Lucien Aimar (; born 28 April 1941) is a French cyclist, who won 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 ...

in 1966 and the national road championship in 1968. He is now a race organizer. He was born in Hyères, France.

Amateur career

Lucien Aimar came second 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 ...

in 1964, 42 seconds behind the Italian,

Felice Gimondi Felice Gimondi (; 29 September 1942 – 16 August 2019) was an Italian professional racing cyclist. With his 1968 victory at the Vuelta a España, only three years after becoming a professional cyclist, Gimondi, nicknamed "The Phoenix", was the ...

. But for a one-minute penalty for an incident involving a Belgian rider, Aimar would have won. Later that year he rode in the individual road race at the

1964 Summer Olympics The , officially the and commonly known as Tokyo 1964 ( ja, 東京1964), were an international multi-sport event held from 10 to 24 October 1964 in Tokyo, Japan. Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics, but this ho ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

Professional career

Tour de France , Jacques Anquetil, Bestanddeelnr 919-2983

1965

Aimar turned professional in 1965 for Ford-Gitane, a team led by

Jacques Anquetil Jacques Anquetil (; 8 January 1934 – 18 November 1987) was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964. He stated before the 1961 Tour that he would gain the y ...

. He made sufficient impression for the manager,

Raphaël Géminiani Raphaël Géminiani (born Clermont-Ferrand; born 12 June 1925) is a French former road bicycle racer. He had six podium finishes in the Grand Tours. He is one of four children of Italian immigrants who moved to Clermont-FerrandColin, Jacques ( ...

, to pick him for the Tour de France in his first season. Aimar abandoned the race while climbing the

Col d'Aubisque The Col d'Aubisque ( oc, Còth d'Aubisca) (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the Pyrenees south of Tarbes and Pau in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in the Aquitaine region of France.Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire du T ...

in the

Pyrenees The Pyrenees (; es, Pirineos ; french: Pyrénées ; ca, Pirineu ; eu, Pirinioak ; oc, Pirenèus ; an, Pirineus) is a mountain range straddling the border of France and Spain. It extends nearly from its union with the Cantabrian Mountains to C ...

on the ninth stage.

1966

Aimar won Genoa-Nice at the start of the season, came second on the

Flèche Wallonne Flèche or Fleche may refer to: *Flèche (architecture), a type of church spire * Flèche (cycling), a team cycling competition *Flèche (fencing), an aggressive offensive fencing technique *Flèche (fortification) A flèche ( Fr. for "arrow") is ...

and won the Tour de France. His victory was based on an attack on the Aubisque, where he had pulled out the previous year, and on another attack in Turin. Each was followed by fast descending, at which he was talented. He also benefited from the support of Jacques Anquetil, riding his last Tour de France. Anquetil ensured that his team would ride in Aimar's support and then left the race. Aimar finished 1:17 ahead of the Dutchman,

Jan Janssen Johannes Adrianus "Jan" Janssen (; born 19 May 1940) is a Dutch former professional cyclist (1962–1972). He was world champion and winner of the Tour de France and the Vuelta a España, the first Dutch rider to win either. He rode the Tour de ...

and Anquetil's French rival,

Raymond Poulidor Raymond Poulidor (; 15 April 1936 – 13 November 2019), nicknamed "Pou-Pou" (), was a French professional racing cyclist, who rode for his entire career. His distinguished career coincided with two other outstanding riders – Jacques Anquet ...

. His season ended with ninth place in the world championship on the

Nürburgring The is a 150,000 person capacity motorsports complex located in the town of Nürburg, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It features a Formula One, Grand Prix race track built in 1984, and a long "North loop" track, built in the 1920s, around t ...

West Germany West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...

. His ride was criticised, however, for help that he gave to the German,

Rudi Altig Rudi Altig (; 18 March 1937 – 11 June 2016) was a German professional track and road racing cyclist who won the 1962 Vuelta a España and the world championship in 1966. After his retirement from sports he worked as a television commentator. A ...

. Aimar chased a breakaway group that included Jacques Anquetil, his partner in the French team, and took Altig with him. Altig won the title and Anquetil came second.

1967

In 1967, Aimar's and Anquetil's team became Bic, sponsored by a company making ballpoint pens, cigarette lighters and razors. Aimar 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 ...

, the hill climb of Mont Faron and came seventh in the Giro d'Italia after sacrificing his chances for Anquetil. Aimar rode the Tour de France for France, the organizers having started a two-year experiment with national teams. Aimar was joint leader with the eventual winner,

Roger Pingeon Roger Pingeon (; 28 August 1940 – 19 March 2017) was a professional road bicycle racer from France. Biography Growing up near the Jura Mountains, he was a cross-country skier as a teenager before taking up bicycle racing. He spent two y ...

. Aimar won the eighth stage at the top of the

Ballon d'Alsace The Ballon d'Alsace german: Elsässer Belchen (el. 1247 m.), sometimes also called the Alsatian Belchen to distinguish it from other mountains named " Belchen" is a mountain at the border of Alsace, Lorraine, and Franche-Comté. From its top, vi ...

, then rode for Pingeon and finished sixth. Aimar came second in the national road championship at

Felletin Felletin (; oc, Falatin) is a commune in the Creuse department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in central France. Historically, the term Aubusson tapestry often covers the similar products made in the nearby town of Felletin, 8 kilometres awa ...

in the

Creuse Creuse (; oc, Cruesa or ) is a department in central France named after the river Creuse. After Lozère, it is the second least populated department in France. It is bordered by Indre and Cher to the north, Allier and Puy-de-Dôme to the eas ...

, finishing behind

Désiré Letort Désiré Letort (29 January 1943 – 9 September 2012) was a French cyclist. His sporting career began with ACBB Paris. His career best finishes in the Tour de France were 17th in 1971, 9th in 1969 and 4th in 1967. Biography Letort w ...

. Letort was later disqualified for doping.

1968

The Tour de France again opted for national rather than sponsored teams. Aimar chose to lead the French 'B' team rather than be a support rider in the 'A' team. He finished seventh, coming second behind Roger Pingeon on stage two, in the

Chartreuse Chartreuse () may refer to: Food and drink * Chartreuse (liqueur), a French liqueur * Chartreuse (dish), a French dish of vegetables or meat tightly wrapped in vegetable leaves and cooked in a mould Religion * Carthusians, a Catholic religi ...

. The same two riders broke away in the national championship on a demanding circuit at Aubenas (Ardèche). Aimar beat him in the sprint, collecting the blue, white and red jersey of national champion that he had refused to wear the previous year in solidarity with Désiré Letort.

1969

Aimar had trouble finding his form in 1969, a year already difficult because a one-month suspension for doping denied him a start in the

Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España (; en, Tour of Spain) is an annual multi-stage bicycle race primarily held in Spain, while also occasionally making passes through nearby countries. Inspired by the success of the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia, the r ...

. He lost his national champion's jersey to Desire Letort and then rode a disastrous Tour de France, suffering in the Alps and finishing 30th. The manager, Géminiani, was so disillusioned with his riders that he didn't bother following the race any further once it had reached his home in

Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand (, ; ; oc, label=Auvergnat (dialect), Auvergnat, Clarmont-Ferrand or Clharmou ; la, Augustonemetum) is a city and Communes of France, commune of France, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regions of France, region, with a population ...

1970

Aimar left Bic, which had a new leader in

Luis Ocaña Jesús Luis Ocaña Pernía (; 9 June 1945 – 19 May 1994) was a Spanish road bicycle racer who won the 1973 Tour de France and the 1970 Vuelta a España. During the 1971 Tour de France he launched an amazing solo breakaway that put him ...

, a Spaniard long resident in France. He joined the new Sonolor-Lejeune team, run by

Jean Stablinski Jean Stablewski (21 May 1932 – 22 July 2007), known as Jean Stablinski, was a French professional cyclist from a family of Polish immigrants. He rode from 1952 to 1968, winning 105 races as a professional. He won the national road champion ...

with

Lucien Van Impe Lucien Van Impe (; born 20 October 1946) is a Belgian cyclist, who competed professionally between 1969 and 1987. He excelled mainly as a climber in multiple-day races such as the Tour de France. He was the winner of the 1976 Tour de France, ...

and

Bernard Guyot Bernard Guyot (19 November 1945 – 28 February 2021) was a French road cyclist. His sporting career began with U.S. Creteil. As an amateur he competed in the individual road race at the 1964 Summer Olympics, won the Peace Race in 1966, and pl ...

as leaders. Aimar won the Critérium de la Polymultipliée, then came 17th in the Tour de France in support of Van Impe. He finished his season with second place in

Bordeaux–Paris The Bordeaux–Paris professional cycle race was one of Europe's classic cycle races, and one of the longest in the professional calendar, covering approximately – more than twice most single-day races. It started in northern Bordeaux in sout ...

behind the specialist

Herman Van Springel Herman Vanspringel (14 August 1943 – 25 August 2022), also spelled Herman Van Springel, was a Belgian road racing cyclist, from Grobbendonk, in the Flemish Campine or Kempen region. He achieved podium finishes in all three of the grand tour ...

1971

Aimar stayed with Sonolor, but with the team leadership confirmed in Van Impe, who finished the Tour de France third, winning the climbers' competition. Aimar was ninth, his best place since 1968.

1972

His career in decline, Aimar left Sonolor to join a new German team, Rokado, alongside his compatriots

Gilbert Bellone Gilbert Bellone (born 27 December 1942 in Grasse) was a French professional road bicycle racer. Major results ;1962 :Grasse ;1965 :Saint-Vallier ;1966 :Guéret :Prix de Saint-Céré :Chateauneuf :Saint-Claud ;1967 :Toulon :Vuelta a España: :: ...

and

Jean Graczyk Jean Graczyk (26 May 1933 – 27 June 2004) was a professional road bicycle racer who won two Points classification in the Tour de France, points classifications in the Tour de France and several stages each at the Tour de France and Vuelta a Es ...

and the leaders,

Rolf Wolfshohl Rolf Wolfshohl (born 27 December 1938) is a former professional road bicycle racing and cyclo-cross racing cyclist from Germany. Wolfshohl is best known in cyclo-cross for winning the world championship three times, and in road racing for winn ...

and

Gerben Karstens Gerben Karstens (14 January 1942 – 8 October 2022) was a Dutch professional racing cyclist, who won the gold medal in the 100 km team trial at the 1964 Summer Olympics, alongside Bart Zoet, Evert Dolman, and Jan Pieterse. At the same ...

. Aimar finished the Tour, his eighth in succession, 17th.

1973

For his last season, Aimar rejoined Raphaël Géminiani, who had persuaded a nightclub dancer called Miriam de Kova to sponsor a team,

De Kova–Lejeune De Kova–Lejeune was a French professional cycling team that existed in 1973. It was sponsored by the wealthy Miriam De Kova and Cycles Lejeune. Included in the roster was 1966 Tour de France winner Lucien Aimar Lucien Aimar (; born 28 April 19 ...

, for the publicity it would give her. The team made little impression other than the pink jerseys it wore. The team provided the last five in that year's Tour de France, in which Aimar finished 17th. After team's money ran out at the end of the race, Aimar stopped racing to become a technical adviser for cycling in Provence-Côte d'Azur and then organizer of the

Tour Méditerranéen 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 b ...

Career achievements

Major results

Source: ;1963 :1st Overall Route de France (Under-23) :8th Overall

(Under-23) ::1st Stage 8 ;1964 :2nd Overall Tour de l'Avenir (Under-23) :6th Amateur road race,

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 ...

;1965 :3rd

Paris–Camembert Paris–Camembert (also Paris–Camembert Trophée Lepetit or Paris–Camembert Lepetit) is a semi classic held annually in April. Since 2005, the race is organized as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. The route of the race has varied over th ...

:4th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré ;1966 :1st Jersey yellow

Overall

:1st

Genoa–Nice Genoa–Nice was a professional cycle race held as a single-day race between Genoa, Italy and Nice, France. It was first held in 1910 and held for the final time in 1975. In 1961 and 1962 it was part of the Super Prestige Pernod series. In 1958, 1 ...

:2nd

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 ...

:2nd Overall

Euskal Bizikleta Euskal Bizikleta (Spanish: ''Bicicleta Vasca'', English: ''Basque Bicycle'') was an annual road bicycle racing, road cycling stage race held in the Basque Country (autonomous community), Basque Country in June. From 2005 to 2008, the race was organ ...

:3rd Overall

Escalada a Montjuïc The Escalada a Montjuïc (in Catalan, English: ''Scaling of Montjuïc'', Spanish: ''Escalada a Montjuïc'') was a one-day, two-stage road bicycle racing race held in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain since 1965. It was held in the middle of October, as ...

:1st Overall Promotion Pernod :5th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré :5th Overall Super Prestige Pernod International :9th Road race,

1966 UCI Road World Championships The 1966 UCI Road World Championships took place on 28 August 1966 at the Nürburgring, Germany. Results Medal table External links Men's results*
{{UCI Road World Championships 1966 UCI Road World Championships, UCI Road Worl ...

;1967 :1st Overall

:1st Manx Premier Trophy :1st

Mont Faron Mont Faron is a mountain overlooking the city and roadstead of Toulon, France. It is 584m high. At its peak is a memorial dedicated to the 1944 Allied landings in Provence (Operation Dragoon), and to the liberation of Toulon. The top can be rea ...

hill climb :4th 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 ...

:5th

Paris–Tours Paris–Tours is a French one-day classic road cycling race held every October from the outskirts of Paris to the cathedral city of Tours. It is a predominantly flat course through the Chevreuse and Loire valleys; the highest point is 200 m, ...

:6th Overall

::1st Stage 8 :7th Overall Giro d'Italia ;1968 :1st MaillotFra

National Road Race Championship :1st Overall Super Prestige Pernod International :7th Overall

:7th Overall Paris–Nice :9th Overall

;1970 :1st Polymultipliée :1st Overall Challenge Yellow :1st Stage 5

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 ...

:2nd

:2nd Overall Critérium National :3rd

Critérium des As The ''Critérium des As'' (''Race of the Aces'') was a cycle race that was generally held at the end of the season, with entry by invitation only, for the leading riders of the season. Competitors rode behind pacers on tandems or motorcycles. It w ...

:5th Overall Paris–Nice :8th Gênes–Nice ;1971 :3rd Frankfurt Grand Prix :6th Overall Paris–Nice :7th Overall Super Prestige Pernod International :9th Overall

;1972 :10th 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 ...

;1973 :1st Stage 5 Four Days of Dunkirk :8th Bordeaux–Paris

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

References

External links

Complete Palmarès

Palmares
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Aimar, Lucien 1941 births Living people Sportspeople from Hyères French male cyclists Tour de France winners Olympic cyclists of France Cyclists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Cyclists from Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur