Christophe Moreau facts for kids
Moreau at the 2013 Tour de Romandie
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Christophe Moreau | ||
| Nickname | Le chien (French - "The Dog") | ||
| Born | 12 April 1971 Vervins, France |
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| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | ||
| Weight | 71 kg (157 lb; 11 st 3 lb) | ||
| Team information | |||
| Current team | Retired | ||
| Discipline | Road | ||
| Role | Rider | ||
| Rider type | All-rounder | ||
| Major wins | |||
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Christophe Moreau (born on April 12, 1971, in Vervins, France) is a French former professional road racing cyclist. He was known for being a top French rider in the Tour de France for many years. He finished among the top 12 riders five times. He was also the best French rider in the Tour in 2000, 2003, 2004, and 2005. Moreau also won the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré race twice, in 2001 and 2007.
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Starting His Cycling Journey
Christophe Moreau began his professional cycling career in 1995. He joined the Festina team. Early in his career, he was very good at time trial races. These are races where cyclists ride alone against the clock. He won the opening time trial stage of the Tour de l'Avenir race. In the 1997 Tour de France, he finished 19th overall.
Challenges and Comebacks
In 1998, Moreau continued to improve. He won the final time trial and the overall title at the Critérium International. However, during the 1998 Tour de France, there was a big issue involving his team, Festina. Moreau, along with some teammates, admitted to breaking cycling rules. Because of this, he was removed from the race. He then took a six-month break from racing.
After his break, Moreau returned to the 1999 Tour de France. He showed his strength by finishing 3rd in a time trial stage. He ended that Tour in 25th place.
Becoming a Top French Rider
In the 2000 Tour de France, Moreau had his best result ever. He finished 4th overall. This showed everyone that he was a very strong climber. He was also the highest-placed French rider in the race that year. This made many people hope he could win the Tour de France someday. He continued to be the best French rider in the Tour in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
In 2001, while still with Festina, Moreau won the important Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré stage race. He took the lead on the fifth stage and held onto it until the end. A few weeks later, he won the first stage of the 2001 Tour de France. This meant he got to wear the famous yellow jersey as the race leader. Moreau had to leave the Tour early on the 12th stage that year. After Festina stopped sponsoring a cycling team, Moreau joined the Crédit Agricole team.
Time with Crédit Agricole
In 2002, Moreau had a tough start to the season. He crashed and broke his collarbone. Later that year, he finished third overall in the Dauphiné Libéré. In the 2002 Tour de France, he crashed again on a downhill section and had to leave the race.
In 2003, Moreau won the Four Days of Dunkirk race. He then finished 8th in the 2003 Tour de France. In 2004, he hurt his knee, which delayed his return to racing. His first win of that year was the Trophée des Grimpeurs race. Two weeks later, he won the Tour du Languedoc Roussillon stage race. In the 2004 Tour de France, he was again the best French rider, finishing 12th.
During the 2005 Tour de France, Moreau came very close to wearing the yellow jersey in the Alps mountains. However, he eventually finished 11th overall. His team, Crédit Agricole, was not happy with his results. So, he decided to leave and join the AG2R Prévoyance team.
Later Career Highlights
Moreau joined AG2R Prévoyance in 2006. He was expected to help his new teammate, Francisco Mancebo. In the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Moreau finished second overall. He also won the "king of the mountains" competition for being the best climber. Before the 2006 Tour de France began, Mancebo was not allowed to race. This made Moreau the main leader for his team. His teammate, Cyril Dessel, wore the yellow jersey for a while. Moreau worked to help Dessel keep his high position. Moreau finished the 2006 Tour de France in 7th place.
In 2007, Moreau showed amazing form in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. He attacked during stages and won two of them, including the famous Mont Ventoux climb. He took the leader's jersey and won the race overall. Just two weeks later, he won the French national cycling championships. Even though he was 36 years old, he won his first French champion title. He wore the special French champion jersey. Moreau started the 2007 Tour de France in good shape. He was in the top ten after the first mountain stages. However, a crash on stage 15 caused him to fall back. He finished the race with the "gruppetto," which is a group of riders who ride together to make sure they finish within the time limit on tough mountain stages.
In September 2007, Moreau announced he was leaving AG2R Prévoyance. He signed a one-year contract with the Agritubel team for the 2008 season. In the 2008 Tour de France, Moreau left the race during the 7th stage.
On July 17, 2009, during the 2009 Tour de France, Moreau signed with the Caisse d'Epargne team for 2010. He had previously said he would retire after the 2009 season. He continued to race until 2010.
Images for kids
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Moreau at the 2013 Tour de Romandie
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Christophe Moreau during a race.
See also
In Spanish: Christophe Moreau para niños
