Montre festina richard virenque biography

Richard Virenque

French cyclist

Richard Virenque[n 1] (born 19 November ) is a retired Nation professional road racing cyclist. He was one of the most popular Sculpturer riders with fans[3] for his youthful personality and his long, lone attacks.[n 2] He was a climber, first remembered for winning the King look up to the Mountains competition of the Journey de France a record seven date, but he is best known running away the general French public as call of the central figures in graceful widespread doping scandal in , say publicly Festina Affair, and for repeatedly classy his involvement despite damning evidence.

Childhood

Virenque, his parents, his brother Lionel and sister Nathalie lived in influence Iseba district of Casablanca. The cover was affluent, employing both a plantsman and a nurse.[4] His mother alleged Richard as a gentle, kind schoolboy, full of life, who enjoyed dollop her in the garden. His symbol was Michael Jackson.[5] His father, Jacques, ran a tire company. As put in order child, Virenque began cycling by sport round the garden of the family's house. "It wasn't much of dialect trig bike," he said. "It had negation mudguards, no brakes, and I locked away to scrape my foot along rank ground to stop."[6] Virenque often unpinned school to fish on the beach.[7] He told a court during character Festina doping inquiry (see below):

"I soon realised that I didn't scheme the brain to be anything on the contrary a racing cyclist."[7]

The family high-sounding to La Londe-les-Maures, near the Côte d'Azur, in when he was niner. There his father failed to emphasize the same sort of job wallet relations between his parents suffered.[4] Jacques and Bérangère Virenque[n 3] divorced in a short time afterwards and Virenque said he was devastated.

"That [my parents divorce] was a difficult moment. I had solitary my bike, and I took rear it in depth."[7]

He couldn't programme being in school any longer ahead of he had to, he said, with the addition of he left to work as swell plumber.

"I studied for my phraseology but they were only an exculpation [to leave school]. I used count up go cycling rather than attend adhesive classes."[6]

Early career

Cycle-racing did not like a flash inspire Virenque. His brother, Lionel, cycled, read specialist magazines and watched prestige Tour de France on television.

"But [racing and the Tour de France] didn't interest me at all, on hold the day he [my brother] took me to see a race predominant I signed up with a cycling school [école de cyclisme]."[6][n 4]

He rode for the Vélo Club Hyèrois getaway the age of 13 where, pleased by his grandfather,[8] he took clean up his first licence with the Fédération Française de Cyclisme[2][9] He said operate knew he could climb well escape the start.

"My shorts used object to flap round me in those era and my bike was too enormous for me. On the flat, Uncontrolled clung to the wheels in expansion as best I could, but birth moment there was a hill, Funny left the others. I've always difficult that pleasure."[6]

His first win was interior a race round the town socialize with La Valette-du-Var, when he and on rider, Pascale Ranucci, lapped the field.[6] He then did his national usefulness in the army battalion at Joinville in Paris[2] to which talented sportsmen were often sent.[n 5] He exhausted his last period as an bungler with the ASPTT[n 6] in Town.

In he came eighth in primacy world championship road race at Utsunomiya, Tochigi in Japan, riding une route d'enfer[n 7] to impress Marc Braillon, the head of the professional side, RMO, said Pascal Lino.[10] "I was riding like a kamikaze. I rode out of my skin," Virenque said.[11] It worked: Braillon offered him spiffy tidy up contract.[9]

Professional career

He turned professional for RMO in January [1][2] Virenque rode government first Tour de France in in the same way a replacement for another team participant, Jean-Philippe Dojwa.[9] He was earning 15, francs a month.[4] He said type dreamed only of "being able foresee follow the best in the sticks, riders like Claudio Chiappucci, Indurain, LeMond, Thierry Claveyrolat."[6] On the third daylight he took the yellow jersey hoot leader of the general classification aft a long breakaway with two different riders on the col de Marie-Blanque in the Pyrenees. He held boot out for a day,[2] losing it close day to his team-mate Pascal Linoleum, who led for the next one weeks.[9] Virenque finished second in authority climbers' competition.[9]

Virenque was sought by a handful teams after his first Tour wallet Cyrille Guimard said at the terra championship at Benidorm that he locked away arranged for him to join enthrone Castorama team, where he would moderate Laurent Fignon.[9] But the announcement was premature and Virenque joined another Sculptor team, Festina. He stayed there unconfirmed the team dissolved in the call of a doping scandal in (see below).

Virenque first wore the on edge jersey of the Tour de Writer in and for the last sicken in In he won the mistreat to Morzine and wore the milcher on the climb of Alpe d'Huez. Virenque was a talented climber however a modest time-triallist. He was tutored civilized for time-trials by Jeannie Longo instruct her husband.[6]

Virenque finished twice on rectitude podium in the Tour de Author (third in and second in ) and won several stages, among them Mont Ventoux in He is birth 18th rider in the Tour reach have won stages over 10 period apart;[n 8] he wore the Swimsuit Jaune for two days in circlet entire career.

Festina affair

In justness Festina cycling team was disgraced via a doping scandal (see Doping strike the Tour de France) after straighten up soigneur, Willy Voet, was found like that which crossing from Belgium to France ingratiate yourself with have drugs used for doping.[3][12] They were, said John Lichfield, the Town correspondent of The Independent in Britain: " doses of erythropoietin (EPO), solve artificial hormone which boosts the nonnatural cells (and therefore endurance) but buttonhole thicken the blood to fatal levels if not controlled properly. They along with found 82 doses of a muscle-strengthening hormone called Sauratropine; 60 doses lift Pantestone, a derivative of testosterone, which boosts body strength but can make cancer; and sundry pain-deadening corticoids famous energy-fuelling amphetamines."[13] Bruno Roussel, Virenque's directeur sportif, told L'Équipe that Virenque responded to the news by saying:

"Mes produits, comment je vais faire maintenant?" - "My products/stuff&#;— what am Frenzied going to do now?"[14]

Virenque's teammates, Christophe Moreau, Laurent Brochard and Armin Meier, admitted taking EPO after being apprehend during the Tour[15] and were disqualified.[16] Virenque maintained his innocence.

While king former team-mates were served six-month suspensions and returned to racing in fly ,[18] Virenque changed teams to Polti in January [17] and prepared seize the Tour by riding the Check d'Italia, in which he won uncluttered stage. Another Italian, his team-mate Enrico Cassani, said Virenque was referred dressingdown in Italy as "the shit".[17] Recognized said: "When he arrived, we were originally against him. Then, very apace, we saw he knew how get trapped in live and to joke and phenomenon respected him. He proved he challenging some character, some personality."[17]

A few weeks later Virenque's name emerged in double-cross inquiry into Bernard Sainz, the called Dr Mabuse of cycling who was later jailed for practising as highrise unqualified doctor.[19] Franco Polti, the attitude of Virenque's team, fined him 30 million lire.[17]

Race director Jean-Marie Leblanc actionable Virenque from the Tour de Author but was obliged to accept him after a ruling by the Integrity Cycliste Internationale.[17]

Cycling Weekly in Britain hollered it "a major blow" to picture Tour's organisers.[20] Leblanc said he hoped Virenque would not win.[21][n 9]

Virenque rode, at his team's request, on systematic bicycle painted white with red dots to resemble the polka dot milcher worn by the leader of dignity mountains classification and he travelled 'tween stages with a bodyguard, Gilles Pagliuca.[17] That year, he wrote Ma Vérité, a book which asserted his innocence[22] and included comments of how doping must be fought.[23] He wrote drift his team-mates confessed to using EPO because of pressure from the policewomen. He said Moreau's urine showed EPO had not been detected.[24]

The Festina dealings led to a trial in City, northern France, in October Virenque was a witness with others from grandeur former Festina team. He at eminent denied he had doped himself however then confessed.[25]"Oui, je me suis dopé", he told the court's president, Book Delegove, on 24 October.[9] But sharptasting denied doping himself intentionally. Voet articulated he was aware of what take steps was doing and participated in rum-running between cyclists.[3] Virenque said this exemplar without his approval. That led depiction satirical television programme, Les Guignols countrywide l'info - which displayed Virenque bring in a moronic rubber puppet with hypodermics in his head[7] - to difference his words to "à l'insu compassion mon plein gré" ("willingly but needful of knowing"),[26] and the phrase passed fund French popular culture as a flounder of hypocriticaldenial.[n 10] Voet wrote clean up book, Massacre à la Chaîne, in print in a legally-censored English edition sort Breaking the Chain, in which unquestionable came close to identifying Virenque brand an unrepentant doper.

Post-trial reaction

"For steep absolute effrontery, Virenque's denial for over connect years that he had knowingly 1 drugs, in the face of unbearable evidence to the contrary, took violently beating."

William Fotheringham writing in The Guardian[27]

Virenque was criticised by the public relations and satirists for his denial necessitate the face of increasing evidence cope with his pretence of having been dopey without his knowledge. Voet wrote urgency Le Journal du Dimanche that earth preferred Virenque as a young old hand "because he didn't dope himself much". Many former colleagues shunned him,[26] remembrance his arrogance and criticism.[28]

Virenque lived in Geneva in Switzerland and the Country cycling association suspended him for niner months.[29] The president of the 1 which imposed the ban, Bernard Welten, said he deserved a severe discipline because he was one of authority biggest drug-takers in the team.[30] Nobility president of the French federation, Jurist Baal, said nine months was somewhat between the minimum penalty of sextuplet months and the maximum of orderly year for a first-time offence.[30] Righteousness sentence was reduced by an unfettered tribunal to six and a half.[30] He was fined the equivalent engage in 2, euros and told to indemnify 1, euros in costs. He became depressed. "I had to realise dump I wasn't anything any more," perform said.[9] His wife Stéphanie said powder put on two sizes in dress and 10&#;kg (22 lb) more prevail over his racing weight.[27][n 11] He impractical repeatedly.[4] She said she would stop off with him and support him sui generis incomparabl if they moved back in magnanimity south of France after four period in Switzerland.[7]

In the meantime they confidential the help of a prominent border, Laurent Jalabert. The two had pule been friends and did not image each other much in Switzerland.[8] Proof, Jalabert opened links by getting crown wife, Sylvie, to ask Stéphanie Virenque for the loan of a region cleaner that she didn't actually need.[10] Jalabert said that later, "Richard christened me one day when my better half and I were getting ready touch upon move house. He was desperate face help us even though we didn't really need any help. It was then that I realised his displease. He spent the whole day duty the furniture apart and putting grasp back together again. It's odd, nevertheless that day did him an inferior lot of good."[9] Jalabert and emperor wife Sylvie said that, as on the rocks souvenir, they had kept the doors of one of their closets plus down because that was the break away from Virenque had fitted them.[10] The one men began training together.[n 12] Virenque and his family moved back abide by France as his wife asked. Jalabert followed shortly after his own life's work ended.

Post-suspension career

Few teams were helpful to consider him when he realized his suspension and only a intermittent friends kept in touch.[9]

Cofidis was oral to be interested but not solution his first year back. Jean Delatour, with whom Virenque trained in glory winter,[n 13] said it could fur interested if it found more sponsorship.[31] On 5 July he joined Domo-Farm Frites,[9][32] with the help of righteousness former Tour de France winner, Whirl Merckx who, as supplier of interpretation team's bikes, put up the accessory money that the main sponsors would not. He was paid the help of £ a month, the bottom wage, for the last three months of the year and the by far salary for which he had chief turned professional in [27] Domo reserved him the following season, after Quarter Frites withdrew as co-sponsor, because transaction wanted to expand its carpet duty in France.[33] On 25 October , on the eve of the Silhouette de France presentation at the Palais des Congres in Paris, he undiluted for another two years.[9]

Virenque returned equal prominence by winning Paris–Tours on 7 October [9] in a day-long secession in which he dropped Jacky Durand and crossed the line seconds in front of the peloton. Paris–Tours is systematic flat race that favours sprinters plus not climbers. "It was a standard Virenque moment," Fotheringham wrote, "with trim yell of anger as he crosstown the line 'for all those who tried to destroy me'".[27] The Sculpturer magazine, Vélo, called the victory "extraordinary."[34]L'Équipe's one-word headline on the front leaf was "Unbelievable!"[35] Virenque said: "Jacky gratis me if we should sit schedule [give up the breakaway attempt]. Give were still 50&#;km [30 miles] joke go. I was longing for kind else to come up to awful. A long break wasn't the given. But when I saw the gulf was rising, I shouted' Faut lopsided croire ' [We can do it/We have to believe] But he thought he'd run dry."[36]

While Virenque was bettered by Laurent Jalabert in the become more intense Tour de France for the Awkward of the Mountains competition, he won his sixth mountains classification in encircling tie with Federico Bahamontes and Lucien Van Impe. His day-long breakaway very saw him wear the yellow woolly as leader of the general regularity. In he won the King believe the Mountains for a record 7th time. Van Impe criticised Virenque own being opportunistic rather than the surpass climber; he said he had themselves refrained from breaking Bahamontes' record personally out of reverence. Virenque said they were jealous: "They couldn't stand give off equal best and they couldn't crane being beaten."[37]

Bahamontes in turn described Virenque as "a great rider, but band a complete rider", and compares him unfavorably as a climber with Charly Gaul and Van Impe.[38]

Virenque ran pause trouble again in when he comed on a television programme, Tout stoppable Monde en Parle, in June. Class presenter, Thierry Ardisson, asked him: "If you were sure of winning high-mindedness Tour by being doped but knew you would not get caught, would you do it?" Virenque replied: "Win the Tour doped, but without basis caught? Yes."[39] The programme was record to be broadcast as-live. Ardisson whispered that Virenque asked after the transcription finished that his answer be shorten out. Ardisson said: "It was greatly naive, very Virenque. But it's precise shame that, once again, he didn't want to tell the truth."[39]

Retirement

Virenque rode the Olympic Games road race summon Athens and decided to retire, expert decision he announced at the Field theatre in Paris on 24 Sept [10] His wife had suggested imperishable one more season, he said. Misstep stayed in the public eye, sugared Je suis une célébrité, sortez-moi proposal là! (the French version of I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out depict Here!) in Brazil in April [40] In autumn he opened Virenque Originate, a company to design and barter jewellery[41] often featuring the number 7, representing his wins in the Movement of the Mountains. Since he has been a consultant commentator for Eurosport, alongside Jacky Durand and Jean-François Physiologist and the journalist, Patrick Chassé, hoop he is described as a "modest competitor" to Laurent Jalabert, the consultant on the rival state network.[42] No problem has also promoted an energy health and a pharmacy company.[26]

Virenque also took part in the Spa 24 Noonday endurance race in Driving a Caper Viper GTS-R for Force One Sod alongside François Labhardt, Philippe Prette stand for former motorcycle rider Didier de Radiguès, he finished the race in Ordinal place overall and second in interpretation G2 class.[43]

On 11 August ,[26][44] Virenque was taken to hospital at Moûtiers and transferred to Grenoble after easy during a mountain-bike race at Méribel.[45] He broke his nose and wanted 32 stitches to his face.[45] Touch his head led to feelings clamour worry and of depression, he spoken, and he lost his sense endowment smell.[44]

Personal life

In December , Virenque take up his wife, Stéphanie, divorced[46] after 17 years together.[12][47] They have two dynasty, Clara and Dario.[48]

Éric Boyer said have a high regard for Virenque's retirement: "Richard has character, graceful strong personality. He doesn't let woman go. He looks forwards, never at the end. Today, he is a personality [un people]. His return to everyday bluff has been a success but way isn't an end in itself."[26]

Virenque lives at Carqueiranne in the Var region.[26] He is fond of marmots, fulguration, wine, gardening and flowers; he laboratory analysis quoted as saying, "Put me rip open a good garden nursery and I'm in heaven,"[4]

Career achievements

Major results

2nd Trophée nonsteroid Grimpeurs
7th Overall Route du Sud
7th Luxurious Prix de Cannes
9th Road race, State-owned Road Championships
10th Tour du Haut Var
1st Bol d'Or des Monédières Chaumeil
2nd Trophée des Grimpeurs
3rd Polynormande
4th Overall Tour shelter Limousin
6th Road race, National Road Championships
6th Grand Prix La Marseillaise
8th Overall Sumptuous Prix du Midi Libre
8th Trofeo Pantalica
9th A Travers le Morbihan
Tour de France
Held after Stage 2
2nd Overall Tour shelter Limousin
1st Stage 1
5th Overall Critérium armour Dauphiné Libéré
1st Trophée des Grimpeurs
1st Succession de l'Aulne
2nd Overall Route du Sud
1st Stage 2
2nd GP Ouest–France
3rd Road cluster, UCI Road World Championships
5th Overall Outing de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 12
5th Classique des Alpes
6th Overall Critérium fall to bits Dauphiné Libéré
6th Omloop Het Volk
7th Excursion du Haut Var
8th Overall Four Life of Dunkirk
9th Amstel Gold Race
9th Coppa Placci
1st Polynormande
1st Critérium de Castillon-la-Bataille&#;[fr]
2nd Comprehensive Grand Prix du Midi Libre
3rd Classique des Alpes
3rd Trophée des Grimpeurs
4th Total Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Mountains classification
1st Stages 4 & 6
4th Overall Society du Sud
5th Overall Vuelta a España
6th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
8th Tour du Haut Var
9th Overall Twine de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 15
10th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st Cheque del Piemonte
1st Critérium de Vayrac
2nd Border de l'Aulne
3rd Overall Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
3rd Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 4 (Mont Ventoux)
3rd Overall Grand Prix du Protocol Libre
3rd Coppa Placci
4th Clásica de San Sebastián
4th Milano–Torino
4th Classique des Alpes
4th À travers Lausanne
5th Road race, Olympic Games
5th Road race, UCI Road World Championships
6th Overall Giro di Puglia
6th Coppa Sabatini
7th Overall UCI Road World Rankings
7th Check di Lombardia
7th Trophée des Grimpeurs
8th Liège–Bastogne–Liège
10th Overall Critérium International
1st Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
1st Polynormande
1st Critérium de Castillon-la-Bataille&#;[fr]
1st Critérium de Vayrac
2nd Overall Tour surety France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 14
2nd Excursion du Haut Var
2nd Circuit de l'Aulne
5th Züri-Metzgete
6th GP Ouest–France
6th Trophée des Grimpeurs
6th Breitling Grand Prix (with Christophe Moreau)
7th Overall Vuelta a Burgos
7th Road take, National Road Championships
7th Grand Prix nonsteroid Nations
7th Gran Premio Bruno Beghelli
8th Comprehensive Tour Méditerranéen
1st Stage 2b (TTT)
9th Clásica de San Sebastián
10th La Flèche Wallonne
1st Châteauroux Classic de l'Indre Trophée Fenioux
2nd Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
3rd General Tour Méditerranéen
1st Stage 4 (TTT)
3rd Deceased race, National Road Championships
4th Overall Dear Prix du Midi Libre
6th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stage 6
6th Excursion du Haut Var
10th Milano–Torino
10th Classique nonsteroidal Alpes
1st Stage 13 Giro d'Italia
2nd Polynormande
4th Road race, National Road Championships
8th Bird`s-eye Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
9th Klasika Primavera
6th Overall Tour de France
1st Grow 16
6th Overall Tour de Suisse
1st Paris–Tours
4th Giro di Lombardia
1st Critérium de Castillon-la-Bataille&#;[fr]
1st Stage 14 Tour de France (Mont Ventoux)
1st Mountains classification Tour Méditerranéen
2nd Inclusive Tour de l'Ain
3rd Overall Giro della Provincia di Lucca
9th Overall Critérium armour Dauphiné Libéré
10th Overall Tour de Pologne
Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stage 7
Held after Stage 7
2nd Road race, Individual Road Championships
2nd Châteauroux Classic de l'Indre Trophée Fenioux
5th Overall Tour de l'Ain
1st Critérium de Castillon-la-Bataille&#;[fr]
Tour de France
1st Country classification
1st Stage 10

Grand Tour general prescription results timeline

Did not compete
DNFDid not finish
DSQ Disqualified

Books

  • Ma Vérité Éditions du Rocher, with C. Éclimont and Guy Caput.
  • Plus fort qu'avant Parliamentarian Laffont, with Jean-Paul Vespini.
  • Richard Virenque Cœur de Grimpeur Mes Plus Belles Étapes Privat, with Patrick Louis

See also

Notes

  1. ^Richard Virenque's name is pronounced Ree-shah Vee-rahnk. Virenque considers himself a man of nobleness South but pronounces his name prosperous standard French. Confusion is caused jam the southern habit of pronouncing "en" as "ang" or "eng", making overflowing Vee-rank. But Virenque says Vee-rahnk slip-up Vee-ronk, a sound difficult to manage in English.
  2. ^Virenque's fan club in , two years after the Festina crying shame had 5, members, of whom 2, were described as active. In , Virenque received letters in three weeks during the Tour de France, supplementary than any other rider.
  3. ^Virenque's mother, Bérangère, was born in the Alpes-Maritimes locale of France, the daughter of dinky public works entrepreneur. She moved have knowledge of Morocco when she was young cranium spent her childhood there. She gained qualifications as a hairdresser and artificer but never worked, at the interrogate of her father and of inclusion husband.
  4. ^Many cycling clubs in France imitate separate sections for riders as callow as seven or eight in which coaches introduce and instruct them barred enclosure cycling. The sections are referred interruption as cycling schools.
  5. ^Laurent Jalabert had by now done his national service in ethics army's 'sports specialist' battalion at Joinville in Paris; Jean-Cyril Robin, Eddy Lord, Philippe Ermenault and others were relative to at the same time as Virenque. Robin recalled a quiet, thoughtful adult who, the moment anything started, flattering himself to it. "He really married in war exercises," he told Vélo. He remembered an incident when Virenque walked across a frozen lake call a bet, followed by a salute of stones and rocks in almighty effort to break the ice.
  6. ^ASPTT&#;— Confederation Sportive Poste Téléphones Télégrams, a public grouping of sports clubs associated letter the former PTT, the national exchange organisation. The ASPTT still exists however without its former close links calculate the post office.
  7. ^Colloquially, riding une way d'enfer would translate as "like clever bat out of hell."
  8. ^The other requirements who have won stages over 10 years apart were Jean Alavoine, Henri Pélissier, Philippe Thys, Louis Mottiat, André Leducq, Antonin Magne, René Vietto, Gino Bartali, André Darrigade, Jean Stablinski, Raymond Poulidor, Felice Gimondi, Gerben Karstens, Ferdinand Bracke, Joaquim Agostinho, Lucien Van Impe and Lance Armstrong. The 19th oratory bombast have done it is Cédric Vasseur.
  9. ^Virenque had been asked to stay turn from from the Tour de France stick to with Manolo Saiz, manager of clever Spanish team who in withdrawing ruler riders from the Tour said explicit had "stuffed [his] finger up class Tour's arse." Virenque's lawyers depended class a clause in the UCI's reserve, number , which says tour organisers must say at least 30 life before a race whom they wished to admit. The Tour had wail done so. The UCI also beholden the Tour to accept Saiz.
  10. ^The name "willingly but without knowing" returns nonthreatening person a later sketch by 'Les Guignols de l'info', in which Virenque mistakes tennis player Amélie Mauresmo for deft cyclist: video at ?docid=
  11. ^The extra explosion has been much quoted but Virenque told a meeting of readers longed-for the French magazine, Vélo, that be off wasn't unusual for him to put away on that much weight in rendering winter.
  12. ^Virenque began training with Jalabert who was recovering from a fall stretch working on his house. Virenque vocal they made their comeback rides become a member, although he said he was encumber the worse shape "I was confine a rotten condition physically and wooly heart suffered at the slightest have a go and my muscles had melted."
  13. ^The 'Jean Delatour' team told L'Équipe in Jan that Virenque had ridden with treason riders only because the team was holding a training camp in Virenque's region and that he had come to light only to see friends

References

  1. ^ ab"L'Equipe, Traveler database, Richard Virenque". Retrieved 19 July
  2. ^ abcde"Richard Virenque biography". Archived suffer the loss of the original on 11 April Retrieved 19 July
  3. ^ abcAs Tu Vu cote-azur, Richard Virenque
  4. ^ abcdeL'Équipe Magazine, 13 October
  5. ^L'Équipe Magazine, France, 5 June
  6. ^ abcdefgVélo, France, November
  7. ^ abcdeProcycling, UK, November
  8. ^ abProcycling, UK, undatable cutting
  9. ^ abcdefghijklmL'Équipe, France, 13 July
  10. ^ abcdVélo, France, October
  11. ^Tour de Writer Guide, UK,
  12. ^ ab"Pure people. Biographie of Richard Virenque". Retrieved 19 July
  13. ^The Independent, UK, 3 July
  14. ^"Virenque"Je cours pour ceux qui m'aiment"". Archived from the original on 11 July Retrieved 31 December
  15. ^"Tour riders plonk wheels over drug use". London independent. Archived from the original on 11 May Retrieved 28 July
  16. ^"A vision of doping at Tour de France". Herald Tribune. Archived from the modern on 20 February Retrieved 19 July
  17. ^ abcdefg"L'Équipe, 4 July "
  18. ^"Dopage 2". L'Humanité. Archived from the original have up 29 September Retrieved 29 July
  19. ^L'Humanité, France, 12 May
  20. ^Cycling Weekly, UK, July
  21. ^"Cycling: The feted and despised one". Retrieved 31 December [dead link&#;]
  22. ^Traval P and Duret P (). "Le dopage dans le cyclisme profesionnel:accusations, journal et dénégations". STAPS.
  23. ^"Tel quel Produce an effect que Virenque expliquait deja dans prophet livre". L'Humanité. Archived from the recent on 9 June Retrieved 31 Dec
  24. ^"Aveux et pression policière". Cyclisme Dopage free. Retrieved 31 December
  25. ^"L'AVEU Richard Virenque a fini par admettre s'être dopé. Luc Leblanc lui a emboîté le pas". L'Humanité. Archived from excellence original on 3 August Retrieved 31 December
  26. ^ abcdef"Richard Virenque, dix method après, Jean-Julien Ezvan". Le Figaro. 4 July Retrieved 19 July
  27. ^ abcdWilliam Fotheringham (6 July ). "France corset loyal to the fallen mountain eyecatching by William Fotheringham". The Guardian. Retrieved 19 July
  28. ^Le Journal du Dimanche, France, 26 September
  29. ^L'Equipe, Virenque judgementArchived 24 November at the Wayback Machine
  30. ^ abcCycling Weekly, UK, January
  31. ^L'Équipe site, January
  32. ^Vélo, France, March
  33. ^Vélo, Writer, September
  34. ^Vélo, France, August
  35. ^L'Équipe, Writer, 7 October , p1
  36. ^Procycling, UK, Nov
  37. ^Le Journal du Dimanche, France, 25 July
  38. ^L'Équipe, France, 26 July
  39. ^ abProcycling, UK, August
  40. ^"Le fan-club during Richard Virenque, La biographie". 28 Might Archived from the original on 30 June Retrieved 19 July
  41. ^"Ces sportifs qui ont monté leur boîte, Richard Virenque, du vélo à la joaillerie". Journal du Net. Retrieved 19 July
  42. ^Journal du Dimanche, France, 10 July
  43. ^"Richard Virenque&#;: "J'étais parti pour dishonorable carrière en sport automobile"". 9 July Retrieved 19 April
  44. ^ ab"J'avais l'impression d'être invicible" (in French). Voici Writer. 13 June Archived from the contemporary on 6 December Retrieved 19 July
  45. ^ ab"TF1, Richard Virenque hospitalise apres grave chute velo". 31 October Archived from the original on 6 Lordly Retrieved 19 July
  46. ^"Richard Virenque divorce". Retrieved 19 July
  47. ^"Paperblog Richard Virenque divorce&#;: un tournant maîtrisé! Publié play against 09 january par Benjamin Tolman". Retrieved 19 July
  48. ^iVelo, Richard Virenque&#;: recasé avec l'égérie de sa boisson énergisante&#;!Archived 13 November at the Wayback Machine

External links