The President of the Republic, as well as several personalities from the world of cycling, paid tribute to Raymond Poulidor, who died on Wednesday at the age of 83.

The homage to Raymond Poulidor multiplied on Wednesday, to salute the memory of the legend of the French cycling, died at the age of 83 years. "Raymond Poulidor is no longer, his exploits, his panache, his courage will remain engraved in the memories, 'Poupou', forever yellow jersey in the heart of the French," wrote the President of the Republic Emmanuel Macron on Twitter.

"A great gentleman who goes away"

"This is a great loss, a great friend who goes away," responded to his side Belgian Eddy Merckx. "It is a great sadness during my career we were adversaries, but after I often rubbed (...) I spent holidays with him, a week of snow in Combloux" in the French Alps, a he added. Poulidor, older than Merckx, was in rivalry with the Belgian champion at the end of his career. The French, almost forty years old at the time, finished second in the 1974 Tour de France, the fifth and last one won by Merckx. "This is a great gentleman who goes away, a great person, a monument in France, he was loved by all the French," said the "Cannibal".

Bernard Hinault had seen Raymond Poulidor again this summer. Asked by AFP, the five-time winner of the Tour de France remembered their elbow-to-elbow in the Puy de Dome, the Tour 1964. "Nobody wanted to let go during a good part of the climb. fantastic moment, it has left a lot of people, "he said.