Laurent Jalabert

Laurent Jalabert

Jalabert at the 1993 Tour de France
Personal information
Full name	Laurent Jalabert
Nickname	Jaja Le panda
Born	(1968-11-30) 30 November 1968 Mazamet, France
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9+1⁄2 in)
Weight	66 kg (146 lb; 10 st 6 lb)
Team information
Current team	Retired
Discipline	Road
Role	Rider
Rider type	All-rounder
Amateur teams
1987	US Montauban
1988	GSC Blagnac
Professional teams
1989–1991	Toshiba
1992–2000	ONCE
2001–2002	CSC–Tiscali
Major wins
Grand Tours Tour de France Points classification (1992, 1995) Mountains classification (2001, 2002) Combativity award (2001, 2002) 4 individual stages Giro d'Italia Points classification (1999) 3 individual stages Vuelta a España General classification (1995) Points classification (1994–1997) Mountains classification (1995) 18 individual stages Stage races Paris–Nice (1995, 1996, 1997) Volta a Catalunya (1995) Critérium International (1995) Vuelta a Burgos (1997) Tour de Romandie (1999) Tour of the Basque Country (1999) One-day races and Classics World Time Trial Championships (1997) National Road Race Championships (1998) Milan–San Remo (1995) La Flèche Wallonne (1995, 1997) Giro di Lombardia (1997) Milano–Torino (1997) Clásica de San Sebastián (2001, 2002) Other UCI Road World Rankings (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999) Vélo d'Or (1995)
Medal record Representing France Men's road bicycle racing World Championships 1997 San Sebastián Elite Men's Time Trial 1992 Benidorm Elite Men's Road Race

Laurent Jalabert (born 30 November 1968) is a French former professional road racing cyclist, from 1989 to 2002.

Affectionately known as "Jaja" (slang for a glass of wine; when he continued drinking wine as a professional, the nickname stuck because of the similarity to his name), he won many one-day and stage races and was ranked number 1 in the world in 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999.

Although he never won the Tour de France, where he suffered altitude sickness, he won the Vuelta a España in 1995; as well as the leader's jersey, he won the sprinter's jersey and climber's jersey in the same race — only the third rider to have done this in a Grand Tour. With Alessandro Petacchi, Eddy Merckx, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov and Mark Cavendish, he is one of only five riders to win the points classification in all three grand tours.

Biography

He turned professional with the French Toshiba team in 1989 and quickly established himself as a daring sprinter. He moved on to the Spanish ONCE team under Manolo Saiz, where he reinvented himself as an all-rounder capable of winning one-day races and the tours.

A catalyst was an accident at the finish of the 1994 Tour de France stage in Armentières. A policeman leaned out and several riders hit him. Jalabert was flung into the air and his bicycle was destroyed. He injured his face and promised his wife to change his style of riding. It only took a short while.

He won the 1995 Vuelta a España along with the points and climbers' competitions. He won the world time trial championship in 1997, and was French road champion in 1998, the year he initiated a pull-out of Spanish teams from the 1998 Tour de France in protest at treatment of riders in a police inquiry into drug-taking. This caused discontent among French fans and it took years for them to warm to him. He moved to CSC in 2001, where he won the stage on 14 July, the French national day, Bastille Day, in the 2001 Tour de France. Earlier in the year he had injured his back in a domestic accident. He retired in 2002 after winning the mountains classification in the Tour de France and going on a solo escape in the Pyrenees.

Grand tours

He won several stages of the Tour de France, as a sprinter winning the points classification in the Tour de France twice and as a climber winning the mountains classification in the Tour de France twice. His wins on Bastille Day in Tour de France in 1995 and 2001 ensured him a place in the hearts of French fans.

In the 1990s he dominated Spanish stage races. Jalabert and Alex Zülle were a constant threat to other teams in the Vuelta a España, taking turns winning stages, the overall classification and the points jersey. The strength of ONCE, with domestiques such as Johan Bruyneel and Neil Stephens, meant they were able to keep a rein from start to finish.

Besides Eddy Merckx and Tony Rominger, Jalabert is the only cyclist who has accomplished the trifecta at the grand tour level in the 1995 Vuelta a España, where he won the general, sprinters' and climbers' classifications.

Jalabert is known for sporting generosity. In the 1995 Vuelta he allowed Bert Dietz of Telekom — who had been in a solo breakaway for many kilometers — to take the mountaintop stage win at Sierra Nevada even though he had caught Dietz in the final kilometers. "I never thought we'd catch him, and when I saw he was ready to drop I felt sorry for him. I wanted to show it's not true I'm trying to win it all. My goal is the Tour of Spain," Jalabert said.

When the Vuelta was moved to September, Jalabert was finally able to compete in the spring classics and stage races such as Paris–Nice, winning many stages and the overall classification many times.

One-day races

His palmarès include Milan–San Remo in 1995 and the Giro di Lombardia in 1997. He also won La Flèche Wallonne in 1995 and 1997, and the Clásica de San Sebastián in 2001 and 2002. Absent from his palmares is the world cycling championship road race, although he was second in 1992 to Gianni Bugno of Italy. He also won an award as the most combative rider in the Tour de France in 2001 and 2002.

Retirement

On retirement, Jalabert was a consultant for Look cycles and contributed to a new line of bicycle frames. He is a commentator for France 2 and 3, the national television stations, often from a motorcycle alongside the race. In 2005, Jalabert ran the New York City marathon in 2h 55m 39s, coming 391st in a field of 36,894. He lives with his wife Sylvie and their children at Lafrançaise, near Montauban, south-west France. His brother Nicolas, who often raced with him, continued racing after Laurent's retirement.

Jalabert at the 2009 UCI Road World Championships

Jalabert has also taken up triathlon. In January 2007, he competed at Ironman Switzerland and finished in 9 hours 12 minutes. He exited the water in 1:16, which put him 966th after the swim. Once on the bike he made up significant ground with a 4:39 bike split, which allowed him to climb to 91st overall at the run transition. A 3:11 marathon was enough to gain an additional 69 places and finish 22nd of 1,850 participants. After Switzerland he qualified for the Ironman World championship in Kona, Hawaii, finishing in 9:19 and 76th overall. In June, 2008, he finished 12th overall at Ironman France in Nice, improving his swim time to 1:06 and having the second fastest bike split.

On 11 March 2013 Jalabert was hit by a car while riding his bike near Montauban, France. When the ambulance arrived on the scene of the crash, he was found unconscious and with multiple fractures to his left arm and leg. That same year, Jalabert was summoned by the French senate for a testimony about doping. Jalabert never denied or confirmed that he had doped during his career: "I can’t firmly say that I’ve never taken anything illegal. I’ve effectively used products when it was necessary, in case of lesions or other injuries. At ONCE, in the evening after the stages, the doctor took care of us, for our recovery, but we didn’t really know what it was. A relationship with doctors based on mutual trust was established, so we didn’t ask questions." He also stated that after the Festina affair, he wanted to help his sport move in a new, cleaner direction. In June 2013, it was reported in L'Équipe that retroactive tests performed in 2004 had found evidence of EPO use in samples provided by Jalabert in 1998. The re-tests were originally anonymous, but the Senate inquiry in 2013 has subsequently linked the tests to named riders. Because of these alligations on EPO usage Jalabert has been accused of hypocrisy in criticism of Chris Froome's performance in the 2015 Tour de France.

Career achievements

Major results

1988

1st French Military Championships

8th Overall Tour de l'Avenir

1989

1st Overall Tour d'Armorique

1st Stage 1

1st Stage 3 Tour du Limousin

3rd Trofeo Luis Puig

10th Grand Prix de Wallonie

1990

1st Overall Paris–Bourges

1st Stage 1

1st Stage 3 Circuit de la Sarthe

2nd Clásica de San Sebastián

2nd Philadelphia International Cycling Classic

3rd Overall Tour de l'Avenir

4th Overall Tour du Limousin

4th Grand Prix de Wallonie

5th Grand Prix d'Isbergues

6th Overall Route du Sud

6th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

9th Grand Prix du Morbihan

1991

2nd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk

1st Stage 2a

2nd Overall Paris–Nice

2nd UCI Road World Cup

2nd Züri–Metzgete

3rd Grand Prix de Cannes

4th Overall Tour de l'Oise

4th Clásica de San Sebastián

6th Road race, National Road Championships

7th Amstel Gold Race

7th Paris–Tours

7th Grand Prix de Fourmies

8th Giro di Lombardia

9th Tour of Flanders

10th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre

10th Grand Prix des Nations

1992

Tour de France

1st Points classification

1st Stage 6

Volta a Catalunya

1st Stages 2, 5a & 7

Vuelta a Burgos

1st Points classification

1st Stages 3, 4 & 6

1st Stage 3 Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stage 3 Euskal Bizikleta

2nd Road race, UCI Road World Championships

2nd Wincanton Classic

3rd Trofeo Luis Puig

4th Coppa Placci

5th UCI Road World Cup

5th Paris–Tours

6th Grand Prix des Amériques

7th Giro dell'Emilia

8th Züri–Metzgete

9th Milan–San Remo

1993

1st Overall Vuelta a La Rioja

1st Stages 2 & 3

1st Overall Vuelta a Mallorca

1st Stages 2, 3 & 4

Vuelta a España

1st Stages 3 & 7

Volta a Catalunya

1st Stages 3 & 4

1st Trofeo Luis Puig

1st Clasica de Alcobendas

1st GP de Toulouse

1st Stage 8a Paris–Nice

1st Stage 6 Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

1st Stage 3 Vuelta Asturias

1st Stage 5 Vuelta a Castilla y León

1st Stage 1 Tour of Galicia

3rd Boucles de l'Aulne

4th Milan–San Remo

4th GP Ouest–France

5th Trofeo Masferrer

7th Gent–Wevelgem

8th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre

9th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

1994

Vuelta a España

1st Points classification

1st Stages 2, 3, 5, 12, 13, 16 & 21

1st Stage 5 Grand Prix du Midi Libre

1st Stage 5 Volta a Catalunya

2nd Trofeo Luis Puig

4th Road race, National Road Championships

5th Giro del Piemonte

7th Overall Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stage 2

8th Paris–Tours

9th Overall Critérium International

10th Milan–San Remo

1995

1st Overall Vuelta a España

1st Points classification

1st Mountains classification

1st Stages 3, 5, 8, 15, & 17

1st Overall Paris–Nice

1st Stage 2

1st Overall Volta a Catalunya

1st Stages 1 & 7

1st Overall Critérium International

1st Stages 1 & 2

1st Milan–San Remo

1st La Flèche Wallonne

1st GP de Toulouse

1st GP Amore-Bieta

1st Stage 3 Grand Prix du Midi Libre

2nd Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

1st Stage 2a

4th Overall Tour de France

1st Points classification

1st Stage 12

Held after Stages 2–3

4th Clásica de San Sebastián

6th Wincanton Classic

1996

Vuelta a España

1st Points classification

1st Stages 3 & 13

1st Overall Paris–Nice

1st Stages 3 & 4

1st Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre

1st Stages 2 & 5

1st Overall Route du Sud

1st Overall Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana

1st Stage 1

1st Classique des Alpes

1st Sète-Mont Saint-Clair

1st Stage 1 Tour of the Basque Country

2nd Overall French Road Cycling Cup

3rd Milano–Torino

5th Paris–Tours

7th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

9th Giro di Lombardia

10th Clásica de San Sebastián

10th Züri–Metzgete

1997

1st Time trial, UCI Road World Championships

1st Overall Paris–Nice

1st Stages 1 & 6

1st Overall Vuelta a Burgos

1st Stage 2

1st Overall Escalada a Montjuïc

1st Stages 1a & 1b

1st Giro di Lombardia

1st La Flèche Wallonne

1st Milano–Torino

1st Route Adélie

1st Vuelta a Mallorca

2nd Overall Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stages 2 & 4

2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

5th UCI Road World Cup

7th Overall Vuelta a España

1st Points classification

1st Stages 6 & 20

7th Amstel Gold Race

1998

1st Road race, National Road Championships

1st Overall Vuelta a Asturias

1st Stages 1 & 6

Tour de Suisse

1st Prologue, Stages 3 & 8

Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stages 1 & 5b

1st Classique des Alpes

1st Tour du Haut Var

2nd Overall Paris–Nice

2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège

5th Overall Vuelta a España

1999

1st Overall Tour de Romandie

1st Prologue, Stages 2 & 3b

1st Overall Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stage 1 & 5b

1st Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme

1st Stage 5b

1st Prueba Villafranca de Ordizia

2nd Overall Tour de Suisse

1st Prologue

4th Overall Giro d'Italia

1st Points classification

1st Stages 4, 9 & 16

Held after Stages 5–7 & 9–13

2000

1st Overall Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme

1st Stage 5b

1st Overall Tour Méditerranéen

1st Stage 5

1st Stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré

1st Stage 3 Tirreno–Adriatico

2nd GP Miguel Induráin

3rd Overall Tour of the Basque Country

1st Stage 4

3rd La Flèche Wallonne

5th Road race, Olympic Games

10th Liège–Bastogne–Liège

2001

Tour de France

1st Mountains classification

1st Stages 4 & 7

Combativity award Overall

1st Clásica de San Sebastián

1st Polynormande

2nd Overall Four Days of Dunkirk

2002

Tour de France

1st Mountains classification

Combativity award Overall

1st Clásica de San Sebastián

1st Coppa Ugo Agostoni

1st Tour du Haut Var

1st CSC Classic

3rd Overall Paris–Nice

1st Stage 3

3rd Memorial Rik Van Steenbergen

General classification results timeline

Grand Tour general classification results
Grand Tour	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Giro d'Italia	—	—	DNF	—	—	—	—	—	—	4	—	—	—
Tour de France	—	71	34	DNF	DNF	4	DNF	43	DNF	—	54	19	42
/ Vuelta a España	70	—	—	35	75	1	19	7	5	DNF	—	—	—
Major stage race general classification results
Race	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
/ Paris–Nice	11	2	—	111	40	1	1	1	2	—	—	—	3
Tirreno–Adriatico	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	4	4	—	—
Tour of the Basque Country	—	—	—	—	7	2	13	2	2	1	3	—	—
/ Tour de Romandie	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	1	DNF	—	—
Critérium du Dauphiné	—	58	—	—	—	—	DNF	—	DNF	—	12	—	44
Volta a Catalunya	—	—	64	71	DNF	1	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Tour de Suisse	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	DNF	22	2	—	9	—

Classics results timeline

Monument	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Milan–San Remo	41	17	9	4	10	1	—	17	15	115	11	—	69
Tour of Flanders	—	9	24	57	16	—	—	80	—	—	—	—	—
Paris–Roubaix	—	18	—	26	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Liège–Bastogne–Liège	—	11	57	9	37	4	—	2	2	DNF	10	—	—
Giro di Lombardia	—	8	—	—	22	—	9	1	—	—	—	—	—
Classic	1990	1991	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996	1997	1998	1999	2000	2001	2002
Amstel Gold Race	—	7	—	—	—	—	—	7	—	28	—	—	—
La Flèche Wallonne	—	—	18	—	—	1	—	1	19	DNF	3	—	—
Clásica de San Sebastián	2	4	103	34	—	4	10	19	59	—	—	1	1
Züri Metzgete	—	2	—	68	—	12	10	26	—	—	—	—	91
Paris–Tours	—	7	5	—	8	—	5	28	—	—	—	—	—

Legend

—	Did not compete
DNF	Did not finish

Awards

1st in (UCI) rankings: (1995, 1996, 1997 and 1999) (2nd in 1998)

Vélo d'Or international (1995) (2nd in 1997)

Vélo d'Or national (1992, 1995, 2002)

Mendrisio d'Oro (1995)

Ironman

22nd Ironman Switzerland (2007)

76th Ironman World Championship (2007)

12th Ironman France (2008)

376th Ironman World Championship (2018)

Doping

His name was on the list of doping tests published by the French Senate on 24 July 2013 that were collected during the 1998 Tour de France and found positive for EPO when retested in 2004.

External links

• Laurent Jalabert at Cycling Archives