Anquetil, Jacques

Anquetil, Jacques (zhäk äNkutēl') [key], 1934–87, French bicycle racer, b. Mont-Saint-Aignan, Normandy. Beginning to race in 1951, he won the French amateur championship a year later. Anquetil was the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times (1957, 1961–64). Particularly adept at time trial sprints, he also won Spain's Vuelta a España (1963), Italy's Giro d'Italia (1960, 1964), and the Grand Prix des Nations (1953–58, 1961, 1965–66).

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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