Michel Pollentier

Michel Pollentier (born 13 February 1951) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer.

He became professional in 1973. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1977 Giro d'Italia. Pollentier is one of just three Belgian riders to win the Giro, the others being Eddy Merckx and Johan de Muynck.

In the 1978 Tour de France, he was the Belgian national champion when he won the stage arriving in Alpe d'Huez, took the yellow jersey and would have been involved in a battle with Joop Zoetemelk and eventual winner Bernard Hinault for the remainder of the race as the three were within +0:30 of one another. However, he was accused of foul play in the succeeding doping test, having used what was described politely as a pear-shaped tube (in fact a condom) of different urine held under the armpit and connected by a plastic tube to give the impression of urinating. Pollentier was uncovered after another rider at the test had trouble operating his own system of tubes and aroused the suspicion of the doctor, who then demanded Pollentier lift his jersey to show if he too was cheating. He was put out of the Tour immediately. and he also came 3rd in the 1982 Vuelta a España where he was the beneficiary of a doping incident when the initial winner was disqualified bringing him to 2nd overall. 1984 was his last professional season; he finished outside the top 10 at the Vuelta and won the final grand tour stage of his career.

After his cycling career, Pollentier became a car tyre garage owner and founded a cycling school.

In "Seigneurs et Forcats du Velo" by Olivier Dazat, Pollentier is quoted as saying that he and another named Belgian cycling champion of the era had trouble after their careers because of drugs they had taken while racing. Dazat quotes him as saying: "I've never hesitated to confess that I spent three weeks under the surveillance of Dr Dejonckheere at the St-Joseph clinic at Ostend and that after treatment... I stayed under his control for another two years. Why hide it? It's impossible to come out of a situation like that without the help of a doctor.'

Career achievements Major results

1971 1st Gent – Staden 10th Ronde Van Vlaanderen Beloften 1973 2nd Tour du Loir-et-Cher 3rd Overall Tour de Romandie 4th Overall Étoile des Espoirs 6th Kattekoers 9th Paris–Tours 1974 4th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía 4th Kampioenschap van Vlaanderen 7th Boucles de l'Aulne 7th Overall Tour de France 1st Stage 21b (ITT) 9th Overall Tour de Luxembourg 1975 1st Stage 13 Tour de France 1st Stage 6 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré 2nd Overall Tour of Belgium 2nd Brabantse Pijl 2nd Trofeo Baracchi 4th Paris–Brussels 4th Druivenkoers Overijse 5th Amstel Gold Race 6th Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne 8th Overall Vuelta a Andalucía 8th Gran Premio di Lugano 10th Gent–Wevelgem 1976

1st Stage 3

1st Stage 1c (ITT) 1st Giro del Piemonte 1st Stadsprijs Geraardsbergen 1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Freddy Maertens) 2nd Overall Tour de Suisse 1st Stages 2, 4a & 9b (ITT) 4th Overall Ronde van Nederland 7th Overall Tour de France 1st Stage 16 8th Grand Prix de Wallonie 10th Züri-Metzgete 1977

1st Stage 21 (ITT)

1st Prologue, Stages 3a, 3b (ITT) & 9b (ITT) 1st Gouden Pijl Emmen 2nd Grand Prix of Aargau Canton 3rd Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme 4th Grand Prix de Wallonie 5th Tour of Flanders 6th Overall Vuelta a España 1st Stage 4 (ITT) 7th Trofeo Laigueglia 8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 1978

1st Stages 5 & 7b (ITT)

1st Stages 1a (ITT), 1b & 1c (ITT)

1st Stages 1a & 2a 2nd Tour of Flanders 4th Overall Tour of Belgium 4th Omloop van het Houtland 5th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 5th La Flèche Wallonne 5th Critérium des As 6th Brabantse Pijl 8th Overall Tour de Suisse 1st Stages 4b (ITT) & 9b (ITT) 10th Giro di Lombardia 10th Gent–Wevelgem 1979 1st GP du Tournaisis 3rd Overall Vuelta a España 3rd E3 Prijs Vlaanderen 4th Overall Tour of Belgium 4th Brabantse Pijl 5th Omloop Het Volk 7th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 7th Liège–Bastogne–Liège 1980 1st Tour of Flanders 1st Brabantse Pijl 2nd Le Samyn 5th Overall Tour of Belgium 5th Road race, National Road Championships 8th Overall Tirreno–Adriatico 1981 8th Overall Étoile de Bessèges 1982 1st Omloop van het Houtland 2nd Overall Vuelta a España 4th Tour of Flanders 6th Road race, UCI Road World Championships 1983 3rd Overall Three Days of De Panne 7th Tour of Flanders 7th La Flèche Wallonne 1984 1st Stage 6 Vuelta a España

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

+ Legend — Did not compete DNF Did not finish DSQ Disqualified