And yet the man’s off bike persona was more of a dandy than a bike racer. The common perception was that Louison dressed above his station, and acted with an elegance that was un-relatable. Cycling fans wanted heroes that looked, acted and talked like them. But this was not Louison. He flew planes while away from the bike, drove an Italian car, and was obsessive about personal hygiene. So much so, that when he first earned the yellow jersey in 1953, Louison refused to wear it. The jersey was made from synthetic fibers, and Bobet insisted instead on pure wool, forcing race organizers to craft one overnight.

It’s ironic that in spite of his obsessive cleanliness, the man was plagued by saddle sores. After painfully struggling through his last Tour de France victory in 1955, Bobet required surgery for a horrible boil that had been plaguing him for much of the race. Reports say Louison’s body was riddled with “holes” by the end of that Tour, and while cancer was speculated, it was only whispered about quietly, in darkened rooms far from the earshot of Bobet. Cancer is what eventually conquered Louison, although it was many years later, in 1983.

And you wonder just where the manic drive came from. His father? In Jean Bobet’s book, “Tomorrow we Ride,” Jean (also a professional cyclist) recalls a race he competed in with his brother, Louison. They duo had just been sidelined by a puncture, and the peloton had ridden away from them.

“For three laps of the 15 kilometer circuit we put everything into the chase, but the gap kept growing. It was no use. Louison gave up, and I, of course, with him. There was nothing for it but to go back to the garage, the car, and home. We found the garage all right, but the car was not there. Nor, for that matter, was our father. Louison let fly a string of expletives which helped to bring me round, exhausted as I was from the effort we had kept up for over an hour.

At that moment, a friend and supporter approached cautiously to inform us that our father had driven off, announcing that the 100 kilometers back to Rennes would give us some much needed training!”

Louison’s upbringing is dotted with stories like this one, and it’s hard to think these “lessons” wouldn’t affect him, his work ethic or outlook on life.

The complexities of the human condition, and the single mindedness of a champion. Louison Bobet, a true cycling hero.