Michel Pollentier

Michel Pollentier (born 13 February 1951 in Diksmuide, West-Vlaanderen) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer.

Michel Pollentier
Pollentier at the 1976 Tour de France
Personal information
Full nameMichel Pollentier
Born (1951-02-13) 13 February 1951
Belgium
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
3 individual stages
Giro d'Italia
General classification (1977)
1 individual stage
Vuelta a España
2 individual stages

Stage races

Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1978)
Tour de Suisse (1977)

One-day races and Classics

National Road Race Championships (1977, 1978)
Tour of Flanders (1980)

He became professional in 1973. The highlight of his career was his overall win in the 1977 Giro d'Italia.[1]

In the 1978 Tour de France, he was the Belgian national champion when he won the stage arriving in Alpe d'Huez and took the yellow jersey. 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.[2] 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,[2] later won by Bernard Hinault.

The affair took away most of Pollentier's credibility in international cycling. Even though he won the 1980s edition of the Tour of Flanders[3] and he also came 2nd in the 1982 Vuelta a España.[4] 1984 was his last professional season. 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
Gent – Staden
1973
Houthulst
Schinnen
Westende
1974
Leeuwse Pijl
Bredene
7th Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 21b
1975
1st Stage 13 Tour de France
Assebroek
Harelbeke
Kortenhoef
Merchtem
Beernem
1976
1st Giro del Piemonte
7th Overall Tour de France
1st Stage 16
Stadsprijs Geraardsbergen
Torino
Ronde van België
Oostduinkerke
Trofeo Baracchi (with Freddy Maertens)
1977
Brescia
De Panne
1st Road race, National Road Championships
1st Overall Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 21
1st Overall Tour de Suisse
Gouden Pijl Emmen
6th Overall Vuelta a España
1st Stage 4
Valdengo
Nandrin, Criterium
1978
1st Road race, National Road Championships
1st Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
GP Mallorca
Soler
Trofeo Isla de Mallorca
Vichte
1979
3rd Overall Vuelta a España
Beveren-Leie
Circuit des genêts verts
GP du Tournaisis
Houthulst
Soignies
Mol
Ruiselede
Koekelare
1980
1st Tour of Flanders
1st Brabantse Pijl
Freiburg
Moorsele
Moorslede
Dinant
Wingene
Sombreffe
1981
Sleidinge
1982
2nd Overall Vuelta a España
Bellegem
Beveren-Leie
Gistel
Omloop van de Westkust De Panne
Kortemark
1983
De Panne
Anderlues
De Haan
Aartrijke
Herselt
Torhout
Adinkerke
1984
1st Stage 6 Vuelta a España
Lutlommel

Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Grand Tour 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984
Giro d'Italia — — — — 1 — — — — — — —
Tour de France 34 7 23 7 — DSQ DNF DNF DNF — — —
Vuelta a España — — — — 6 — 3 26 — 2 — 13
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish
DSQ Disqualified

See also

References
  1. "Michel Pollentier – Rider Statistics Giro d'Italia – By: CyclingFever.com – The International Cycling Social Network". cyclingfever.com.
  2. "BBC SPORT – FUNNY OLD GAME – Nags on the fags and dodgy doping". BBC.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 26 January 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. http://www.cyclinghalloffame.com/riders/rider_bio.asp?rider_id=435
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