Raymond Poulidor

The Aries sign of the Western Zodiac

Raymond Poulidor, often nick-named Pou Pou (born April 15, 1936, Masbaraud-Merignat, France), was a professional bicycle racer. He was known as the 'eternal second', as he finished the Tour de France in second place three times, and in third place five times. Despite his consistency, he never once wore the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France. His tragedy was that as a great cyclist, he worked the roads of France in the eras of two of the greatest, Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx. This underdog position, however, may also have been the reason why he was the darling of the public.