France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, 17 November 1903, died 1 November 1985) was a French racing cyclist and Olympic track champion. He won four successive world championships and lost a fifth even though he crossed the line first. He won a gold medal in the sprint at the
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
Lucien Michard was the son of a garage owner—"a stocky, severe-looking man whose bowler hat could be spotted a mile away"—in the northern
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
suburb of Saint-DenisSporting Cyclist, UK, February 1968 He worked for his father but spent much of his time training at the
Parc des Princes
Parc des Princes () is an all-seater stadium, all-seater Association football, football stadium in Paris, France, in the south-west of the French capital, inside the 16th arrondissement of Paris, 16th arrondissement, near the Stade Jean-Bouin ...
or the Cipale
velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate Track tran ...
described him.
He became national sprint champion at 19. In 1924 he won the Olympic sprint, beating Jaap Meijer of the
Netherlands
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, and the world amateur championship, beating
Lucien Faucheux
Lucien Faucheux (26 August 1899 – 22 July 1980) was a French cyclist
Cycling, also, when on a two-wheeled bicycle, called bicycling or biking, is the use of cycles for transport, recreation, exercise or sport. People engaged in c ...
Sporting Cyclist
''Sporting Cyclist'' was a British cycling A4-sized magazine originally called ''Coureur''. It began in 1955 and ended after 131 issues in April 1968.
History ''Coureur''
''Coureur - the magazine for the sporting cyclist'' was the idea of the ...
:
:I do not think I ever saw a sprinter ride as close as Michard did. By 'close', I mean not losing a bit of shelter provided by opponents much heavier than himself. It was always a beautiful show for
connoisseurs
A connoisseur ( French traditional, pre-1835, spelling of , from Middle-French , then meaning 'to be acquainted with' or 'to know somebody/something') is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts; who is a keen appreciator ...
to see Michard following the giant
Piet Moeskops
Pieter Daniel Moeskops (13 November 1893 – 16 November 1964) was a Dutch cyclist, who won the UCI Track Cycling World Championships - Men's Sprint in 1921-1924 and 1926.wrestler - elbow against hip, not losing an inch of protection.
World championship upset
Michard won the world professional championship in four successive years, starting at
Cologne
Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...
in 1927. In fact he won five, but amid unusual circumstances. Michard beat
Jef Scherens
Joseph "Jef" Scherens (17 February 1909 – 9 August 1986) was a Belgian professional track cyclist, specializing in sprint where he won seven World Championships.
Biography
Early life
Jef Scherens was born in Werchter, the fifth child ...
in the semi-final of the championship at
Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
in 1931 and reached the final against the local rider, Willy Falk Hansen. Hansen had, like Michard, won the world sprint championship and Olympic kilometre in 1928, but he was not seen as a contender against Michard.
Michard finished half a metre ahead of Hansen and appeared to have become world champion for a record fifth year. He and Hansen circled the track together and Hansen raised Michard's arm in acknowledgement of victory. Moments later, the announcer said it was Hansen who had won. There was immediate commotion around the chief judge, Alban Collignon, who was president of the
. He quickly realised his mistake.
He had watched the riders start the run to the line and had seen Hansen on the inside of the track and Michard outside him. The winner crossed the line on the inside of the track and Collignon announced him as Hansen.Chany, Pierre (1988), La Fabuleuse Histoire de Cyclisme, Nathan, France, p401 The two riders had, however, changed position and it was Michard who won.
Collignon was willing to change his decision but the rules prevented it. The rule was that the judge's decision, once announced, was final. It was intended to stop riders disputing a result. That was what it prevented for both Hansen and Michard, but the
Union Cycliste Internationale
The ''Union Cycliste Internationale'' (UCI; ; en, International Cycling Union) is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland.
The UCI issues racing ...
hadn't foreseen that a judge might wish to change his mind.
Michard challenged the UCI but the court ruled the event was out of its authority and the UCI did not reverse the decision and Hansen wore the rainbow jersey of world champion for the rest of the year. He wore it in the many revenge matches that he and Michard were contracted to ride around Europe. Michard wore a jersey of his own, showing not rainbow stripes but globes of the world.
The episode ended Michard's career at the top. He was displaced by another little sprinter,
Jef Scherens
Joseph "Jef" Scherens (17 February 1909 – 9 August 1986) was a Belgian professional track cyclist, specializing in sprint where he won seven World Championships.
Biography
Early life
Jef Scherens was born in Werchter, the fifth child ...
of
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...