Laurent Jalabert

Infobox Cyclist
ridername = Laurent Jalabert


image_caption = Jalabert at the arrival of the "Tour d'Alsace"
fullname = Laurent Jalabert
nickname = Jaja and "le panda"
dateofbirth = birth date and age|1968|11|30
country = FRA
currentteam = Retired
discipline = Road
role = Rider
ridertype =
amateuryears =
amateurteams =
proyears = 1989-1991 1992-2000 2001-2002
proteams = Toshiba ONCE Team CSC
majorwins = flagiconUCI World Time-Trial Champion (1997) Vuelta a España (1995), 18 stages Tour de France, 4 stages Giro d'Italia, 3 stages Paris-Nice (1995, 1996, 1997) Tour de Romandie (1999) Vuelta al País Vasco (1999) Volta a Catalunya (1995) Clásica de San Sebastián (2001, 2002) Giro di Lombardia (1997) La Flèche Wallonne (1995, 1997) Milan-Sanremo (1995)
updated = January 15, 2007

Laurent Jalabert (born November 30, 1968 in Mazamet) is a French former professional road racing cyclist, from 1989 to 2002. Affectionately known as "Jaja" (the word is 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 rode to victory in many one-day and stage races and was ranked number 1 in the 1990s. Although he never won the Tour de France, where he said he suffered too much from altitude sickness, he won the Vuelta a España in 1995; as well as the leader's jersey, he also won the sprinter's jersey and climber's jersey all in the same race - only the second rider to have done this in a Grand Tour. Moreover, along with Eddy Merckx and Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, he is one of only three 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 one of the most daring sprinters in the professional peloton. He then moved on to the Spanish ONCE team under the supervision of Manolo Saiz, where he reinvented himself as an all-rounder capable of winning any one-day race and even the Grand Tours.

A catalyst in this transformation was an accident at the finish line of the 1994 Tour de France stage in Armentières. A policeman leaned out and was hit by several riders. Jalabert was flung into the air and his bicycle was destroyed on impact. He badly injured his face and promised his wife to change his style of riding away from the pure sprinter.

It only took a short while for his transformation. In the following year he won the 1995 Vuelta a España, winning the general classification 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 the treatment of riders in a police inquiry into drug-taking. This caused discontent among French fans and it took many years for them to warm to him again. He moved to the CSC in 2001, where he again gained the adoration of the French public, winning the stage on July 14, the French national day, Bastille Day, in the 2001 Tour de France. Earlier in the year he suffered a serious back injury during a domestic accident. He retired in 2002 after winning the best climber's jersey in the Tour and going on an epic solo escape in the Pyrenees.

Grand tours

He won several stages of Tour de France, early in his days as a sprinter winning the sprinter's green jersey twice and later as a climber winning the climber's polka dot jersey twice. His wins on Bastille Day in Tour de France in 1995 and 2001 ensured him a place in the hearts of French cycling fans.

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

Besides Eddy Merckx and Tony Rominger, he is the only cyclist who has accomplished the "trifecta" at the grand tours 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 Team 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 [http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/sept95/12_17.html] .

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 two of cycling's five 'Monuments': Milan-Sanremo 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 twice in 2001 and 2002. Notably absent from his palmares is the world cycling championship road race, although he was second in 1992 to Gianni Bugno of Italy. However, he won the world time trial championship in 1997. He also won an award as the most combative rider in Tour de France in 2001 and 2002.

Retirement

Upon retirement, Jalabert acted as a consultant for LOOK cycles and contributed to a new line of bicycle frames. He is also a commentator for France 2 and 3, the national television stations, often from a motorcycle alongside the race. In 2005, Jalabert ran the NYC Marathon in 2 hours 55 minutes and 39 seconds putting him 391st in a field of 36,894 [http://www.cyclingnews.com/news.php?id=news/2005/nov05/nov08news] . He lives with his wife Sylvie and their children in Montauban, south-west France. His brother Nicolas, who often raced with him, continued racing after Laurent's retirement.

Jalabert has also taken up triathlon. In January 2007, he competed at Ironman Switzerland and finished with 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. [http://www.triathlonmagazine.ca/breaking_news/index.html] 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.

Palmarès

pecial 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)

World Championships

: flagiconUCIWorld champion in Individual time trial (1997): flagicon|FRAFrench Road National Champion (1998)

Races

: Tour de France (4 stages, "career"); ( mountains classification);: Giro d'Italia (3 stages, "career"); ( points classification): Vuelta a España (18 stages, "career"); (1994 points classification); (1995 ); (1996 points classification); (1997 points classification): Milan-Sanremo (1995): Giro di Lombardia (1997): La Flèche Wallonne (1995, 1997): Paris-Nice (1995, 1996, 1997): Midi Libre (1996): Clásica de San Sebastián (2001, 2002): Classique des Alpes (1996, 1998): Tour de Romandie (1999): Volta a Catalunya (1995): Vuelta al País Vasco (1999): Tour Méditerranéen (2000): Critérium International (1995): Classic Haribo (1996): Paris-Bourges (1990): Milano-Torino (1997): Trofeo Luis Puig (1993): Coppa Agostoni (2002): Route du Sud (1996): Route Adélie (1997): Setmana Catalana (1999, 2000): Tour du Haut-Var (1998, 2002): Tour d'Armorique (1989): Vuelta a la Rioja (1993): Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana (1996): Vuelta a Burgos (1997): Vuelta a Asturias (1998): Escalada a Montjuïc (1997): Classica de Alcobendas (1993): Vuelta a Mallorca (1993, 1997): Sète-Mont Saint-Clair 1996): GP de Villafranca de Ordizia 1999): GP de Toulouse (1993, 1995): GP Amore-Bieta (1995): GP d'Aarhus (2002): French military champion (1988)

Other placings

: 2nd in World Cycling Championship in road racing (1992): 2nd in the UCI Road World Cup (1991): 2nd overall Tour de Suisse (1999): 2nd overall 4 jours de Dunkerque (2001): 2nd in Züri-Metzgete (1991): 2nd in Wincanton Classic (1992): 2nd in the Coupe de France competition (1996)

Olympic Games

: 5th in the Olympic Games road race (2000)

Ironman

:22nd Ironman Switzerland (2007):76th Ironman World Championship (2007):12th Ironman France (2008)