Éric Caritoux
Encyclopedia
Éric Caritoux is a French
former professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1983 and 1994. He had 22 victories in his career, the highlights of which were winning the Vuelta a España
in 1984
and taking the French road race championships in 1988 and 1989. He rode the Tour de France
on 11 occasions, his best finish being 12th in 1989
.
in Provence
at the foot of Mont Ventoux
. He first started cycle racing as a junior with the local club in Carpentras, he developed into a strong climber riding in the hilly Vaucluse
region and often using Mont Ventoux in his training rides. As an amateur Caritoux won the 1982 edition of the Tour du Vaucluse Open beating future Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon
into second place, he clinched that victory by winning the 15 kilometre mountain time trial up Mont Ventoux between Bédoin
and Chalet Reynard. That win persuaded Jean de Gribaldy
manager of the Sem-France Loire
professional squad to sign Caritoux for the 1983 season.
The 1983 SEM team had Sean Kelly
as team leader and Caritoux soon fitted into the role of Kelly's main helper in stage races. In 1984, Skil
became main team sponsors (making the Skil-Sem team
) and Éric showed that he had potential to be more than just Kelly's helper in the mountains, he started the season by taking the Tour du Haut Var
, a tough hilly one day race in the south of France and then won the Orange
to Mont Ventoux stage of Paris–Nice. He was then given a short break in early April by his manager as the team concentrated on the spring classics for Sean Kelly, races which did not suit Caritoux.
as a second year professional which is quite unusual. However, even more unusual is that, one week before the start, neither Caritoux or his team had any intention of actually riding the race. At that time the Vuelta started in the second half of April and the Skil manager Jean de Gribaldy had made a promise at the start of the year to the Vuelta organisers that his team would be on the start line. A promise he had forgotten about but the organisers had not, de Gribaldy was threatened with a £50,000 fine if the team did not ride, he had to scrape together a squad for the Vuelta at the last minute, this included the holidaying Caritoux, who was told to get to Geneva and then fly to Jerez de la Frontera
in the south of Spain where the Vuelta was starting.
Caritoux rode himself into form and won the race's first mountain stage which finished on top of the Rassos de Peguera in the Pyrenees
, he then rode admirably on stage 12 which finished at the Lagos de Covadonga
summit and took over the leaders yellow jersey
from Pedro Delgado
. Nobody, including Caritoux himself, thought he could hold the lead until the race finish a week later, his team was weak and he had no support in the mountains. However, Caritoux did hold the lead and went into the final day with a 37 seconds lead, the final stage was a time trial, Caritoux was no time trialler and nearest rival Alberto Fernandez was. Caritoux rode the time trial knowing this might be his only chance to win a major race, his determination came through and won the 1984 Vuelta a España by a mere six seconds.
and had more success, taking the French road race championships. In 1989 he joined RMO to work with team leader Charly Mottet
and repeated his French championship win. He stayed with RMO until the team folded in 1992 and then switched to the small Chazal team run by manager Vincent Lavenu
for the final two years of his career, Éric was team leader at Chazal and mentor for the team's younger professionals of which the team was mostly composed of. In 1994
the Tour de France's 15th stage finished in Eric's home town of Carpentras and he was hoping to grab glory in his final year as a pro, however he was foiled by lone breakaway Eros Poli
, Caritoux finished in a group with race leader Miguel Indurain
at two minutes behind Poli.
Eric Caritoux retired from professional cycling at the end of the 1994 season at the age of 34. He today owns his own vineyard and holiday business in the Carpentras area and has recently worked on the Tour de France as a courtesy driver for the guests of France Telecom
.
1984
1985
1986
1988
1989
1990
1991
1993
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
former professional road racing cyclist who raced between 1983 and 1994. He had 22 victories in his career, the highlights of which were winning the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
in 1984
1984 Vuelta a España
The 39th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 17 to May 6, 1984. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,593 km, and was won by Éric Caritoux of the Skil-Sem cycling team...
and taking the French road race championships in 1988 and 1989. He rode the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
on 11 occasions, his best finish being 12th in 1989
1989 Tour de France
The 1989 Tour de France was the 76th Tour de France, a race of 21 stages and a prologue, over 3285 km in total. In the closest tour in history, Greg LeMond was behind by 50 seconds at the start of the final stage, a time trial into Paris. LeMond rode for an average speed of 54.55 km/h ,...
.
Early years
Caritoux was born in CarpentrasCarpentras
Carpentras is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It stands on the banks of the Auzon...
in Provence
Provence
Provence ; Provençal: Provença in classical norm or Prouvènço in Mistralian norm) is a region of south eastern France on the Mediterranean adjacent to Italy. It is part of the administrative région of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur...
at the foot of Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux
Mont Ventoux is a mountain in the Provence region of southern France, located some 20 km northeast of Carpentras, Vaucluse. On the north side, the mountain borders the Drôme département. It is the largest mountain in the region and has been nicknamed the "Giant of Provence", or "The Bald...
. He first started cycle racing as a junior with the local club in Carpentras, he developed into a strong climber riding in the hilly Vaucluse
Vaucluse
The Vaucluse is a department in the southeast of France, named after the famous spring, the Fontaine-de-Vaucluse.- History :Vaucluse was created on 12 August 1793 out of parts of the departments of Bouches-du-Rhône, Drôme, and Basses-Alpes...
region and often using Mont Ventoux in his training rides. As an amateur Caritoux won the 1982 edition of the Tour du Vaucluse Open beating future Tour de France winner Laurent Fignon
Laurent Fignon
Laurent Patrick Fignon was a French professional road bicycle racer. He won the Tour de France in 1983 and in 1984. He missed winning it a third time, in 1989, by 8 seconds, the closest margin ever to decide the tour. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1989, after having been the runner-up in 1984,...
into second place, he clinched that victory by winning the 15 kilometre mountain time trial up Mont Ventoux between Bédoin
Bédoin
Bédoin is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.-Geography:Located at the base of Mont Ventoux, it is the starting point of one of the three routes to the summit of the mountain .-Sights:Bédoin contains a large Spanish-style church,...
and Chalet Reynard. That win persuaded Jean de Gribaldy
Jean de Gribaldy
Jean de Gribaldy was a French road cyclist and directeur sportif.-Biography:Born in Besançon, former professional racing cyclist from 1945 to 1954, Jean de Gribaldy began a successful career as a directeur sportif in the mid-1960s .Called le Vicomte , he discovered Sean Kelly, Joaquim Agostinho...
manager of the Sem-France Loire
Sem-France Loire
The Sem-Loire France cycling team was a French professional cycling team that existed for four years from 1980 to 1983. Although a small team, directeur sportif Jean de Gribaldy directed the team to success in various classic races and in stage races such as Paris–Nice and the Tour de France as...
professional squad to sign Caritoux for the 1983 season.
The 1983 SEM team had Sean Kelly
Seán Kelly (cyclist)
John James 'Sean' Kelly is an Irish former professional road bicycle racer. He was one of the most successful road cyclists of the 1980s, and one of the finest classics riders of all time. From turning professional in 1977 until his retirement in 1994, he won nine monument classics, and 193...
as team leader and Caritoux soon fitted into the role of Kelly's main helper in stage races. In 1984, Skil
Skil
Skil is a brand of power handtools produced by Robert Bosch GmbH. The line traces its heritage to the invention of the portable circular saw, marketed as a Skilsaw. The Model 77 which evolved from it set the industry standard for handheld worm-and-drive circular saws and remains in production...
became main team sponsors (making the Skil-Sem team
Skil-Sem (cycling team)
Skil-Sem was a French professional cycling team which competed during both the 1984 and 1985 seasons. It was the continuation of the Sem-France Loire team. Skil-Sem was the team with which the team's leader, Sean Kelly, dominated the sport in 1984. Another team member, the french rider Eric...
) and Éric showed that he had potential to be more than just Kelly's helper in the mountains, he started the season by taking the Tour du Haut Var
Tour du Haut Var
The Tour du Haut Var is an early-season two-day road bicycle race in the Provence region of France. From 2005 to 2008, it was organised as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour. In 2009, the race was changed to a two-day 2.1 event.-Palmarès:...
, a tough hilly one day race in the south of France and then won the Orange
Orange, Vaucluse
Orange is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.It has a primarily agricultural economy...
to Mont Ventoux stage of Paris–Nice. He was then given a short break in early April by his manager as the team concentrated on the spring classics for Sean Kelly, races which did not suit Caritoux.
1984 Vuelta a España victory
The story of Caritoux's victory in the 1984 Vuelta a España is quite extraordinary in that he won a Grand TourGrand Tour (cycling)
In road bicycle racing, a Grand Tour refers to one of the three major European professional cycling stage races:* Tour de France – Tour of France , held in July* Giro d'Italia – Tour of Italy , held in May...
as a second year professional which is quite unusual. However, even more unusual is that, one week before the start, neither Caritoux or his team had any intention of actually riding the race. At that time the Vuelta started in the second half of April and the Skil manager Jean de Gribaldy had made a promise at the start of the year to the Vuelta organisers that his team would be on the start line. A promise he had forgotten about but the organisers had not, de Gribaldy was threatened with a £50,000 fine if the team did not ride, he had to scrape together a squad for the Vuelta at the last minute, this included the holidaying Caritoux, who was told to get to Geneva and then fly to Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera
Jerez de la Frontera is a municipality in the province of Cádiz in the autonomous community of Andalusia, in southwestern Spain, situated midway between the sea and the mountains. , the city, the largest in the province, had 208,896 inhabitants; it is the fifth largest in Andalusia...
in the south of Spain where the Vuelta was starting.
Caritoux rode himself into form and won the race's first mountain stage which finished on top of the Rassos de Peguera in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, he then rode admirably on stage 12 which finished at the Lagos de Covadonga
Covadonga
Covadonga is a village and one of 11 parishes in Cangas de Onís, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northwestern Spain...
summit and took over the leaders yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...
from Pedro Delgado
Pedro Delgado
Pedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....
. Nobody, including Caritoux himself, thought he could hold the lead until the race finish a week later, his team was weak and he had no support in the mountains. However, Caritoux did hold the lead and went into the final day with a 37 seconds lead, the final stage was a time trial, Caritoux was no time trialler and nearest rival Alberto Fernandez was. Caritoux rode the time trial knowing this might be his only chance to win a major race, his determination came through and won the 1984 Vuelta a España by a mere six seconds.
Latter years
Caritoux joined the poorly organised Fagor team in 1986 and had two years of modest results, he rejoined Sean Kelly in 1988 at the Kas squadKas (cycling team)
Kas was a professional cycling team of the 1960s and 1970s, one of the strongest Spanish teams. It was sponsored by a soft drinks manufacturer, Kas. The team was from Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. It wore team a yellow jersey with Kas written in blue...
and had more success, taking the French road race championships. In 1989 he joined RMO to work with team leader Charly Mottet
Charly Mottet
Charly Mottet is a French former professional cyclist .He was one of the best French road cyclists of his era, Mottet won a total of 67 races, including the Tour de Romandie in 1990, and has 8 participations in the Tour de France. His best results in the Tour de France were the 4th positions in...
and repeated his French championship win. He stayed with RMO until the team folded in 1992 and then switched to the small Chazal team run by manager Vincent Lavenu
Vincent Lavenu
Vincent Lavenu is a French former professional road bicycle racer and is currently the team manager of the UCI ProTour cycling team.-Professional career:...
for the final two years of his career, Éric was team leader at Chazal and mentor for the team's younger professionals of which the team was mostly composed of. In 1994
1994 Tour de France
The 1994 Tour de France was the 81st Tour de France and included two stages in England , Stage 4, Dover to Brighton and Stage 5, around Portsmouth. It took place July 2 to July 24, 1994...
the Tour de France's 15th stage finished in Eric's home town of Carpentras and he was hoping to grab glory in his final year as a pro, however he was foiled by lone breakaway Eros Poli
Eros Poli
Eros Poli is an Italian former professional racing cyclist of the 1990s, notably employed as Mario Cipollini's lead-out man in bunch sprints....
, Caritoux finished in a group with race leader Miguel Indurain
Miguel Indurain
Miguel Ángel Indurain Larraya is a retired Spanish road racing cyclist. He won five consecutive Tour de Frances from 1991 and 1995, the first to do so, and the fourth athlete to win five times. He won the Giro d'Italia twice, becoming one of only seven people in history to achieve the Giro Tour...
at two minutes behind Poli.
Eric Caritoux retired from professional cycling at the end of the 1994 season at the age of 34. He today owns his own vineyard and holiday business in the Carpentras area and has recently worked on the Tour de France as a courtesy driver for the guests of France Telecom
France Télécom
France Telecom S.A. is the main telecommunications company in France, the third-largest in Europe and one of the largest in the world. It currently employs about 180,000 people and has 192.7 million customers worldwide . In 2010 the group had revenue of €45.5 billion...
.
Career victories
1983- Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence
- Stage 4 Tour du Vaucluse.
1984
Overall Vuelta a España and Stage 7- Tour du Haut-Var
- Stage 4 Paris–Nice
- Bol d'Or des Monédières.
1985
- Overall Flèche du Sud
- Stage 2 Tour Méditérranéen.
1986
- Trophée des Grimpeurs-Polymultipliée
1988
French Road Race Championships- Prix de Toulouse
- Prix de Riom
- Prix d'Aulnat
- Prix de Lamballe
1989
- French Road Race Championships
- Bol d'Or des Monédières
- Prix de Sadirac
1990
- Stage 3B Midi-Libre.
1991
- Tour du Haut-Var
- Prix d'Aix-en-Provence
1993
- Stage 2 Tour de l'Ain.