Luc Leblanc

Luc Leblanc (; born 4 August 1966) is a French former professional road cyclist. He became a World Road Champion in 1994.

Biography In 1978, a drunk driver hit Luc Leblanc, aged 11, and his younger brother Gilles Leblanc, aged 8. Gilles died after the accident, and Luc was hospitalized for six months. After many operations, Luc was able to walk again, although his left leg was 3 cm shorter and weaker than his right leg.

Initially, Leblanc wanted to become a priest, but after a physiotherapist's advice to take up cycling to solve his leg problems, and subsequently Raymond Poulidor's advice to become a professional cyclist, he did not become a priest.

At the 1991 Tour de France, in the 12th stage Leblanc joined the decisive attack together with Charly Mottet and Pascal Richard. Mottet won the stage, but they finished 7 minutes ahead of the classification leader LeMond, which meant that Leblanc was the new leader. The next day, Leblanc finished 12 minutes behind the winner, and lost the lead to Miguel Induráin, who would remain the leader until the end of the race.

The yellow jersey that he received for leading the general classification, he gave to Poulidor. Later, the Italian court decided that the dismissal was unfair, and Polti should pay Leblanc. In 2007, Leblanc sued the French and Italian cycling authorities and the UCI because he still had not gotten the money.

In 2004, Leblanc became team captain for Chocolade Jacques in 2004.

Later, Leblanc became a consultant for a French radio station Radio Monte Carlo during the Tour de France.

Doping After his retirement, in a trial against Richard Virenque in 2000, Leblanc admitted that he had been using EPO to prepare for the Tour and the Vuelta.

Major results

1986 4th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe 1st Stage 2 1987 2nd Road race, National Road Championships 4th Overall Tour du Limousin 6th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre 6th Overall Étoile de Bessèges 8th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 8th Coppa Sabatini 1988 1st GP Ouest–France 3rd Overall Tour Méditerranéen 3rd Trophée des Grimpeurs 4th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

4th Tour du Haut Var 5th Overall Tour d'Armorique 1st Stage 2 6th Overall Paris–Nice 9th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1989 2nd Grand Prix de Cannes 2nd Bol d'Or des Monédières 3rd Overall Tour du Limousin 4th Paris–Camembert 5th Cholet-Pays de la Loire 1990 1st Tour du Haut Var 1st Grand Prix de Wallonie 1st Stage 5 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2nd Bol d'Or des Monédières 3rd Overall Paris–Nice 3rd Overall Tour du Vaucluse 7th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre 10th Overall Critérium International 1991 1st Bol d'Or des Monédières 2nd Grand Prix de Rennes 3rd Classique des Alpes 3rd Trofeo Pantalica 4th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1st Stage 5 5th Overall Tour de France

5th Overall Tour du Limousin 5th Road race, National Road Championships 8th Wincanton Classic 10th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1992

1st Prologue & Stage 4 2nd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

1st Stage 2 2nd Overall Tour de Picardie 2nd Classique des Alpes 3rd Paris–Camembert 3rd Grand Prix des Amériques 5th Overall Tour de Romandie 6th Overall Nissan Classic 8th Road race, UCI Road World Championships 10th Cholet-Pays de la Loire 1993 1st Stage 1 Tour du Vaucluse 6th Overall Tour de Romandie 7th Overall Tour du Limousin 1994

1st Stage 1 Euskal Bizikleta 1st Stage 4 Tour of Galicia 4th Overall Tour de France 1st Stage 11 6th Overall Vuelta a España

1995 9th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre 1996 1st Stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2nd Classique des Alpes 2nd Giro dell'Emilia 2nd Coppa Placci 3rd Polynormande 5th Overall Route du Sud 5th Giro del Piemonte 6th Overall Tour de France 1st Stage 7 7th Overall Paris–Nice 1997

1st Stage 2 2nd La Flèche Wallonne 4th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country 9th Overall Critérium International 1998 2nd Road race, National Road Championships 2nd Boucles de l'Aulne 4th Overall Critérium International 4th Overall Rheinland-Pfalz Rundfahrt 6th La Flèche Wallonne 7th Overall Tour de Romandie 8th Trofeo Pantalica 9th GP du Canton d'Argovie

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish