Michel Pelchat

Michel Pelchat (born January 11, 1938 in Camembert , † April 1, 1974 in Plaisir ) was a French cyclist and world champion in cycling .

Athletic career

He began his career in the amateur club Pedale Livarotaise at the age of 16. He later drove for the Vélo Clubs Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët . Pelchat's greatest sporting success was the victory at the UCI World Championship in the amateur cyclo - cross race in 1967 in Zurich , where he started as an amateur with a license from his association. He was also the first amateur world champion in cyclo-cross racing. His victory caused a lot of discussion at the time (some associations such as the Bund Deutscher Radfahrer had unsuccessfully protested against his start with the amateurs), as he had started the season with a professional contract for the Zimba team. However, team boss Ferdy Kübler had fired him four weeks before the World Cup for indiscipline and demanded the return of all sponsor material. Pelchat then solved a license as an amateur in France and was allowed to start in the championship, where he drove the material from Kübler. At the finish he threw it at Kübler's feet. In 1968 he was able to win the bronze medal at the world championships. In 1964 and 1966 he was able to win the French championship in this discipline, which was open to all categories.

Pelchat started with interruptions (in which he drove as an independent or again as an amateur) from 1963 to 1971 as a professional driver, including with well-known teams such as Pelforth-Sauvage-Lejeune.

Professional

After his career he worked as a paramedic and lost his life in an accident on the way back from a cycling race.

Web links

• Michel Pelchat in the database of Radsportseiten.net

Individual evidence

1. ^ German Cycling Association of the GDR (ed.): The cyclist . No. 9/1967 . Berlin 1967, p. 7 .
2. ↑ ^{a b} Michel Pelchat. In: vimoutiers.net. January 11, 1938, accessed January 29, 2020 (French).