General classification (1964)
4 individual stages
Tour de France
7 individual stages

Stage races

Critérium International (1964, 1966, 1968, 1971–72)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1966, 1969)
Paris–Nice (1972–73)

One-day races and Classics

Milan–San Remo (1961)
La Flèche Wallonne (1963)
Grand Prix des Nations (1963)
Medal record
Representing  France
Men's road bicycle racing
World Championships
1974 Montréal Road race
1961 Bern Road race
1964 Sallanches Road race
1966 Nürburgring Road race

His distinguished career coincided with two other outstanding riders – Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx. This underdog position may have been the reason Poulidor was a favourite of the public. He was known as "The Eternal Second", because he never won the Tour de France despite finishing in second place three times, and in third place five times (including his final Tour at the age of 40). Despite his consistency, he never wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in 14 Tours (of which he completed 12). He did win one Grand Tour, the 1964 Vuelta a España. Of the eighteen Grand Tours that he entered in his career, he finished in the top 10 fifteen times.

Early life and amateur career edit

Raymond Poulidor was the son of Martial and Maria Poulidor, small farmers outside the hamlet of Masbaraud-Mérignat, where the Creuse region east of Limoges meets the département of Haute-Vienne.[3] Poulidor began working on the farm where, he remembered, "the soil was poor and we had to work hard; farming incomes were poor."[4] The need for working hands on the farm meant he left school at 14 even though he wanted to continue his studies. Local entertainment went little further than village fairs, with coconut shies, sack-races, competitions for bottles of home-made jam... and inter-village cycle races.[4] Poulidor continued to help out on his parents' farm even after he turned professional.[5]

Poulidor was given his first bike by a local shop owner at the age of 14.[6] He started racing bicycles at the age of 16, picking up the interest from the magazine Miroir-Sprint given to him by one of his school teachers. He initially hid his passion from his mother, who was afraid of the dangers the sport entailed.[3]

It was only when Poulidor was taken into the army for compulsory national service in 1955 that he first travelled in a train. Pierre Chany, a French reporter who followed 49 Tours de France, drew the comparison with Poulidor's eventual rival, Jacques Anquetil: by the time Poulidor first stepped into a train, Anquetil had already been to Helsinki, ridden the Olympic Games, won a medal for France, turned professional and won the Grand Prix des Nations. Yet there was less than two years between them.[7]

The army sent Poulidor to the war then going on in Algeria, where he worked as a driver and put on 12 kg through lack of exercise. In 1960 he dedicated himself to cycling again and lost the weight in a month. He won his first race after army service by six minutes. When he then came second in the GP de Peyrat-le-Château and won 80,000 old francs, he calculated that he had won more in one race than he would have earned in six years on the farm.[4]

Professional career edit

Poulidor turned professional in 1960 with the Mercier team,[3] directed by former Tour winner Antonin Magne. Magne offered Poulidor 25,000 old francs a month. Poulidor asked for 30,000. Magne countered that that was more than he paid Gauthier and Louis Privat and refused. Later, aware that he had a rival for Anquetil, he conceded.[8]

In just his second season, Poulidor won Milan–San Remo, one of cycling's "monument classics". 125 km (78 mi) from the finish, he was about to abandon after he suffered a puncture and was two minutes behind the leading riders. Magne convinced him to continue and Poulidor bridged the gap. On the climb of the Capo Berta, he attacked, joined by Albertus Geldermans and teammate Jean-Claude Annaert, who set the tempo until they reached the foot of the final climb, the Poggio. Here, Poulidor attacked again and opened a gap. Despite being guided in the wrong direction by a police man in the final corner, he was able to hold off the chasing field by three seconds to take the victory.[9] Also in 1961, he became French road race champion.[10][3]

The Anquetil years edit

 
Poulidor at the 1966 Tour de France

Poulidor's rivalry with Anquetil is a legend in cycling. While a good climber, Poulidor had a hard time matching Anquetil in the individual time trial, often having victory snatched from him by losing time in time-trial stages of the Tour de France.

Poulidor's riding style was aggressive and attacking, whereas Anquetil preferred to control the race in the mountains and win time in the time-trials. Poulidor became the darling of the French public, to the ire of Anquetil. Poulidor's mid-France upbringing and his slow Limousin speech also contrasted with Anquetil's northern background and sharper accent. Poulidor's face was deeply tanned and furrowed; Anquetil had high cheekbones, a smoother face and brushed-up blond hair.

Poulidor's best chance of defeating Anquetil came in the 1964 Tour de France, in the finish on the Puy de Dôme. Anquetil rode beside Poulidor but both were so exhausted that only in the last few hundred metres could Poulidor take nearly enough time to threaten Anquetil's first place in the general classification.[11] The Tour organiser, Jacques Goddet, was behind the pair as they turned off the main road and climbed through what police estimated as half a million spectators.

Anquetil rode on the inside by the mountain wall while Poulidor took the outer edge by the precipice. They could sometimes feel the other's hot gasps on their bare arms. At the end, Anquetil cracked, after a battle of wills and legs so intense that at times they banged elbows. Poulidor says he was so tired that he has no memory of the two touching, although a photograph[12] shows that they did.[11] Of Anquetil, the veteran French reporter Pierre Chany wrote: "His face, until then purple, lost all its colour; the sweat ran down in drops through the creases of his cheeks." Anquetil was only semiconscious, he said. Poulidor gained time but when they reached Paris, Anquetil still had a 55-second lead and won his last Tour de France thanks to the time-trial on the final day.

Anquetil-Poulidor: the social significance edit

Anquetil unfailingly beat Poulidor in the Tour de France and yet Poulidor remained the more popular. "The more unlucky I was, the more the public liked me and the more money I earned", he said.[11] Divisions between fans became marked, which two sociologists studying the impact of the Tour on French society say became emblematic of France old and new. Research showed that more than 4,000 newspaper articles appeared about him in France in just 1974 and that no other rider "had ever incited so many sociological investigations, so many university theses, seeking to find the cause of his prodigious popularity."[8]

Poupou, the nickname edit

 
Poulidor in 1968

Poulidor's original nickname was Pouli. It was Émile Besson[13] of the daily newspaper L'Humanité who first wrote of Poupou. The name was taken up throughout France, leading to headlines such as "Poupoularité" in L'Équipe. A poupée is a doll and the nickname hints at that and follows the French tradition of repeating the first syllable of a word in childspeak. Poulidor never liked the name but accepted it.

The Merckx years edit

 
Poulidor at the 1976 Tour de France

The end of the Anquetil era presented opportunities for Poulidor to finally win the Tour de France. This was not to be due to injuries in 1967 and 1968, and the arrival of Eddy Merckx in 1969. Poulidor was no match for Merckx, although he offered much resistance.

In the 1973 Tour Poulidor almost lost his life on the descent from the Col de Portet d'Aspet when he plunged into a ravine, taking a serious blow to the head and crawling out with the help of the race director, Jacques Goddet.

Poulidor and Dr Mabuse edit

Antonin Magne remained manager of Poulidor's Mercier team until 1970, when he was replaced by another former rider, Louis Caput. Caput brought with him as deputy directeur sportif a man who described himself as a homeopath, Bernard Sainz. Sainz is known in cycling as Dr Mabuse, after a pulp-fiction character created by Norbert Jacques. Mabuse is a criminal mastermind who becomes rich through hypnotic powers. He plots to take over the world but is foiled by the police. From his cell he masterminds criminal plots by writing endless gibberish. Sainz recognises the nickname and used it in the name of his autobiography.[14]

Sainz is a former velodrome rider of national level who stopped racing after a fall and became involved in horse racing, where he was twice convicted of maltreating horses. It was in horse-racing, where he turned unremarkable animals into champions,[citation needed] that he acquired his nickname. He has been repeatedly investigated by police and has been convicted of illegally practising medicine and incitement to doping. Sainz claims that he only engages in homeopathic treatment, though whatever methods he engages in are effective, casting doubt on this claim.[15]

Louis Caput approached Edmond Mercier, the bicycle-maker behind Poulidor's team, and asked to bring Sainz into the team management. Mercier agreed, said Sainz, because he was already treating Mercier for his own health problems. Mercier had also brought in the insurance company, GAN, as main sponsor. GAN, said Sainz, demanded that Poulidor be in the team photo even if all he did was train with the team at the start of the season. In 1971 Poulidor had decided against riding any more. The tactic, Sainz said, was bluff, to increase his motivation. In Paris–Nice, the first important stage race of the season, Poulidor was 22 seconds behind Eddy Merckx on the morning of the last day. Poulidor attacked from the start, setting a speed record on the Col de la Turbie that stood for more than 10 years and won Paris–Nice by two seconds. Next year he won Paris–Nice again and also the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.

Drug testing edit

Raymond Poulidor was the first rider to be tested for drugs in the Tour de France.[16] Testers arrived at the Tour for the first time in 1966, in Bordeaux, although only after word had spread and many riders had left their hotels. The first competitor they found was Poulidor.[16]

A few other riders were found, including Rik Van Looy, and some obliged and others refused. Next morning, the race left the city on the way to the Pyrenees and stopped in the suburb of Gradignan, in the university area of La House. The riders climbed off and began walking, shouting protests in general and in particular abuse at the race doctor, Pierre Dumas, whom some demanded should also take a test to see if he'd been drinking wine or taking aspirin to make his own job easier. Riders also criticised Poulidor for accepting to be tested. He dismissed their protests and stayed at the back of the strike. Other prominent riders, including Jacques Anquetil, were at the front. Poulidor said his indifference to the controls and the strike harmed his relations with fellow riders. "After that, they did me no favours in the peloton", he said.[11]

Retirement and death edit

 
Poulidor at the 2004 Tour de France

Poulidor has several times accepted that his career was handicapped by a lack of ambition and by the psychological domination of Jacques Anquetil. Poulidor said in an interview in 1992: I knew straight away that I was getting places everywhere. I got all the leaders' jerseys but I used to lose them. Tonin [Magne] said to me "Raymond, you're always in a daydream!" And was that true? Were you distracted? It was true. I thought what was happening to me was already marvellous enough. I never thought of winning. Never, ever, did I get up in the morning with the idea of winning![17]

On 25 January 1973 Poulidor was made a Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur. In 2003 the President, Jacques Chirac increased the award.[18] Poulidor also has a rose named after him, reflecting his love of gardening in general and roses in particular.

He lived with his wife Gisèle in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat, east of Limoges, where he made short trips on his mountain bike. Their daughter, Corinne, is married to the former world cyclo-cross champion and Tour of Flanders winner Adri van der Poel.[19] His grandsons David and Mathieu van der Poel are also cyclists: Mathieu became cyclo-cross world champion six times, and won three of the five Monuments and a stage in the 2021 Tour de France at which he dedicated his win and yellow jersey to his grandfather.

Poulidor worked in public relations for Crédit Lyonnais, sponsor of the yellow jersey, during the Tour.[20] He had bicycles made under his name by the France-Loire company, and has appeared in television commercials aimed at older people.

When asked about his longevity compared to fellow cyclists, Poulidor said he took things in moderation and did not overstretch himself.

Poulidor has written several biographies, the first of which was Gloire sans le Maillot Jaune, written in 1964. Poulidor Intime was published in May 2007 by Éditions Jacob-Duvernet in France. In 2004 he helped write Poulidor par Raymond Poulidor with the radio reporter Jean-Paul Brouchon. The preface is by Eddy Merckx.

On 13 November 2019, Raymond Poulidor died in Saint-Léonard-de-Noblat. He had been in a hospital for two months prior, having suffered from heart problems.[10][21][22]

Career achievements edit

Major results edit

Source:[23][24]

1959
3rd Grand Prix d'Oradour-sur-Vayres
1960
1st Bordeaux–Saintes
1st Overall Prestige Pernod
2nd Nice–Mont Agel
3rd Grand Prix de Fourmies
3rd Overall Super Prestige Pernod
4th Grand Prix du Midi Libre
5th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
7th Paris–Tours
10th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1961
1st   Road race, National Road Championships
1st Milan–San Remo
1st Mont Faron hill climb
1st Overall Challenge Yellow
2nd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
2nd Nice–Mont Agel
2nd Monaco–Mont Agel
2nd Overall Super Prestige Pernod
3rd Gênes–Nice
3rd Grand Prix du Midi Libre
3rd Grand Prix de Cannes
3rd   Road race, UCI Road World Championships
7th Bordeaux–Paris
9th Overall Paris–Nice
9th Paris–Bruxelles
1962
3rd Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 19
3rd Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
3rd Grand Prix de Nice
5th Paris–Roubaix
7th Overall Paris–Nice
7th Overall Super Prestige Pernod
8th Grand Prix du Midi Libre
1963
1st La Flèche Wallonne
1st Grand Prix des Nations
1st Gran Premio di Lugano
1st Overall Challenge Yellow
1st Critérium National
2nd Grand Prix de Cannes
2nd Trofeo Baracchi (with Jacques Anquetil)
2nd Gênes–Nice
2nd Overall Prestige Pernod
3rd Overall Super Prestige Pernod
3rd Paris–Tours
3rd Paris–Luxembourg
5th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
5th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
8th Overall Tour de France
9th 1963 Tour of Flanders
1964
1st Overall Critérium National
1st Stage 2b (ITT)
1st Grand Prix de Cannes
1st Grand Prix de Soissons
1st Ronde de Seignelay
1st   Overall Vuelta a España
1st Stage 15 (ITT)
1st Stage 1 Circuit du Provençal
1st Overall Super Prestige Pernod
1st Overall Prestige Pernod
1st Overall Challenge Yellow
2nd Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 15
2nd Milan–San Remo
2nd Grand Prix d'Antibes
2nd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stages 2 & 4a (ITT)
2nd Overall Tour de Haute-Loire
3rd   Road race, UCI Road World Championships
7th Overall Paris–Nice
1st Stage 7
1965
1st Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
2nd Overall Tour de France
1st Stages 5b (ITT) and 14
2nd Overall Vuelta a España
1st Stages 4a (ITT) and 16 (ITT)
2nd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
2nd Overall Prestige Pernod
4th Overall Super Prestige Pernod
3rd Grand Prix des Nations
4th Overall Paris–Nice
4th Trofeo Baracchi (with Georges Chappe)
6th Giro di Lombardia
1966
1st Overall Critérium National
1st Stage 2b (ITT)
1st Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stage 7b (ITT)
3rd Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 14b (ITT)
1st Stage 2 (ITT) Paris–Nice
1st Subida a Arrate
1st Overall Challenge Yellow
1st Overall Prestige Pernod
2nd Trofeo Baracchi (with Georges Chappe)
3rd   Road race, UCI Road World Championships
3rd Giro di Lombardia
3rd Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence
3rd Grand Prix de Monaco
3rd Overall Super Prestige Pernod
5th Grand Prix des Nations
7th Milan–San Remo
1967
1st Bol d'Or des Monédières Chaumeil
1st Circuit de l'Aulne
1st A Travers Lausanne
1st Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
2nd Overall Critérium National
3rd Giro di Lombardia
3rd Polymultipliée
3rd Grand Prix du Midi Libre
4th Overall Prestige Pernod
8th Overall Vuelta a España
1st Stage 15b (ITT)
9th Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 22b (ITT)
7th Paris–Roubaix
1968
1st Overall Critérium National
1st Overall Escalada a Montjuïc
1st Subida a Arrate
2nd Overall Prestige Pernod
3rd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st Stage 3 (ITT)
1st Stage 3 Tour of Belgium
3rd A Travers Lausanne
5th Milan–San Remo
6th Paris–Roubaix
7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
8th Overall Tour de Suisse
1969
1st Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stages 1a & 5a
1st Overall Tour du Haut Var
1st Overall Challenge Yellow
1st Overall Prestige Pernod
2nd Overall Paris–Nice
1st Stage 1a (ITT)
3rd Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 4a (ITT) Tour of the Basque Country
2nd Grand Prix des Nations
2nd Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence
4th Grand Prix du Midi Libre
4th Overall Super Prestige Pernod
5th Giro di Lombardia
1970
2nd Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
2nd A Travers Lausanne
2nd Overall Prestige Pernod
4th Overall Paris–Nice
7th Overall Tour de France
8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
8th Grand Prix des Nations
10th La Flèche Wallonne
1971
1st Overall Critérium National
1st Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
1st Overall Étoile des Espoirs
1st Stage 5
2nd Overall Tour of the Basque Country
3rd Overall Prestige Pernod
4th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
6th Grand Prix des Nations
9th Overall Vuelta a España
1972
1st Critérium des As
1st Overall Critérium National
1st Overall Paris–Nice
1st Stage 7b (ITT)
1st Overall Challenge Yellow
1st Overall Prestige Pernod
2nd Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme
1st Stage 1 (ITT)
2nd La Flèche Wallonne
2nd Overall Super Prestige Pernod
3rd Overall Tour de France
4th Grand Prix des Nations
4th Grand Prix du Midi Libre
7th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
10th Paris–Roubaix
1973
1st GP de Soissons
1st Grand Prix du Midi Libre
1st Overall Paris–Nice
1st Overall Challenge Yellow
2nd Overall Prestige Pernod
3rd A Travers Lausanne
4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
7th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
9th Grand Prix des Nations
9th Overall Super Prestige Pernod
10th Paris–Roubaix
1974
2nd Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 16
2nd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stage 6b
2nd   Road race, UCI Road World Championships
2nd Overall Prestige Pernod
4th Overall Super Prestige Pernod
5th Overall Paris–Nice
5th Overall Tour de Romandie
1st Prologue (ITT)
1975
2nd Overall Tour du Limousin
1st Stage 3
2nd Overall Prestige Pernod
3rd Paris–Bourges
4th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
7th Grand Prix du Midi Libre
1976
3rd Overall Tour de France
2nd Overall Prestige Pernod
4th Grand Prix du Midi Libre
5th Giro di Lombardia
7th Overall Super Prestige Pernod
8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
1977
6th Overall Paris–Nice

Grand Tour general classification results timeline edit

Grand Tour 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976
  Vuelta a España 1 2 8 9
  Giro d'Italia
  Tour de France 3 8 2 2 3 9 DNF 3 7 3 DNF 2 19 3
Legend
Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

References edit

  1. ^ Ballinger, Alex (13 November 2019). "Tour de France legend Raymond Poulidor has died". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b "HOMMAGE POUPOU – RAYON INCIDENTS (BLOG 3)" (PDF). dopagedemondenard.com (in French). p. 8. Retrieved 13 July 2023. Il convient de tenir compte que Raymond Poulidor appartient à la catégorie des athlètes puissants (taille : 1 m 73, poids de forme : 71 kg, pulsations : 52, tension : 12,5/7).
  3. ^ a b c d Fotheringham, William (13 November 2019). "Raymond Poulidor obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Colin, Jacques (2001): Paroles de Peloton, Éditions Solar, France
  5. ^ Reed, Eric (2015). Selling the Yellow Jersey: The Tour de France in the Global Era. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-226-20653-0.
  6. ^ Fife 1999, p. 101.
  7. ^ Penot, Christophe (1996), Pierre Chany, l'homme aux 50 Tour de France, Éditions Cristel, France
  8. ^ a b L'indemodable, L'Équipe, France, 27 June 2003
  9. ^ Cossins 2015, pp. 266–267.
  10. ^ a b Farrand, Stephen (13 November 2019). "Raymond Poulidor dies aged 83". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  11. ^ a b c d Le Tour m'a tout donné, L'Équipe, France, 13 July 2004
  12. ^ The negative has vanished, which Poulidor said added to the "mystery of Poulidor; Le Tour m'a tout donné", L'Équipe, France, 13 July 2004
  13. ^ Émile Besson joined the Resistance, became a communist and worked all his life for the communist press, first the Union Française d'Information and then the daily paper, L'Humanité. He started as a messenger and ended on Humanité's sports desk, where he stayed until he retired in 1987. He pioneered western interest in the Peace Race, run between Warsaw, Berlin and Prague and at one time the biggest amateur race in the world.
  14. ^ Sainz, Bernard (2000): Les Stupéfiantes Révélations du Dr Mabuse, J.C. Lattes, France
  15. ^ "Cycling adviser in doping scandal sent to prison". 18 March 2010.
  16. ^ a b Poulidor, Raymond: "J'appartiens à la légende", L'Équipe, France, 12 July 1999
  17. ^ Vélo, France, January 1992
  18. ^ Poulidor et Jalabert honorés, L'Équipe, France, 26 June 2003
  19. ^ http://tour2003.dna.fr/162/index.html, retrieved December 2007
  20. ^ Brown, Gregor (13 November 2019). "'The cycling world loses a monument, an icon': Stars pay tribute to Raymond Poulidor". Cycling Weekly. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  21. ^ "Der Mann, "der nie die Tour de France gewann", ist tot". Der Spiegel (in German). 13 November 2019. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  22. ^ Fotheringham, William (13 November 2019). "Raymond Poulidor obituary". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  23. ^ "Raymond Poulidor". Cycling Archives. Retrieved 27 September 2017.
  24. ^ "Palmarès de Raymond Poulidor (Fra)" [Awards of Raymond Poulidor (Fra)]. Mémoire du cyclisme (in French). Retrieved 27 September 2017.

Bibliography edit

  • Belbin, Giles (2017). Chasing the Rainbow: The Story of Road Cycling's World Championships. London: Quarto Publishing. ISBN 978-1-78131-631-3.
  • Cossins, Peter (2015). The Monuments: The Grit and the Glory of Cycling's Greatest One-Day Races. London: Bloomsbury. ISBN 978-1-4088-4681-0.
  • Fife, Graeme (1999). Tour de France: The History, the Legend, the Riders. Edinburgh: Mainstream Publishing. ISBN 1-84018-284-9.
  • Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill, eds. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Lanham: The Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-7175-5.
  • Maso, Benjo (2005). The Sweat of the Gods: Myths and Legends of Bicycle Racing. Norwich: Mousehold Press. ISBN 978-1-874-739-37-1.

Further reading edit

  • Armstrong, David (1971). Eternal Second. Silsden, UK: Kennedy Brothers. ASIN B001L9MEIU.

External links edit

  • Raymond Poulidor at Cycling Archives

raymond, poulidor, redirects, here, other, uses, disambiguation, french, pronunciation, ʁɛmɔ, pulidɔʁ, april, 1936, november, 2019, nicknamed, pronounced, french, professional, racing, cyclist, rode, mercier, entire, career, poulidor, 1966, tour, francepersona. Pou Pou redirects here For other uses see Poo poo disambiguation Raymond Poulidor French pronunciation ʁɛmɔ pulidɔʁ 15 April 1936 13 November 2019 nicknamed Pou Pou pronounced pu pu was a French professional racing cyclist who rode for Mercier his entire career Raymond PoulidorPoulidor at the 1966 Tour de FrancePersonal informationFull nameRaymond PoulidorNicknamePoupouThe Eternal Second 1 Born 1936 04 15 15 April 1936Masbaraud Merignat FranceDied13 November 2019 2019 11 13 aged 83 Saint Leonard de Noblat FranceHeight1 73 m 5 ft 8 in 2 Weight71 kg 157 lb 11 st 3 lb 2 Team informationDisciplineRoadRoleRiderProfessional team1960 1977Mercier BP HutchinsonMajor winsGrand Tours Vuelta a EspanaGeneral classification 1964 4 individual stages dd Tour de France7 individual stages dd Stage races Criterium International 1964 1966 1968 1971 72 Criterium du Dauphine Libere 1966 1969 Paris Nice 1972 73 One day races and Classics Milan San Remo 1961 La Fleche Wallonne 1963 Grand Prix des Nations 1963 Medal record Representing France Men s road bicycle racing World Championships 1974 Montreal Road race 1961 Bern Road race 1964 Sallanches Road race 1966 Nurburgring Road race His distinguished career coincided with two other outstanding riders Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx This underdog position may have been the reason Poulidor was a favourite of the public He was known as The Eternal Second because he never won the Tour de France despite finishing in second place three times and in third place five times including his final Tour at the age of 40 Despite his consistency he never wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in 14 Tours of which he completed 12 He did win one Grand Tour the 1964 Vuelta a Espana Of the eighteen Grand Tours that he entered in his career he finished in the top 10 fifteen times Contents 1 Early life and amateur career 2 Professional career 2 1 The Anquetil years 2 2 Anquetil Poulidor the social significance 2 3 Poupou the nickname 2 4 The Merckx years 2 5 Poulidor and Dr Mabuse 3 Drug testing 4 Retirement and death 5 Career achievements 5 1 Major results 5 2 Grand Tour general classification results timeline 6 References 7 Bibliography 8 Further reading 9 External linksEarly life and amateur career editRaymond Poulidor was the son of Martial and Maria Poulidor small farmers outside the hamlet of Masbaraud Merignat where the Creuse region east of Limoges meets the departement of Haute Vienne 3 Poulidor began working on the farm where he remembered the soil was poor and we had to work hard farming incomes were poor 4 The need for working hands on the farm meant he left school at 14 even though he wanted to continue his studies Local entertainment went little further than village fairs with coconut shies sack races competitions for bottles of home made jam and inter village cycle races 4 Poulidor continued to help out on his parents farm even after he turned professional 5 Poulidor was given his first bike by a local shop owner at the age of 14 6 He started racing bicycles at the age of 16 picking up the interest from the magazine Miroir Sprint given to him by one of his school teachers He initially hid his passion from his mother who was afraid of the dangers the sport entailed 3 It was only when Poulidor was taken into the army for compulsory national service in 1955 that he first travelled in a train Pierre Chany a French reporter who followed 49 Tours de France drew the comparison with Poulidor s eventual rival Jacques Anquetil by the time Poulidor first stepped into a train Anquetil had already been to Helsinki ridden the Olympic Games won a medal for France turned professional and won the Grand Prix des Nations Yet there was less than two years between them 7 The army sent Poulidor to the war then going on in Algeria where he worked as a driver and put on 12 kg through lack of exercise In 1960 he dedicated himself to cycling again and lost the weight in a month He won his first race after army service by six minutes When he then came second in the GP de Peyrat le Chateau and won 80 000 old francs he calculated that he had won more in one race than he would have earned in six years on the farm 4 Professional career editPoulidor turned professional in 1960 with the Mercier team 3 directed by former Tour winner Antonin Magne Magne offered Poulidor 25 000 old francs a month Poulidor asked for 30 000 Magne countered that that was more than he paid Gauthier and Louis Privat and refused Later aware that he had a rival for Anquetil he conceded 8 In just his second season Poulidor won Milan San Remo one of cycling s monument classics 125 km 78 mi from the finish he was about to abandon after he suffered a puncture and was two minutes behind the leading riders Magne convinced him to continue and Poulidor bridged the gap On the climb of the Capo Berta he attacked joined by Albertus Geldermans and teammate Jean Claude Annaert who set the tempo until they reached the foot of the final climb the Poggio Here Poulidor attacked again and opened a gap Despite being guided in the wrong direction by a police man in the final corner he was able to hold off the chasing field by three seconds to take the victory 9 Also in 1961 he became French road race champion 10 3 The Anquetil years edit nbsp Poulidor at the 1966 Tour de France Poulidor s rivalry with Anquetil is a legend in cycling While a good climber Poulidor had a hard time matching Anquetil in the individual time trial often having victory snatched from him by losing time in time trial stages of the Tour de France Poulidor s riding style was aggressive and attacking whereas Anquetil preferred to control the race in the mountains and win time in the time trials Poulidor became the darling of the French public to the ire of Anquetil Poulidor s mid France upbringing and his slow Limousin speech also contrasted with Anquetil s northern background and sharper accent Poulidor s face was deeply tanned and furrowed Anquetil had high cheekbones a smoother face and brushed up blond hair Poulidor s best chance of defeating Anquetil came in the 1964 Tour de France in the finish on the Puy de Dome Anquetil rode beside Poulidor but both were so exhausted that only in the last few hundred metres could Poulidor take nearly enough time to threaten Anquetil s first place in the general classification 11 The Tour organiser Jacques Goddet was behind the pair as they turned off the main road and climbed through what police estimated as half a million spectators Anquetil rode on the inside by the mountain wall while Poulidor took the outer edge by the precipice They could sometimes feel the other s hot gasps on their bare arms At the end Anquetil cracked after a battle of wills and legs so intense that at times they banged elbows Poulidor says he was so tired that he has no memory of the two touching although a photograph 12 shows that they did 11 Of Anquetil the veteran French reporter Pierre Chany wrote His face until then purple lost all its colour the sweat ran down in drops through the creases of his cheeks Anquetil was only semiconscious he said Poulidor gained time but when they reached Paris Anquetil still had a 55 second lead and won his last Tour de France thanks to the time trial on the final day Anquetil Poulidor the social significance edit Anquetil unfailingly beat Poulidor in the Tour de France and yet Poulidor remained the more popular The more unlucky I was the more the public liked me and the more money I earned he said 11 Divisions between fans became marked which two sociologists studying the impact of the Tour on French society say became emblematic of France old and new Research showed that more than 4 000 newspaper articles appeared about him in France in just 1974 and that no other rider had ever incited so many sociological investigations so many university theses seeking to find the cause of his prodigious popularity 8 Poupou the nickname edit nbsp Poulidor in 1968 Poulidor s original nickname was Pouli It was Emile Besson 13 of the daily newspaper L Humanite who first wrote of Poupou The name was taken up throughout France leading to headlines such as Poupoularite in L Equipe A poupee is a doll and the nickname hints at that and follows the French tradition of repeating the first syllable of a word in childspeak Poulidor never liked the name but accepted it The Merckx years edit nbsp Poulidor at the 1976 Tour de France The end of the Anquetil era presented opportunities for Poulidor to finally win the Tour de France This was not to be due to injuries in 1967 and 1968 and the arrival of Eddy Merckx in 1969 Poulidor was no match for Merckx although he offered much resistance In the 1973 Tour Poulidor almost lost his life on the descent from the Col de Portet d Aspet when he plunged into a ravine taking a serious blow to the head and crawling out with the help of the race director Jacques Goddet Poulidor and Dr Mabuse edit Antonin Magne remained manager of Poulidor s Mercier team until 1970 when he was replaced by another former rider Louis Caput Caput brought with him as deputy directeur sportif a man who described himself as a homeopath Bernard Sainz Sainz is known in cycling as Dr Mabuse after a pulp fiction character created by Norbert Jacques Mabuse is a criminal mastermind who becomes rich through hypnotic powers He plots to take over the world but is foiled by the police From his cell he masterminds criminal plots by writing endless gibberish Sainz recognises the nickname and used it in the name of his autobiography 14 Sainz is a former velodrome rider of national level who stopped racing after a fall and became involved in horse racing where he was twice convicted of maltreating horses It was in horse racing where he turned unremarkable animals into champions citation needed that he acquired his nickname He has been repeatedly investigated by police and has been convicted of illegally practising medicine and incitement to doping Sainz claims that he only engages in homeopathic treatment though whatever methods he engages in are effective casting doubt on this claim 15 Louis Caput approached Edmond Mercier the bicycle maker behind Poulidor s team and asked to bring Sainz into the team management Mercier agreed said Sainz because he was already treating Mercier for his own health problems Mercier had also brought in the insurance company GAN as main sponsor GAN said Sainz demanded that Poulidor be in the team photo even if all he did was train with the team at the start of the season In 1971 Poulidor had decided against riding any more The tactic Sainz said was bluff to increase his motivation In Paris Nice the first important stage race of the season Poulidor was 22 seconds behind Eddy Merckx on the morning of the last day Poulidor attacked from the start setting a speed record on the Col de la Turbie that stood for more than 10 years and won Paris Nice by two seconds Next year he won Paris Nice again and also the Criterium du Dauphine Libere Drug testing editRaymond Poulidor was the first rider to be tested for drugs in the Tour de France 16 Testers arrived at the Tour for the first time in 1966 in Bordeaux although only after word had spread and many riders had left their hotels The first competitor they found was Poulidor 16 A few other riders were found including Rik Van Looy and some obliged and others refused Next morning the race left the city on the way to the Pyrenees and stopped in the suburb of Gradignan in the university area of La House The riders climbed off and began walking shouting protests in general and in particular abuse at the race doctor Pierre Dumas whom some demanded should also take a test to see if he d been drinking wine or taking aspirin to make his own job easier Riders also criticised Poulidor for accepting to be tested He dismissed their protests and stayed at the back of the strike Other prominent riders including Jacques Anquetil were at the front Poulidor said his indifference to the controls and the strike harmed his relations with fellow riders After that they did me no favours in the peloton he said 11 Retirement and death edit nbsp Poulidor at the 2004 Tour de France Poulidor has several times accepted that his career was handicapped by a lack of ambition and by the psychological domination of Jacques Anquetil Poulidor said in an interview in 1992 I knew straight away that I was getting places everywhere I got all the leaders jerseys but I used to lose them Tonin Magne said to me Raymond you re always in a daydream And was that true Were you distracted It was true I thought what was happening to me was already marvellous enough I never thought of winning Never ever did I get up in the morning with the idea of winning 17 On 25 January 1973 Poulidor was made a Chevalier de la Legion d honneur In 2003 the President Jacques Chirac increased the award 18 Poulidor also has a rose named after him reflecting his love of gardening in general and roses in particular He lived with his wife Gisele in Saint Leonard de Noblat east of Limoges where he made short trips on his mountain bike Their daughter Corinne is married to the former world cyclo cross champion and Tour of Flanders winner Adri van der Poel 19 His grandsons David and Mathieu van der Poel are also cyclists Mathieu became cyclo cross world champion six times and won three of the five Monuments and a stage in the 2021 Tour de France at which he dedicated his win and yellow jersey to his grandfather Poulidor worked in public relations for Credit Lyonnais sponsor of the yellow jersey during the Tour 20 He had bicycles made under his name by the France Loire company and has appeared in television commercials aimed at older people When asked about his longevity compared to fellow cyclists Poulidor said he took things in moderation and did not overstretch himself Poulidor has written several biographies the first of which was Gloire sans le Maillot Jaune written in 1964 Poulidor Intime was published in May 2007 by Editions Jacob Duvernet in France In 2004 he helped write Poulidor par Raymond Poulidor with the radio reporter Jean Paul Brouchon The preface is by Eddy Merckx On 13 November 2019 Raymond Poulidor died in Saint Leonard de Noblat He had been in a hospital for two months prior having suffered from heart problems 10 21 22 Career achievements editMajor results edit Source 23 24 1959 3rd Grand Prix d Oradour sur Vayres 1960 1st Bordeaux Saintes 1st Overall Prestige Pernod 2nd Nice Mont Agel 3rd Grand Prix de Fourmies 3rd Overall Super Prestige Pernod 4th Grand Prix du Midi Libre 5th Road race UCI Road World Championships 7th Paris Tours 10th Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere 1961 1st nbsp Road race National Road Championships 1st Milan San Remo 1st Mont Faron hill climb 1st Overall Challenge Yellow 2nd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk 2nd Nice Mont Agel 2nd Monaco Mont Agel 2nd Overall Super Prestige Pernod 3rd Genes Nice 3rd Grand Prix du Midi Libre 3rd Grand Prix de Cannes 3rd nbsp Road race UCI Road World Championships 7th Bordeaux Paris 9th Overall Paris Nice 9th Paris Bruxelles 1962 3rd Overall Tour de France1st Stage 19 dd 3rd Criterium du Dauphine Libere 3rd Grand Prix de Nice 5th Paris Roubaix 7th Overall Paris Nice 7th Overall Super Prestige Pernod 8th Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1963 1st La Fleche Wallonne 1st Grand Prix des Nations 1st Gran Premio di Lugano 1st Overall Challenge Yellow 1st Criterium National 2nd Grand Prix de Cannes 2nd Trofeo Baracchi with Jacques Anquetil 2nd Genes Nice 2nd Overall Prestige Pernod 3rd Overall Super Prestige Pernod 3rd Paris Tours 3rd Paris Luxembourg 5th Road race UCI Road World Championships 5th Liege Bastogne Liege 8th Overall Tour de France 9th 1963 Tour of Flanders 1964 1st Overall Criterium National1st Stage 2b ITT dd 1st Grand Prix de Cannes 1st Grand Prix de Soissons 1st Ronde de Seignelay 1st nbsp Overall Vuelta a Espana1st Stage 15 ITT dd 1st Stage 1 Circuit du Provencal 1st Overall Super Prestige Pernod 1st Overall Prestige Pernod 1st Overall Challenge Yellow 2nd Overall Tour de France1st Stage 15 dd 2nd Milan San Remo 2nd Grand Prix d Antibes 2nd Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere1st Stages 2 amp 4a ITT dd 2nd Overall Tour de Haute Loire 3rd nbsp Road race UCI Road World Championships 7th Overall Paris Nice1st Stage 7 dd 1965 1st Overall Escalada a Montjuic 2nd Overall Tour de France1st Stages 5b ITT and 14 dd 2nd Overall Vuelta a Espana1st Stages 4a ITT and 16 ITT dd 2nd Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere 2nd Overall Prestige Pernod 4th Overall Super Prestige Pernod 3rd Grand Prix des Nations 4th Overall Paris Nice 4th Trofeo Baracchi with Georges Chappe 6th Giro di Lombardia 1966 1st Overall Criterium National1st Stage 2b ITT dd 1st Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere1st Stage 7b ITT dd 3rd Overall Tour de France1st Stage 14b ITT dd 1st Stage 2 ITT Paris Nice 1st Subida a Arrate 1st Overall Challenge Yellow 1st Overall Prestige Pernod 2nd Trofeo Baracchi with Georges Chappe 3rd nbsp Road race UCI Road World Championships 3rd Giro di Lombardia 3rd Grand Prix d Aix en Provence 3rd Grand Prix de Monaco 3rd Overall Super Prestige Pernod 5th Grand Prix des Nations 7th Milan San Remo 1967 1st Bol d Or des Monedieres Chaumeil 1st Circuit de l Aulne 1st A Travers Lausanne 1st Overall Escalada a Montjuic 2nd Overall Criterium National 3rd Giro di Lombardia 3rd Polymultipliee 3rd Grand Prix du Midi Libre 4th Overall Prestige Pernod 8th Overall Vuelta a Espana1st Stage 15b ITT dd 9th Overall Tour de France1st Stage 22b ITT dd 7th Paris Roubaix 1968 1st Overall Criterium National 1st Overall Escalada a Montjuic 1st Subida a Arrate 2nd Overall Prestige Pernod 3rd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk1st Stage 3 ITT dd 1st Stage 3 Tour of Belgium 3rd A Travers Lausanne 5th Milan San Remo 6th Paris Roubaix 7th Road race UCI Road World Championships 8th Overall Tour de Suisse 1969 1st Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere1st Stages 1a amp 5a dd 1st Overall Tour du Haut Var 1st Overall Challenge Yellow 1st Overall Prestige Pernod 2nd Overall Paris Nice1st Stage 1a ITT dd 3rd Overall Tour de France 1st Stage 4a ITT Tour of the Basque Country 2nd Grand Prix des Nations 2nd Grand Prix d Aix en Provence 4th Grand Prix du Midi Libre 4th Overall Super Prestige Pernod 5th Giro di Lombardia 1970 2nd Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 2nd A Travers Lausanne 2nd Overall Prestige Pernod 4th Overall Paris Nice 7th Overall Tour de France 8th Liege Bastogne Liege 8th Grand Prix des Nations 10th La Fleche Wallonne 1971 1st Overall Criterium National 1st Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 1st Overall Etoile des Espoirs1st Stage 5 dd 2nd Overall Tour of the Basque Country 3rd Overall Prestige Pernod 4th Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere 6th Grand Prix des Nations 9th Overall Vuelta a Espana 1972 1st Criterium des As 1st Overall Criterium National 1st Overall Paris Nice1st Stage 7b ITT dd 1st Overall Challenge Yellow 1st Overall Prestige Pernod 2nd Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme1st Stage 1 ITT dd 2nd La Fleche Wallonne 2nd Overall Super Prestige Pernod 3rd Overall Tour de France 4th Grand Prix des Nations 4th Grand Prix du Midi Libre 7th Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere 10th Paris Roubaix 1973 1st GP de Soissons 1st Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1st Overall Paris Nice 1st Overall Challenge Yellow 2nd Overall Prestige Pernod 3rd A Travers Lausanne 4th Liege Bastogne Liege 7th Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere 9th Grand Prix des Nations 9th Overall Super Prestige Pernod 10th Paris Roubaix 1974 2nd Overall Tour de France1st Stage 16 dd 2nd Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere1st Stage 6b dd 2nd nbsp Road race UCI Road World Championships 2nd Overall Prestige Pernod 4th Overall Super Prestige Pernod 5th Overall Paris Nice 5th Overall Tour de Romandie1st Prologue ITT dd 1975 2nd Overall Tour du Limousin1st Stage 3 dd 2nd Overall Prestige Pernod 3rd Paris Bourges 4th Overall Criterium du Dauphine Libere 7th Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1976 3rd Overall Tour de France 2nd Overall Prestige Pernod 4th Grand Prix du Midi Libre 5th Giro di Lombardia 7th Overall Super Prestige Pernod 8th Liege Bastogne Liege 1977 6th Overall Paris Nice Grand Tour general classification results timeline edit Grand Tour 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 nbsp Vuelta a Espana 1 2 8 9 nbsp Giro d Italia nbsp Tour de France 3 8 2 2 3 9 DNF 3 7 3 DNF 2 19 3 Legend Did not compete DNF Did not finishReferences edit Ballinger Alex 13 November 2019 Tour de France legend Raymond Poulidor has died Cycling Weekly Retrieved 13 November 2019 a b HOMMAGE POUPOU RAYON INCIDENTS BLOG 3 PDF dopagedemondenard com in French p 8 Retrieved 13 July 2023 Il convient de tenir compte que Raymond Poulidor appartient a la categorie des athletes puissants taille 1 m 73 poids de forme 71 kg pulsations 52 tension 12 5 7 a b c d Fotheringham William 13 November 2019 Raymond Poulidor obituary The Guardian Retrieved 15 November 2019 a b c Colin Jacques 2001 Paroles de Peloton Editions Solar France Reed Eric 2015 Selling the Yellow Jersey The Tour de France in the Global Era Chicago IL University of Chicago Press p 98 ISBN 978 0 226 20653 0 Fife 1999 p 101 Penot Christophe 1996 Pierre Chany l homme aux 50 Tour de France Editions Cristel France a b L indemodable L Equipe France 27 June 2003 Cossins 2015 pp 266 267 a b Farrand Stephen 13 November 2019 Raymond Poulidor dies aged 83 cyclingnews com Retrieved 13 November 2019 a b c d Le Tour m a tout donne L Equipe France 13 July 2004 The negative has vanished which Poulidor said added to the mystery of Poulidor Le Tour m a tout donne L Equipe France 13 July 2004 Emile Besson joined the Resistance became a communist and worked all his life for the communist press first the Union Francaise d Information and then the daily paper L Humanite He started as a messenger and ended on Humanite s sports desk where he stayed until he retired in 1987 He pioneered western interest in the Peace Race run between Warsaw Berlin and Prague and at one time the biggest amateur race in the world Sainz Bernard 2000 Les Stupefiantes Revelations du Dr Mabuse J C Lattes France Cycling adviser in doping scandal sent to prison 18 March 2010 a b Poulidor Raymond J appartiens a la legende L Equipe France 12 July 1999 Velo France January 1992 Poulidor et Jalabert honores L Equipe France 26 June 2003 http tour2003 dna fr 162 index html retrieved December 2007 Brown Gregor 13 November 2019 The cycling world loses a monument an icon Stars pay tribute to Raymond Poulidor Cycling Weekly Retrieved 13 November 2019 Der Mann der nie die Tour de France gewann ist tot Der Spiegel in German 13 November 2019 Retrieved 13 November 2019 Fotheringham William 13 November 2019 Raymond Poulidor obituary The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Retrieved 14 November 2019 Raymond Poulidor Cycling Archives Retrieved 27 September 2017 Palmares de Raymond Poulidor Fra Awards of Raymond Poulidor Fra Memoire du cyclisme in French Retrieved 27 September 2017 Bibliography editBelbin Giles 2017 Chasing the Rainbow The Story of Road Cycling s World Championships London Quarto Publishing ISBN 978 1 78131 631 3 Cossins Peter 2015 The Monuments The Grit and the Glory of Cycling s Greatest One Day Races London Bloomsbury ISBN 978 1 4088 4681 0 Fife Graeme 1999 Tour de France The History the Legend the Riders Edinburgh Mainstream Publishing ISBN 1 84018 284 9 Heijmans Jeroen Mallon Bill eds 2011 Historical Dictionary of Cycling Lanham The Scarecrow Press ISBN 978 0 8108 7175 5 Maso Benjo 2005 The Sweat of the Gods Myths and Legends of Bicycle Racing Norwich Mousehold Press ISBN 978 1 874 739 37 1 Further reading editArmstrong David 1971 Eternal Second Silsden UK Kennedy Brothers ASIN B001L9MEIU External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Raymond Poulidor Raymond Poulidor at Cycling Archives Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Raymond Poulidor amp oldid 1203284302, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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