Its 30 years since the death of one of the most prolific winners of professional cycling races in France.
Jacques Anquetil (8th Jan 1934 – 18th Nov 1987) was the first ever cyclist to win the Tour de France 5 times, a record that has been equalled, but has never been beaten.
Anquetil, the son of a builder, was born in Mont-Saint-Aignan, in the hills above Rouen in Normandy, northwest France.
He rode a bike from the time he could walk and twice a day, to and from school. However, his first love was running, but a friend had joined the AC Sottevillais Cycling Club and had begun road racing.
Anquetil, saw how the girls were impressed and joined the club as well. He remained a member all his life. At 17 (1950) he took out his professional racing licence.
The club was run by the local Cycle Dealer and had a number of champions amongst its members, including Jean Jourden, who became the World Amateur Champion in 1961.
As well as working at the local engineering works, Anquetil was out training with his team-mates.
He had won 16 races as an amateur and in 1952, he gained victories in the Prix de France, the Tour de la Manche and the National Road Race Championships.
Anquetil rode for the French National Team in the 100km Time Trial in the 1952 Summer Olympics (Helsinki, Finland) and won the bronze medal.
He came to the attention of Francis Pelissier, (a former TdF rider), who now ran the successful La Perle team, as an independent or semi-professional team. Anquetil was offered a contract with the team, which he immediately accepted.
One of his first races as a professional, was the Grand Prix des Nations – the unofficial World Time Trialling Championships. He won comfortably, and at aged 19 Anquetil had become the unofficial Time Trial Champion of the world.
He rode the Grand Prix des Nations, nine times without being beaten.
In September 1954, he started his 2 years compulsory National Service in the French Army, as a gunner of the 406th Artillery Regiment.
He had very little time to train, but in 1956 he was given permission to try for the “Hour Record”. He had a new lightweight bike and he managed to ride 46.159km beating Fausto Coppi’s record, from 1942, by some 311mtrs.
In 1967, some 11 years later, he beat his own “Hour” record by over a kilometre, however, the result was disallowed, over the non-compliance of having to supply a urine sample for the purposes of drug testing.
In 1957, Anquetil rode and won his first Tour de France. He did not ride the 1960 Tour, but returned in 1961 and won, he also won in 1962, 1963, and 1964.
He was the first rider to win 4 successive Tours and the first ride to win 5 Tours.
He was also the first rider to win all 3 Grand Tours, Giro d ’Italia (1960 and 1964) and the Vuelta a Espana (1963).
Anquetil was a very smooth rider and assiduously prepared for all his races. However, he was well known for partying to all hours of the morning before races.
He never hid that he took drugs and is said to have told a Government Minister; “Leave me in peace, everybody takes dope.”
He was, however, not against the rules and testing and said, that if there were to be tests that “they should be carried out consistently and with dignity”.
Jacques Anquetil, was, without doubt one of the greatest rider of the last 50 years, and will be long remembered as a quiet and courteous rider, with a will of steel.