# Cédric Vasseur

Cédric Vasseur (born 18 August 1970) is a French former professional road racing cyclist, and current general manager of UCI WorldTeam Cofidis. As a rider, Vasseur competed between 1993 and 2007 for the Novemail–Histor, Crédit Agricole, U.S. Postal Service, Cofidis and Quick-Step–Innergetic squads. Vasseur was considered an all-rounder who could do well in a variety of races. He raced in all of the spring classics such as Tour of Flanders and Paris–Roubaix, and won a stage of the Dauphiné Libéré stage race as well as two at the Tour de France.

## Career
### Professional rider

Born in Hazebrouck, Nord, Vasseur turned professional with the team Novemail in 1993, and switched to the GAN team in 1995 which then became Crédit Agricole in 1998. His first professional victory is also his most famous: it was his solo 147-kilometre breakaway by which he won stage 5 of the 1997 Tour de France. He then wore the yellow jersey as the race leader for five days.
In the 2000 and 2001 seasons, he rode for the U.S. Postal Service team and participated in the 2000 Tour de France. However, his exclusion from the 2001 Tour de France team led to his switch to the Cofidis team. He cited personal differences with the USPS team star Lance Armstrong, which was widely quoted in French cycling publications. In the wake of the publication of the USADA memo that proves Lance Armstrong doping practices, he explained that he was excluded because of his refusal to participate in Armstrong's doping program. ("Inutile de rappeler que je n'ai rien à voir dans cette organisation à qui je dois fort probablement ma non-participation au Tour 2001 ainsi que mon éviction de l'équipe.")
In 2004, Vasseur was arrested in suspicion of doping offences along with several other Cofidis riders, notably including then individual time trial champion David Millar. A counter-analysis later proved negative and Vasseur's name was then cleared. Vasseur also claimed some of the evidence in his witness statement had been forged. However, Vasseur was barred from riding in the 2004 Tour de France since the investigation had not concluded by the time that the race had started. He retired at the end of 2007 after taking a second Tour de France stage win that year.

### After retirement

Following his retirement from racing, Vasseur served as head of the CPA (the professional cyclists' association), and as a TV pundit. In October 2017 the Cofidis team announced that Vasseur would return to the team as their new manager.

## Personal life

Vasseur came from a family of cyclists: his father Alain Vasseur competed in the 1970, 1971 and 1974 editions of the Tour de France. His father also won a stage of the Tour de France after a solo breakaway.

## Major results
### 1993

    1st Stage 6 Tour de l'Avenir

### 1994

    2nd Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers
    8th GP Ouest–France
    10th Overall Tour du Limousin

### 1995

    6th Paris–Camembert
    7th Overall Regio-Tour
    10th Overall Tour de l'Oise

### 1996

    1st Stage 4 Grand Prix du Midi Libre
    8th Paris–Bourges
    10th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk

### 1997

    Tour de France
       1st Stage 5
       Held Stages 5–9
    2nd Grand Prix de la Ville de Lillers
    3rd Polynormande
    6th Chrono des Herbiers
    7th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre
    7th Giro del Piemonte
    8th GP Ouest–France

### 1998

    6th Overall Route du Sud
    6th Paris–Camembert

### 1999

    3rd Road race, National Road Championships
    7th Overall Circuit Cycliste Sarthe
       1st Stage 1
    7th Grand Prix d'Isbergues
    8th Overall Grand Prix du Midi Libre
    8th Trophée des Grimpeurs

### 2001

    4th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
    10th Paris–Camembert

### 2002

    1st Grand Prix d'Isbergues
    5th Road race, National Road Championships
    6th Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
       1st Stage 5
    6th Paris–Bourges
    6th Boucles de l'Aulne
    8th Giro del Piemonte

### 2003

    1st Overall Paris–Corrèze
       1st Stage 2
    1st Overall Hessen-Rundfahrt
       1st Stage 1
    1st Stage 7 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
    1st Stage 2 Tour du Limousin
    4th Grand Prix Pino Cerami
    4th Route Adélie
    5th GP Chiasso
    6th Giro di Lombardia
    6th Grand Prix de Wallonie
    8th A Travers le Morbihan

### 2004

    1st Stage 4 Tour de l'Ain
    1st Stage 4 Tour du Limousin
    3rd GP Chiasso
    4th Paris–Bourges
    8th GP Ouest–France
    9th Milano–Torino

### 2005

    3rd Tour du Haut Var
    5th Sparkassen Giro Bochum
    6th Overall Étoile de Bessèges
    9th Grand Prix d'Isbergues

### 2006

    1st Grand Prix d'Isbergues

### 2007

    1st Stage 10 Tour de France
    2nd Grand Prix de Wallonie

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
| Giro d'Italia | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 54 | — | — |
| Tour de France | — | 69 | 40 | 24 | 83 | 52 | — | 55 | 97 | — | 44 | 95 | 55 |
| Vuelta a España | 69 | — | 45 | DNF | — | — | — | — | — | 36 | — | — | — |
Legend :
| DSQ | Disqualified |
| DNF | Did not finish |