26 years after winning the UCI Road World Championship, 55 year-old former pro Laurent “Le Mullet” Brochard added another rainbow striped jersey to his collection. This time a UCI Gravel World Championship jersey after winning the amateur men’s 55-59 year-old category in Italy on Saturday.

The Frenchman Brochard finished the 136 kilometers long race in 4:44:44, with a huge eight minute lead over Marco Dotta of Italy and American Victor Sheldon, who finished in second and third place respectively.

The last time Brochard won a world title, 1997, he later admitted under oath in court that he likely had “remnants of doping products” in his system during the race, including Erythropoietin (EPO) and Human Growth Hormore (hGH). However, he claimed that he won the World Championship “only because of his legs.” In 1998 Brochard was also caught up in the infamous Festina Doping Affair at the Tour de France and was suspended for six months. He then returned to race for another ten-years before retiring from the pro peloton in 2008.

Photo Credit: Festina Cycling Team, 2023 UCI Gravel World Championship Veneto

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