Jean-François Bernard

Jean-François Bernard is a French former professional road cyclist, born on 2 May 1962. He turned professional in 1984 with La Vie Claire, the team led by Bernard Hinault, and was seen as Hinault's successor as a winner of stage races from 1986. He rode the team time trial at the 1984 Summer Olympics. In the 1987 Tour de France he wore the yellow jersey and won two stages, both time trials, including one on Mont Ventoux, and finished third behind Stephen Roche and Pedro Delgado in one of the closest Tours in history. He won three stages of the 1988 Giro d'Italia and led that race before a crash in a tunnel injured his back and forced him out. Later he joined Banesto, helped Miguel Indurain dominate the Tour, won the 1992 Paris-Nice and retired at the end of 1996 with 52 professional wins. He later worked as a consultant for L'Équipe and Eurosport and is the father of the cyclist Julien Bernard.