Laurent Jalabert

Laurent “Jaja” Jalabert raced professionally on the roads from 1989 to 2002. His greatest achievement came in 1995 when he won the Vuelta à España and also won the mountains classification and points classification. This made him only the second cyclist to have won all three major jerseys in the same grand tour, after Eddy Merckx in the 1969 Tour de France. Primarily a sprinter early in his career, Jalabert won the points classification at all three grand tours, a feat equaled only by Merckx and Dzhamolidin Abduzhaparov. Jalabert ranked first in the world in the UCI Rankings in 1995-97 and 1999, placing second in 1998. After a severe accident late in 1994, Jalabert re-made himself, improving his climbing ability and becoming a top attacker.

Jalabert’s list of palmarès is extensive. He won 25 stages in the grand tours – 18 in the Vuelta à España, three at the Giro d’Italia, and four in the Tour de France, but two of those, in 1995 and 2001, came on Bastille Day, which endeared Jaja to the French fans. He won 10 jerseys in the big tours as follows: Tour – 1992/95 points and 2001 mountains; Giro – 1999 points; Vuelta – 1995 general, 1994-97 points, and 1995 mountains. Jalabert won the 1997 World Time Trial Championship, and placed second in the World Championship road race in 1992. His other major victories were as follows: Paris-Nice in 1995-97; Tour de Romandie in 1999; Giro di Lombardia in 1997; Milano-Sanremo in 1995; Clásica de San Sebastián in 2001-02; La Flèche Wallonne in 1995 and 1997; Vuelta al País Vasco in 1999; and the Volta à Catalunya in 1995.

After retiring in 2002, Jalabert became a consultant to Look cycles and a television commentator. He also started competing in Ironman triathlons, placing 76th in the Ironman World Championship in 2007.