The former cyclist, Alsatian by birth and at heart, raced for thirteen seasons from 1953 to 1965. He won eight stages of the Tour de France, in six participations, and was also known for his character as fire and his inflammatory statements.
The World with AFP
The former cyclist Roger Hassenforder, wearing the yellow jersey of the Tour de France in 1953, died Sunday January 3 at the age of 90 at the Departmental Center for Rest and Care of Colmar, Agence France-Presse (AFP) learned from the nursing team, confirming information from the newspaper L’Alsace.
Born 23 July 1930 in Sansheim (Haut-Rhin), this Alsatian by birth and heart ran for thirteen seasons from 1953 to 1965. He won eight stages of the Tour de France, in six participations, and was also known for his fiery character and his incen statements diaries.
“I have a Bobet in each leg,” he said jokingly , citing the three-time winner of the Tour. His sense of repartition contributed to his great popularity and his attacking temperament carried him to astonishing feats sometimes followed by spectacular failures.
Unpredictable runner, both rider and sprinter
Generous in the extreme, unexpected as possible in his behavior, he won the Critérium national three times (1954, 1956, 1958), the Tour du Sud-Est (1953), the Buckles of the Seine (1959), as well as the French Pursuit Championship (1954).
On the Tour de France, this unpredictable rider, both roller and sprinter, wore the yellow jersey for four days from his first participation (1953) . But he only finished the event once, in 1956, when he was selected in extremis for the… Western team.
Legend has it that that year, he got it into his head to greet the riders at the start. He was blissfully in a tuxedo after partying in a nightclub. “If you were more serious, I would have taken you because I have a package guy”, then launched Leon Le Calvez, the manager of the Western team. The prospect of finding Louis Caput, Hassenforder’s great mate, won out. “Banco,” he replied, “I’m leaving with the promise of arriving.”
The Alsatian took four stages, the last at Montluçon after a long, solitary breakaway of 187 kilometers. The following year, in the Cannes-Marseille stage, he succeeded in the feat of leading part of the peloton into the Mediterranean. Because of the heat, but more likely because of a publicity stunt in Paris-Match. “That day,” he said, “I was nine minutes early, and the editor [Raymond Cartier] offered me the front page against a sea bath. When I got out of the water, everything smelled of salt including bananas. Other runners followed me. In the evening, I was almost excluded. “