A belated happy birthday to Charly Mottet who was born December 16, 1962 in Valence, Drôme, France.
To many, Mottet represented the greatest French rider of his era, amassing an astonishing 67 victories during his 11-year career.
During his career, Mottet earned the reputation within the peloton as being a totally clean rider who never used performance-enhancing drugs.
Some of Mottet’s most notable accomplishments included victories in the following races:
1984
1st Jersey white.svg Young rider classification Giro d’Italia
1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de l’Avenir
1st Liedekerkse Pijl
1985
1st Overall Tour du Haut Var
1st Grand Prix d’Ouverture La Marseillaise
1st Grand Prix des Nations
1st Giro del Piemonte
1st Duo Normand (with Thierry Marie)
1986
1st Stages 9 & 11 Vuelta a España
1st Grand Prix Eddy Merckx
1st Breuillet
1987
1st Jersey yellow-bluebar.svg Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Overall Six-Days of Grenoble (with Bernard Vallet
1st Overall Tour du Limousin
1st Chateauroux – Limoges
1st Critérium des As
1st GP de Vannes
1st Montreuil
1st Quilan
1st Grand Prix des Nations
1988
1st Giro di Lombardia
1st Overall Six-Days of Grenoble (with Roman Hermann)
1st Giro del Lazio
1st Grand Prix des Nations
1989
1st Jersey yellow-bluebar.svg Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st Overall Six Days of Paris (with Etienne De Wilde)
1st Boucles de l’Aulne
1st Châteaulin
1st Giro del Lazio
6th Overall Tour de France
1990
1st Stage 15 Tour de France
1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour de Romandie
1st Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st Züri-Metzgete
2nd Overall Giro d’Italia
1st Stage 16
1991
1st Classique des Alpes
4th Overall Tour de France
1st Stages 11 & 12
1992
1st Jersey yellow-bluebar.svg Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Coppa Bernocchi
1993
1st Overall Tour du Limousin
1st Overall Tour Méditerranéen
1994
1st Overall Route du Sud
While a Grand Tour victory evaded Mottet throughout his career, he did manage to secure a spot on the podium in the 1990 Giro d’Italia, after finishing second in the overall clarification.
After retiring from racing, Mottet became involved in race organizing, working on the Critérium du Dauphiné (where he was assistant director) for 14 years, before being appointed sports manager of the Grand Prix Cycliste de Québec and Grand Prix Cycliste de Montréal in 2010. He also served as selector for the French national cycling team at the 1997 and 1998 Road World Championships, and as a technical delegate for the Union Cycliste Internationale at the 2004 and 2008 Summer Olympics.
Joyeux anniversaire Charly!
