# Jean-François Bernard

Jean-François Bernard (born 2 May 1962) is a French former professional road bicycle racer.

## Career

He turned professional in 1984 for La Vie Claire, led by Bernard Hinault. He was seen as Hinault’s successor as a winner of stage races from 1986.
He competed in the team time trial event at the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Bernard wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in the 1987 Tour de France and won two stages, both time trials, including one on Mont Ventoux. He finished the race third behind Stephen Roche of Ireland and Pedro Delgado of Spain and was in contention all the way to the end in what still remains among the closest Tours in history.
He won three stages in the 1988 Giro d'Italia and led the race, but he crashed in a tunnel, injured his back and abandoned the race. The next year he needed an operation and months of recuperation for fibrosis in his left knee.
A saddle sore and another operation forced him out of the 1990 Tour de France. He never again challenged in the grands tours. In 1991 he joined the Spanish team, Banesto which had two leaders for stage races in Delgado and Miguel Indurain. Bernard helped Indurain dominate the Tour.
Bernard won the 1992 Paris–Nice.
Bernard retired at the end of 1996 with 52 professional wins. He is now a consultant for L'Équipe, L'Équipe TV and Eurosport. In 2005 a race, La Jean-François Bernard, was organised in the Nièvre region of Bourgogne as part of the Trophy of Bourgogne, an amateur competition. He is the father of racing cyclist Julien Bernard.

## Career achievements
### Major results
#### 1983

    1st Road race, National Amateur Road Championships

#### 1984

    5th Overall Tour de l'Avenir

#### 1985

    1st Stage 6a Tour de Suisse
    3rd Trofeo Baracchi
    5th Grand Prix des Nations
    9th Overall Critérium International
    10th Overall Tour du Limousin
       1st Stage 2
    10th Overall Tour de l'Avenir
    10th Clásica de San Sebastián

#### 1986

    1st Overall Tour Méditerranéen
       1st Stage 5a (ITT)
    1st Coppa Sabatini
    1st Châteauroux Classic de l'Indre Trophée Fenioux
    1st Stage 16 Tour de France
    1st Prologue Tour d'Armorique
    2nd Overall Tour de Romandie
       1st Prologue & Stage 5b (ITT)
    3rd Grand Prix des Nations
    3rd Gran Piemonte
    5th Overall Critérium International
    6th Grand Prix de Cannes
    7th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
       1st Prologue & Stage 7b (ITT)
    7th Overall Paris–Nice
    9th Tour du Nord-Ouest

#### 1987

    1st Giro dell'Emilia
    1st Grand Prix de Rennes
    1st Stage 19 Giro d'Italia
    2nd Overall Paris–Nice
       1st Stage 4
    2nd Circuit de l'Aulne
    2nd Grand Prix des Nations
    3rd Overall Tour de France
       1st Combination classification
       1st Stages 18 (ITT) & 24 (ITT)
    7th Overall Critérium International
    10th Critérium des As

#### 1988

    1st Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence
    Giro d'Italia
       1st Stages 1 (ITT), 8 & 15
    5th Overall Tour de Romandie
    9th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe

#### 1989

    1st Stage 2 Tour du Vaucluse

#### 1990

    1st Stage 15 (ITT) Vuelta a España
    1st Stage 7b (ITT) Paris–Nice
    7th Overall Herald Sun Tour
       1st Stage 7
    7th Grand Prix de Wallonie

#### 1991

    1st Circuit de l'Aulne
    3rd Polynormande
    4th La Flèche Wallonne
    6th Overall Tour du Limousin
    7th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
    8th Giro dell'Appennino

#### 1992

    1st Overall Paris–Nice
       1st Stage 7b (ITT)
    1st Overall Critérium International
    1st Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
       1st Stage 4a (ITT)
    1st Polynormande
    2nd Trofeo Comunidad Foral de Navarra
    3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
    5th Overall Volta a Catalunya
       1st Stage 3
    7th Overall Tour du Limousin
    10th Road race, UCI Road World Championships

#### 1993

    1st Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
       1st Stage 4a (ITT)
    2nd GP Ouest–France
    8th Overall Tour du Limousin
       1st Stage 2
    8th Subida a Urkiola

#### 1994

    8th Overall Paris–Nice

### Grand Tour general classification results timeline

| Grand Tour | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 |
| Vuelta a España | — | — | — | — | 59 | — | — | DNF | — | DNF |
| Giro d'Italia | — | 16 | DNF | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — |
| Tour de France | 12 | 3 | DNF | — | DNF | 14 | 39 | 49 | 17 | 34 |
Legend :
| — | Did not compete |
| DNF | Did not finish |