1991 Tour de France Encounter...a 30 year old mystery.

1990, not 1991 (cant' edit the title )

This is a longshot. In 1990 I was given a ride from the Mont Blanc train station to the finish line of that days stage in a completely random, lucky encounter. I knew nothing of cycling at that time, I just went to go watch the "bike race" that was in town, and ran into a teenager (my age), at the train station.

I hoped he spoke English, and asked him if he knew anything about the bike race (I didn't even know the name of the race).

He asked me if I wanted a ride, and said all I had to do was wait with him, and he'd give me a ride.

We were picked up in a luxury sedan, drove to the race, the driver flashing a badge at every checkpoint until we were literally parked on the finish line of the Mont Blanc stage. He told me I could join him and his friends "over there" in a trailer after the race was over.

I found some folks from Michigan, spent the next 2 days with them, and never met up again with my new friend.

But I did learn a little about him on that short drive. He said he was the son of a famous french bike racer who had passed away. He was surely *somebody* significant since he got picked up at the train station and driven to the finish line to party with his people.

Every once in awhile, I scour the internet to try and find a French racer, who died before 1991 and had a son who was born in the late 60s or early 70s. That could have been the young man that I met.

So far it's been a fruitless search. I've researched all the French TDF winners, and none fit that description.

If this had occurred today, we would have taken selfies and posted to social media...but this was in the early 90s, I had a camera with precious limited film exposures, didn't know anything about cycling and couldn't remember the name of his father. I do have photos of the day, so I know this is not a wierd college memory but an actual encounter.

If anyone knows French cycling history well and has any idea who this could have been it would help settle a personal mystery that I've been trying to solve for the past 30+ years!

And if you don't, i hope you enjoyed my story.