15 April marks the 90th anniversary of the birth of Raymond Poulidor - one of the best and most famous cyclists of the past century and a sporting idol of the Grand Nation.
There is hardly anything the sporting nation of France waits for more eagerly than a new French winner of the Tour de France. It has now been 41 years since Bernard Hinault became the last Frenchman to win this historic sporting treasure for the Grande Nation - and he, like all French Tour winners before him, is revered as a pillar of French cycling. However, France's deep and sentimental affection is for another cyclist: Raymond Poulidor finished third five times and second three times in 14 participations in the "Grand Boucle", he won seven stages but never the Tour and never wore the leader's yellow jersey. And yet the French love him more than any other hero in their cycling history.
Origin from humble beginnings
There is no doubt that Poulidor was a daring, courageous, powerful racing driver, always programmed for victory. The son of a simple farming family, he came from the village of Masbaraud-Mérignat in the Creuse department, located in the geographical centre of the French Republic. Modest circumstances forced him to leave school at the age of 14 to work on his parents' farm. When he was called up for military service in 1956, he had already discovered the racing bike for himself and took every opportunity to compete in amateur races.
The talent scouts of the professional teams recognised this early on - and it speaks to his class that he was able to secure a contract with the legendary Mercier team as a newcomer at the end of 1959. In 1961, he celebrated a perfect debut and won the Milan-San Remo spring classic with the impetuosity of a young professional. Poulidor continued with this momentum, becoming French champion and finishing third at the World Championships in Bern.
Disappointed hopes
The hopes that France's cycling fans placed in the young man continued to grow in 1962, when Poulidor won a stage in his first Tour de France participation and finished third behind the great Jacques Anquetil. It was Anquetil's third Tour victory - and now the generational change seemed to be in the offing. But year after year, what had given Poulidor the best of hopes at the beginning of his career was repeated, causing his fans to increasingly despair and some to shake their heads in disbelief.
"Poupou", as the French soon called him, rode strongly - and consistently. He won the Tour of Spain in 1964, the Criterium du Daupiné Libéré twice (1966 and 1969), the Paris-Nice long-distance race twice (1972 and 1973), the spring classic Flèche Wallone (1963), as well as many stages in smaller tours and other prestigious races. Over the course of his career, he took part in 18 road world championships wearing the French national jersey. He crossed the finish line 17 times, won silver once (1974 in Montreal behind Eddy Merckx) and bronze three times (1961, 1964 and 1966). He ended his career in 1977 after finishing second in the Tour de France the previous year at the age of 40.
Was Poulidor too hesitant?
However, he was denied victory in the Tour. Why? One piece in the mosaic of Poulidor's career is certainly his "historic misfortune" of having encountered two outstanding racers and Tour aces during his career. When he was on his way to the top, a Jacques Anquetil was far from thinking about quitting and won his fourth and fifth Tour. And when the "maître" finally gave way, the reign of Eddy Merckx began.
The truth is, however, that there are also numerous examples that show Poulidor as a procrastinator and hesitant rider who let his more tactically adept opponents get the better of him, even though he could have beaten them. The Tour of 1964 became legendary in this respect, with the drama unfolding when Poulidor miscounted by one lap during the sprint on the Monaco racetrack - Anquetil won and took away valuable seconds of time credit. On the 20th stage from Brive to the Puy de Dome, Poulidor doesn't realise that Anquetil is at the end of his tether. He does not attack his compatriot with vigour and ends up losing the Tour. In hindsight, observers are of the opinion that it was the 1964 stage in particular that he could - and should - have won with ease.
Poulidor's legacy lives on
Raymond Poulidor remained associated with the Tour de France even after his active career. His popularity received a new boost when he was hired as an ambassador by one of the Tour de France's main sponsors, Bank Credit Lyonnais, in the early 2000s. In the Tour de France's "Village d'Etape", the most important meeting point for guests, sponsors and racers in the hours before the start, Poulidor was always surrounded by fans and cameras in his bright yellow polo shirt, chatting with everyone in a friendly and relaxed manner.
When Poulidor died on 13 November 2019 at the age of 83, he had been able to witness the promising beginnings of his grandson Mathieu van der Poel's cycling career. The son of his daughter Corinne and former professional cyclist Adrie van der Poel had won his first world cross-country title that year. There has also been a memorial to Raymond Poulidor since 2024. It stands on the route to Pla d'Adet - Poulidor was the first winner of this mountain finish, which was first ridden in 1974.
>> Adrie van der Poel and his unfulfilled dream of Paris-Roubaix
>> Formative families in cycling
>> Fathers and sons in cycling
Thomas Musch
Publisher
