|
Nicknamed "Pou-Pou" and a public favorite
because of his perennial runner-up status, Poulidor's rivalry
with compatriot Jacques Anquetil - who won the Tour de France
five times - gripped the country in the 1960s.
As Anquetil's career wound down at the end of that decade, many
thought Poulidor's time had come. But it was not to be ashis
path was then blocked by another Tour de France great, Belgian
Eddy Merckx, who also won the sport's big prize five times
between 1969 and 1974.
Merckx told French radio station RTL that Poulidor was "a great
champion, a great man and a great friend. It's a real loss for
the cycling sport".
Poulidor finished the Tour de France in second place three times
(1964, 1965, 1974) and five times in third (1962, 1966, 1969,
1972 and 1976).
He was born in 1936 in central France and started racing
professionally in 1959.
He did win one Grand Tour during his almost 20-year career, the
Spanish Vuelta in 1964, as well as several classics, including
"Monument" Milan-San Remo in 1961 and La Flèche Wallonne in
1963. He also won seven Tour de France stages.
He leaves behind a cycling dynasty -- his grandson, Dutchman
Mathieu van der Poel, is an emerging cycling talent who won this
year's edition of the Amstel Gold Race in the Netherlands.
(Writing by Benoit Van Overstraeten; Editing by Christian Lowe
and Ken Ferris)
[© 2019 Thomson Reuters. All rights
reserved.] Copyright 2019 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published,
broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Thompson Reuters is solely responsible for this content.
 |
|
