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If Raymond Poulidor will remain forever "the eternal second" in the spirit of the French, he is also "Poupou", popular figure par excellence. A few years ago, Raymond Poulidor, who died on Wednesday at the age of 83, had confided in the microphone of Europe 1 on his enormous popularity with the French. "I've never been an ambitious man, maybe it's due to my background in the campaign," he modestly began.
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"It's you Poupou? My grandpa told me it was you who was always second"
The history and legend of Raymond Poulidor will be forever linked to his many "missed" on the Tour de France. His main feats of arms will remain his second places in 1964, 1965 and 1976. At our microphone, he confessed, ironic: "I did not do on purpose not to win or not to take the yellow jersey. I had won two or three Tour de France, I certainly would not be here today.
It's a fact: the popularity of "Poupou" was built in defeat. What has never lost his sense of humor to one who was born in 1936 in the Creuse and nothing really predestined to such a cycling career. He even amused himself: "The children come to see me, 'is it you,' Poupou ', my grandpa told me that it was you who was always second?" The other day, I had the visit of a guy who is still playing petanque, he always finishes second, he was baptized the 'poupou' of petanque.When Mitterrand was beaten in the second round to the presidency of the Republic, it was said c is the 'poupou' of politics. "