As he celebrates his 70th birthday this Thursday, Bernard Hinault has become aware of the time that has passed in recent years.
According to him, Bernard Hinault could have forgotten that he is celebrating his 70th birthday this Thursday. “It’s the people around me who have been reminding me of this for a few days,” he confided in a long interview with L’Equipe. However, the former runner has long been fully aware of the inevitability of time.
“When you reach 50, you start to understand and worry about certain things”he whispered.
“When my parents died and, more recently, my brother-in-law. These are moments of doubt obviously, my brother-in-law was still young and he died of cancer,” he explained. A disappearance which pushed him to get involved in the fight against the disease by helping the association Souffles d'heure, with moving encounters as a result.
Bernard Hinault on the front line
“There are sometimes shocks, obviously, when we find ourselves faced with children suffering from leukemia like those I met at Saint-Louis hospital. To say to oneself that, among them, some will not make it remains difficult memories, he explained, adding: “But there are also moments of happiness like these reunions with a little guy from Lorient who grabbed my pants at the start of a race stage. He asked me if I remembered him, he was at Saint-Louis hospital. It marks…”
Bernard Hinault gives of himself but also of memories, like his yellow jerseys which he does not hesitate to put up for auction. “When one of my yellow jerseys is auctioned, I can assure you that the price goes very high, he asserted. I don't have many left at home, but I know they serve an important cause. I want to help at my level, thanks to this commitment and therefore thanks to my name which still speaks to many people. »
