CONTENTS

Publishers’ Note

Foreword

by Phil LiggettAuthor’s IntroductionPart One - The PrincePart Two - The Young KingPart Three - The Old KingPart Four - AbdicationA Chapter of QuotationsPostscriptBibliographyAppendix: Jacques Anquetil’s Palmares

PART THREE - THE OLD KINGChapter Eleven

As the fans looked forward to a new season it was evident that somethings were going to be different. The Helyett team was now co-sponsored by the Italian drinks company Fynsec, but André Darrigadewould not be riding for them: he had put on the light-blue Alcyon-Leroux jersey. His friendship with Jacques had cooled considerablysince the two men got married and Anquetil’s new ‘right-hand man’was Jean Stablinski. Jean was, by now, recognised as one of the mostastute riders in the game and fully understood Jacques’ need to bemotivated. Indeed, he was to some extent his adviser and, in the yearsto come, many people came to regard them as more like brothers.Antonin Magne was making a lot of noise about his new teamleader, a certain Raymond Poulidor. The journalists were a little

sceptical as Raymond was, by now, in his twenty-fth year, and had

yet to win anything of any great importance. However, the reason for his comparatively late start with the pros was that his military servicehad been delayed, so 1961 was only his second season in the paidranks.Jacques was now 27, the age at which riders were normallyexpected to reach maturity, so perhaps it was for this reason that he planned to ride a long, hard season of races. He was determined toestablish himself beyond all possible doubt as the number-one rider in France and, after studying the route of the forthcoming Tour deFrance, he decided that it would suit him; he was determined to bringoff something spectacular.The cycling world was somewhat scandalised when Van Looyadmitted to the Belgian press that he had helped his Belgian rival,Emile Daems, to an overall win in the Tour of Sardinia in return for acouple of stage victories. He explained to the journalists in Brusselsthat, if he could not win himself, he preferred to see victory going toanother Belgian. Anquetil responded to this by claiming that Van Looy

had ridden specically against him in the past two Tours of Italy, but

that he had sought his help in the Tour of Lombardy against one of his (Jacques’) own team mates, Graczyk. He had refused, of course,and went on to say that if Rik continued to act in this way then peoplewould start talking about a ‘blue train’* on the road. Certainly VanLooy’s conduct in Sardinia brought no credit on him and upset manyin the peloton.Winning the Paris–Nice proved that Jacques had come to formearly in 1961, but would he be able to hold it for the whole season?

French hearts were lled with joy when Raymond Poulidor won the

Milan–San Remo. Antonin Magne had not been joking when he saidhe had somebody special on his hands.Then it was back to Paris, to the former motor-racing circuit of Montlhéry, where the National Criterium was being held. The course

took in the banked track as well as the twisty, at circuit alongside it.

Just like the Brooklands circuit, south of London, Montlhéry had seenits heyday before the war. Unlike Brooklands, however, the Parisiantrack had been kept in good condition as it was used on a regular basisfor record attempts. The race was fast and furious, and Anquetil, asone journalist remarked, rode ‘a la Bobet’. In other words, he spent the

whole race in the front quarter of the eld.With three laps to go a front group of fteen had established itself

and Jacques managed to join them after closing the gap by himself.Paul Wiegant, his Directeur Sportif, drew alongside in his car andurged Anquetil to attack. Jacques shook his head and said, ‘You must be joking. Not in this wind.’ Jean Graczyk also urged him to try to getclear. ‘No, Jean,’ he said. ‘You go and if they bring you back, then I’lltry it.’The words were hardly out of his mouth when there was a loud

‘pft’ as Graczyk’s back tyre went down. Jean Stablinski then had a

try at persuading him. ‘Go to the front, Jacques. Ride to win. If youdecide to go clear, you can drop any peloton. Just try and you’ll seethat I’m right.’

*The so-called ‘blue train’ was reputed to be a system in the Six-Day races on thetrack whereby the top riders shared the main spoils amongst themselves, thereby