The Tour de France is full of stories. Every day we highlight a historical moment that can be linked to the upcoming stage. Today stage 4: the bizarre love life of five-time Tour winner Jacques Anquetil.
“I am the daughter of Jacques Anquetil, but also the granddaughter of his wife and the daughter of his stepdaughter. And Jacques also had a son with the wife of his stepson.” This is a statement by Sophie Anquetil, the daughter of Jacques Anquetil. A soap opera is nothing compared to it.
In 1957, Jacques has an affair with Janine Boeda, the six-year-older wife of his doctor, and marries her a year later. Janine can no longer have children, so Jacques starts a relationship with Annie. She is a daughter from his wife’s previous marriage, and with her he has a daughter, Sophie.
The relationship breaks down and Annie leaves with Sophie. Jacques is bent on revenge and focuses on Dominique, the ex-wife of Alain. He is the son from his wife’s first marriage. Janine can’t take it anymore and leaves. With Dominique, Jacques has another son, Christopher.
The events take place in La Neuville-Chant-d’Oisel, a village near Rouen. In that city, Jacques Anquetil wins his first Tour stage in 1957. ‘Monsieur Chrono’ becomes a five-time overall winner after duels with ‘eternal second’ Raymond Poulidor. However, he openly admits to using doping: “You have to be an imbecile to believe that a professional cyclist rides 235 days a year without stimulants.”
In 1987, just a year after the birth of his son Christopher, Anquetil dies at the age of 53 from the effects of stomach cancer. ‘Maître Jacques’ has no shortage of a sense of black humor: just before his death he calls Poulidor to tell him “that he would be second again”. Janine is at his deathbed and has forgiven him everything.
