Pascal Hervé, a 60-year-old former French cyclist, died on Christmas night. The news was communicated by the UNCP, the French cyclists' union, which remembered him as an emblematic figure of cycling. Hervé, well-known climber, he revealed last September that he had undergone surgery for a serious illness.
The Shadow of Doping
Hervé had an intense career, but one marked by doping scandals. After turning professional in 1994, at almost 30 years old, he obtained the pink jersey at the Giro d'Italia in 1996 and won numerous racesafter the Trophée des Grimpeurs and the GP de Plouay in 1998. He was a faithful follower of Richard Virenque at Festina, the team involved in the famous doping scandal of the 1998 Tour de France. The French rider was suspended for two months in 1998 and ended his career in 2001, after testing positive in a doping test at the Giro d'Italia, admitting the use of EPO.
Fighting spirit
The news of his death caused great emotion in the cycling world. Despite a short career, Pascal Hervé left a mark, standing out for his climbing skills and his fighting spirit. The shadow of the scandals linked to doping involved him at the height of his activity, in a difficult period for the entire cycling movement, but he paid for his sins, still remaining etched in the memory of the fans.
