Christophe Moreau (born 12 April 1971 in

Vervins Vervins (; nl, Wervin) is a commune in the Aisne department in Hauts-de-France in northern France. It is a subprefecture of the department. It lies between the small streams Vilpion and Chertemps, which drain towards the Serre. It is surrounde ...

) is a French former professional

road racing cyclist Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most common ...

. For many years Moreau was the primary French contender for the

general classification The general classification (or the GC) in road bicycle racing is the category that tracks overall times for riders in multi-stage races. Each stage will have a stage winner, but the overall winner in the GC is the rider who has the fastest cumulati ...

in the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...

: he finished in the top 12 in the GC five times and finished the race as best Frenchman in 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2005. He also enjoyed success in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, winning the race overall in 2001 and 2007.

Early professional career

Moreau debuted as a professional in 1995 with . He was a

time trialist A time trialist is a road bicycle racer who can maintain high speeds for long periods of time, to maximize performance during individual or team time trials. The term ''cronoman'', or ''chronoman'', is also used to refer to a time trialist. Detail ...

early in his career which brought him the victory in the

Tour de l'Avenir Tour de l'Avenir ( en, Tour of the Future) is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents ...

prologue. He finished the

1997 Tour de France The 1997 Tour de France was the 84th edition of the Tour de France and took place from 5 to 27 July. Jan Ullrich's victory margin of 9:09 was the largest margin of victory since Laurent Fignon won the 1984 Tour de France by 10:32. Since 1997 no ...

in 19th place overall.

Festina affair

Moreau continued his progression the following year when he won the final time trial and overall of the 1998

Critérium International The Critérium International was a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring from 1932 until 2016, typically the last weekend of March. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932. For many years ...

. He tested positive for anabolic steroids at the

1998 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré The 1998 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré was the 50th edition of the cycle race and was held from 7 June to 14 June 1998. The race started in Villeurbanne and finished in Megève. The race was won by Armand de Las Cuevas of the Banesto team. Te ...

Festina Festina F16184 Festina is a Spanish watch brand. In 1985, businessman Miguel Rodríguez acquired Festina, a brand founded in Switzerland in 1902, thus forming the ''Festina-Lotus group.'' History Festina was created in 1902 by the Stüdi f ...

Team director Bruno Roussel defended Moreau by saying it was another member of the support staff who had deceived the cyclist and caused him to take the anabolic steroids. As a result of this defence which was put forward by his lawyer, Moreau was able to continue competition. But during the

1998 Tour de France The 1998 Tour de France was the 85th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. The race was composed of 21 stages and a prologue. It started on 11 July in Ireland before taking an anti-clockwise route through France to finis ...

, after the Festina team soigneur

Willy Voet Willy or Willie is a masculine, male given name, often a diminutive form of William or Wilhelm, and occasionally a nickname. It may refer to: People Given name or nickname * Willie Aames (born 1960), American actor, television director, and scre ...

was caught at the French-Belgian border, a doping scandal was uncovered which was referred to as the

Festina affair The Festina affair was a series of doping scandals within the sport of professional cycling that occurred during and after the 1998 Tour de France. The affair began when a large haul of doping products was found in a support car belonging to ...

. Moreau, along with two other members of the Festina team,

Laurent Brochard Laurent Brochard (born 26 March 1968 in Le Mans, France) is a retired professional road racing cyclist from France. In 1997 he won a stage of the Tour de France and became world road champion in San Sebastián, Spain. Brochard was a runner and s ...

and Armin Meier, admitted taking EPO after being arrested and were ejected from the race. Confessing alongside the other team members - except

Richard Virenque Richard VirenqueRichard Virenque's name is pronounced Ree-shah Vee-rahnk. Virenque considers himself a man of the South but pronounces his name in standard French. Confusion is caused by the southern habit of pronouncing "en" as "ang" or "eng", ...

- Moreau served a six-month suspension before returning to racing.

Post-suspension career

Moreau returned to the

1999 Tour de France The 1999 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 3 to 25 July, and the 86th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti-D ...

where he placed 3rd in the stage 8 individual time trial behind American

Lance Armstrong Lance Edward Armstrong (''né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road bicycle racing, road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 Tour de ...

and Swiss

Alex Zülle Alex Zülle (born 5 July 1968) is a Swiss former professional road bicycle racer. During the 1990s he was one of the most successful cyclists in the world, winning the 1996 and 1997 Vuelta a España, taking second place in the 1995 and the 1 ...

and finished the Tour in the 25th place. In the

2000 Tour de France The 2000 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 1 to 23 July, and the 87th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti- ...

, Moreau finished a career best with fourth place behind

Jan Ullrich Jan Ullrich (; born 2 December 1973) is a German former professional road bicycle racer. Ullrich won gold and silver medals in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. He won the 1999 Vuelta a España and the HEW Cyclassics in front of a home crow ...

and Spanish

teammate

Joseba Beloki Joseba Beloki Dorronsoro (born 12 August 1973) is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. Tour successes Beloki turned professional in 1998 with , joined in 2000, and then in 2001. A strong climber in the high mountains and a top p ...

. This demonstrated him as a competent climber. This was the first time he finished as highest placed French rider at the Tour and it fueled hopes that he could win the race some day. He would finish highest placed French rider in the 2003, 2004 and 2005 editions of the

. In 2001 and still riding for Festina, Moreau won the prestigious stage race the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. Moreau took the lead on the fifth stage by only one second over Russian

Pavel Tonkov Pavel Sergeyevich Tonkov (russian: Павел Сергеевич Тонков; born 9 February 1969 in Izhevsk) is a former professional road racing cyclist from Russia. His talents were first showcased when winning the world junior title as part ...

. On the following day, both finished together second and third on the stage where there were no seconds awarded at the stage finish. Moreau withstood the many attacks of Tonkov on the final stage to win the race. Several weeks later, he won the prologue of the

2001 Tour de France The 2001 Tour de France was a multiple-stage bicycle race held from 7 to 29 July, and the 88th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti- ...

and put on the yellow jersey as leader of the

. Moreau was presented with the yellow jersey by two

podium girl A podium (plural podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. It derives from the Greek ''πόδι'' (foot). In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be use ...

s. One of which he began a relationship after meeting on the Tour podium and would later marry. Moreau ended the Tour prematurely when he withdrew on the 12th stage. Festina choose to end its sponsorship of a

cycling team A cycling team is a group of cycle sport, cyclists who join a team or are acquired and train together to compete in bicycle racing, bicycle races whether amateur or professional – and the supporting personnel. Cycling teams are most important i ...

so Moreau joined

Crédit Agricole Crédit Agricole Group (), sometimes called La banque verte ( en, The green bank) due to its historical ties to farming, is a French international banking group and the world's largest cooperative financial institution. It is France's second lar ...

Career at Crédit Agricole

In 2002, in his first race of the season, Moreau crashed and broke his collarbone. Moreau finished third overall in the Dauphiné Libéré behind the American teammates

and

Floyd Landis Floyd Landis (born October 14, 1975) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. He finished first at the 2006 Tour de France, and would have been the third non-European winner in the event's history, but was disqualified after test ...

. In the

2002 Tour de France The 2002 Tour de France was a multiple-stage bicycle race held from 6 to 28 July, and the 89th edition of the Tour de France. The event started in Luxembourg and ended in Paris. The Tour circled France counter-clockwise, visiting the Pyrenees b ...

Moreau crashed on a descent on stage 15 and had to abandon again. In 2003, Moreau won the

Four Days of Dunkirk The Four Days of Dunkirk (french: Quatre Jours de Dunkerque) is road bicycle race around the Nord-Pas de Calais region of northern France. Despite the name of the race, since the addition of an individual time trial in 1963, the race has been h ...

race before going on to finish 8th in the

2003 Tour de France The 2003 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 5 to 27 July, and the 90th edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti- ...

. At a pre season training camp in 2004, Moreau injured his knee which delayed his return to competition. His first win of the year came in the

Trophée des Grimpeurs The Trophée des Grimpeurs, called Polymultipliée until 1970, was a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in the region of Val-d'Oise, France, between Argenteuil and Sannois. Between 1980 and 2002 it was a criterium. Since 2005, t ...

in May. Two weeks later he won the Tour du Languedoc Roussillon stage race. In the

2004 Tour de France The 2004 Tour de France was a multiple stage bicycle race held from 3 to 25 July, and the 91st edition of the Tour de France. It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong originally won the event, the United States Anti ...

, he was again the best French finisher in 12th place. During the

2005 Tour de France The 2005 Tour de France was the 92nd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between 2–24 July, with 21 stages covering a distance . It has no overall winner—although American cyclist Lance Armstrong origin ...

, he went very close to wearing the yellow jersey in the first days in the Alps but fell back to finish in the 11th place. At this time his team Credit Agricole publicly expressed their dissatisfaction with his results and he left the team for AG2R Prévoyance. Moreau finished 11th overall in the

Career after Crédit Agricole

Moreau was expected to support his new teammate Francisco "Paco" Mancebo at the

2006 Tour de France The 2006 Tour de France was the 93rd edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It took place between the 1st and the 23rd of July. It was won by Óscar Pereiro following the disqualification of Floyd Landis. Due to the Unite ...

who had finished the

in fourth place. In the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Moreau finished second on the general classification behind Leipheimer and won the king of the mountains competition. When the Operation Puerto doping scandal was revealed the day before the Tour began, Mancebo was banned from competing in the

Tour Tour or Tours may refer to: Travel * Tourism, travel for pleasure * Tour of duty, a period of time spent in military service * Campus tour, a journey through a college or university's campus * Guided tour, a journey through a location, directed ...

and Moreau became the leader for the general classification. After teammate

Cyril Dessel Cyril Dessel (born 29 November 1974 in Rive-de-Gier, Loire) is a French former professional road racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2000 to 2011. In 2006, he won the Tour Méditerranéen on the UCI Europe Tour. Then in the 20 ...

took the yellow jersey on stage 11, Moreau worked for Dessel to try to preserve Dessel's high placing. On the 19th stage Moreau attacked on the climb to bring himself further up the classification and he finished the

in the 8th place behind Dessel (Moreau was later moved up to 7th place after the disqualification of Floyd Landis). In the latter part of his career he was considered a 'clean' rider, and told reporters in 2007 that it had a big impact on him as a racer. "For my part, I paid for what I did," he said. "All I know is that I came out of it stronger. It transformed my life." Christophe Moreau

In the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Moreau demonstrated great form and

panache Panache () is a word of French origin that carries the connotation of flamboyant manner and reckless courage, derived from the helmet-plume worn by cavalrymen in the Early Modern period. The literal translation is a plume, such as is worn on a h ...

. In the second stage with 40 km to go, he attacked with several others. With 7 km to go Moreau was driving the pace with Spaniard José Antonio Redondo. At the end of the stage, Redondo did not contest the sprint as he had not been working in the break, Moreau took the stage and the leader's jersey. On the following stage 3

Individual time trial An individual time trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: ''contre la montre'' – literally "against the watch", in Italian: ''tappa a cronometro'' "stopwatch stage"). There are also track-b ...

, Moreau finished some way back and lost over around 3 minutes. But on the stage to the legendary

Mont Ventoux Mont Ventoux (; oc, Ventor, label= Provençal ) is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the department of Drôme. At , it is the highest m ...

, Moreau attacked on the ascent and won the stage with over a minute on the second-place finisher and over two minutes on his rivals for the general classification. He then lay in second overall 14 seconds behind the yellow jersey which he took back on stage six to win the race. Two weeks later, he carried that same form to win the French national cycling championships. Despite being a favourite for the

championships, Moreau finished way far back, but his form showed itself in the National cycling championships road race, in which he attacked his two breakaway companions with 40 km to the finish. He built up a great lead and won the championships with over two minutes over the second and third-place finishers. At 36 years of age, he won his first French champion title and pulled on the tricolour jersey. Moreau started the

2007 Tour de France The 2007 Tour de France the 94th running of the race, took place from 7 to 29 July. The Tour began with a prologue in London, and ended with the traditional finish in Paris. Along the way, the route also passed through Belgium and Spain. It was ...

in good form and was in the top ten of the

after the first mountain stages of the Alps. However, after a crash in the fifteenth stage, Moreau fell back in the general classification and rode one of the pyrenian stages in the gruppetto, which is the part of the peloton for the riders who wish only to make the time limit imposed on a mountain stage to remain in the race. In September 2007, Moreau, citing financial reasons, announced that he was leaving AG2R Prévoyance and was signing a one-year contract with

Agritubel Agritubel Pro Cycling Team () was a French professional road race cycling team. The team's title sponsorAgritubel is a manufacturer and supplier of tubular metal products for cattle, livestock and farming. Agritubel mostly competed for wins at t ...

for the 2008 season. In the

2008 Tour de France The 2008 Tour de France was the 95th running of the race. The event took place from 5 to 27 July. Starting in the French city of Brest, the tour entered Italy on the 15th stage and returned to France during the 16th, heading for Paris, its regu ...

Moreau quit the race during the 7th Stage. On 17 July, during the

2009 Tour de France The 2009 Tour de France was the 96th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tours. It started on 4 July in the principality of Monaco with a individual time trial which included a section of the Circuit de Monaco. The race visite ...

, Moreau signed with the team for 2010, after previously having said he would retire following the 2009 season.

Career achievements

Major results

;1994 : 2nd Silver medal blank

Team time trial,

UCI Road World Championships The UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the (UCI). The UCI Road World Championships consist of events for road race and individual time trial, and a mixed team relay. Events ...

;1995 : 2nd Overall

Tour de l'Ain Tour de l'Ain, also known as the Prix de l'Amitié, is an annual professional cycling stage race held in eastern France. G.P. de l'Amitié The first edition of the race was in 1970, as the G.P. de l'Amitié (Friendship G.P.). It was held over fo ...

: 2nd Overall

;1996 : 1st Overall

Vuelta Ciclista de Chile The Vuelta Ciclista de Chile is an annual Chilean elite men's professional road cycling Road cycling is the most widespread form of cycling in which cyclists ride on paved roadways. It includes recreational, racing, commuting, and utility ...

: 1st Prologue

: 3rd

Time trial In many racing sports, an athlete (or occasionally a team of athletes) will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. The format of a time trial can vary, but usually follow a format where each athlete or team sets off at ...

, National Road Championships : 7th Overall

Route du Sud The Route d'Occitanie is a road bicycle race with 4 stages held annually in Southern France. It was first held in 1977 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. It is usually held a week before the Tour de France ...

;1997 : 3rd

, National Road Championships : 3rd Overall

Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana The Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (; en, Tour of the Valencian Community or Tour of Valencia) is a road cycling stage race held in the Valencian Community (''Comunitat Valenciana''), Spain. Its position in the cycling calendar means it is often ...

: 7th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 9th Overall

Paris–Nice Paris–Nice is a professional cycling stage race in France, held annually since 1933. Raced over eight days, the race usually starts with a prologue in the Paris region and ends with a final stage either in Nice or on the Col d'Èze overlookin ...

;1998 :

::1st Stages 1a & 1b ( ITT) : 1st Stage 3 ( ITT)

: 6th Overall

;1999 : 1st Jersey white

Overall

Tour du Poitou-Charentes Tour Poitou-Charentes en Nouvelle-Aquitaine is a road bicycle race held annually in the former region of Poitou-Charentes (now Nouvelle-Aquitaine) France. It was first held in 1987 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI E ...

::1st Stage 4 : 2nd

, National Road Championships : 3rd

Schaal Sels Schaal Sels is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in September in Merksem, Belgium. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions whi ...

: 3rd

Chrono des Nations Chrono des Nations – Les Herbiers Vendée is a single-day individual time trial road bicycle race held annually in October in Les Herbiers, Vendée, France. Since 2005, the race is organized as a UCI race classifications, 1.1 event on the UCI E ...

: 6th Overall

::1st Stage 1b : 6th Overall

: 10th

Giro di Lombardia The Giro di Lombardia ( en, Tour of Lombardy), officially ''Il Lombardia'', is a cycling race in Lombardy, Italy. It is traditionally the last of the five 'Monuments' of the season, considered to be one of the most prestigious one-day events in cy ...

;2000 : 2nd

: 4th Overall

: 6th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 9th Overall

Grand Prix du Midi Libre The Grand Prix du Midi Libre (referred to as just Midi Libre) was a multiple-stage road cycling course in the south of France. The race, named after the newspaper that organized it, was first organized in 1949 and was an important preparation cou ...

::1st Stage 4 ( ITT) : 9th Overall

Circuit de la Sarthe The Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe (after the 1906 French Grand Prix triangle circuit) located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, is a semi-permanent motorsport race course, chiefly known as the venue for the 24 Hou ...

: 9th

Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise Grand Prix Cycliste La Marseillaise, formerly known as the Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise, is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in February around the city of Marseille, France. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event ...

;2001 : 1st Jersey yellow-bluebar

Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 1st Prologue

: 1st Josef Voegeli Memorial (with

Florent Brard Florent Brard (born 7 February 1976, in Chambray-lès-Tours, France) is a retired French road bicycle racer. He won three national championships, including the professional road race. He became a professional in 1999 and stopped racing in Novem ...

) : 1st Baden–Baden (with

) : 1st

Bol d'Or des Monédières The Bol d'or des Monédières was a cycling criterium that took place after the Tour de France, traditionally on the first Thursday in August. It was run on a circuit of about 20 kilometers to be covered seven times, around the village of Cha ...

: 2nd Road race, National Road Championships : 2nd

Polynormande The Polynormande is a single-day road bicycle race held annually in August in the region of Normandy, France. Between 1980 and 2002 it was a criterium. Since 2003, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental ...

: 3rd Overall

: 8th Overall

: 10th Overall

Étoile de Bessèges The Étoile de Bessèges () is an early-season five-day road bicycle racing stage race held annually around Bessèges, in the Gard department of the Languedoc-Roussillon region of France. First organized in 1971 as a one-day race, it became a sta ...

;2002 : 3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 4th Overall

: 5th Overall

::1st Stage 4 ;2003 : 1st Jersey white

Overall

::1st Stage 4 & 5 ( ITT) : 5th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré : 8th Overall

: 9th

La Flèche Wallonne La Flèche Wallonne (, French for "The Walloon Arrow") is a men's professional cycle road race held in April each year in Wallonia, Belgium. The first of two Belgian Ardennes classics, La Flèche Wallonne is today normally held mid-week betw ...

: 9th

Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers is a road bicycle race held annually near Lillers, a commune in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France. The editions 1964-1995 were reserved to amateurs. Since 2005, it is rated 1.2 on the UCI Europe Tour The ...

: 9th

;2004 : 1st Jersey yellow

Overall Tour du Languedoc-Roussillon ::1st Stage 4 : 1st

: 2nd

, National Road Championships : 2nd Bordeaux–Caudéran ;2005 : 1st Bordeaux–Caudéran : 2nd Overall

: 3rd Overall

: 9th Overall

Volta a Catalunya The Volta a Catalunya (; en, Tour of Catalonia, es, Vuelta a Cataluña, link=no) is a road bicycle race held annually in Catalonia, Spain. It is one of three World Tour stage races in Spain, together with the Vuelta a España and the Tour of th ...

;2006 : 2nd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré ::1st Jersey white dots on red

Mountains classification ::1st Jersey blue

Combination classification : 3rd Overall

::1st

Mountains classification : 7th Overall

: 7th Overall

;2007 : 1st MaillotFra

Road race, National Road Championships : 1st Jersey yellow-bluebar

Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré ::1st Jersey blue

Combination classification ::1st Stages 2 & 4 (

) : 1st Bordeaux–Caudéran : 4th Overall

;2008 : 2nd Overall

: 2nd Overall

Vuelta a Andalucía The Vuelta a Andalucía (Tour of Andalusia) or Ruta del Sol (Route of the Sun) is a regional Spanish road bicycle race first held in 1925. Since 2005, it has been a 2.1 category race on the UCI Europe Tour. The race became a part of the new UCI P ...

;2009 : 4th Overall

Volta ao Alentejo The Volta ao Alentejo (Portuguese; en, Tour of Alentejo) is a road bicycle racing stage race held annually in the Alentejo, Portugal. Since 2005, it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a seri ...

: 5th

GP Triberg-Schwarzwald The GP Triberg-Schwarzwald was a single-day road bicycle race held annually in June in Triberg im Schwarzwald, Germany. From 2005 to 2009 it was part of the UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competiti ...

;2010 : 5th Overall

Tour du Limousin Tour du Limousin is a 4-day road bicycle race held annually in Limousin, France. It was first held in 1968 and since 2005 it has been organised as a 2.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2011 it was upgraded to an 2.HC The UCI 1.HC and UCI 2.HC ar ...

General classification results timeline

References

External links

Palmares on Cycling Base (French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Moreau, Christophe 1971 births Living people Olympic cyclists of France Cyclists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Cyclists at the 2004 Summer Olympics French male cyclists French Tour de France stage winners Tour de France prologue winners Doping cases in cycling Sportspeople from Aisne Cyclists from Hauts-de-France

Early professional career

Festina affair

Post-suspension career

Career at Crédit Agricole

Career after Crédit Agricole

Career achievements

Major results

General classification results timeline

See also

References

External links