Love him or hate him, he brought color, and energy to cycling, and I'll miss seeing him in the Pro peloton.
http://www.fortwayne.com/mld/newssentinel/9751035.htm
PARIS - French cycling star Richard Virenque retired Friday, ending a career marked by his fierce mountain climbs but tainted by his part in the Tour de France's worst doping scandal.
"I have had some great moments," the 34-year-old rider said. "But from now on I will just be enjoying bike rides with my family."
Virenque won a record seventh title this year as the Tour's top mountain climber. He captured seven stages in 12 appearances in cycling's premier race and wore the yellow jersey as overall leader in 1992 and 2003. His best overall finishes were third in 1996 and second in 1997.
"I've been involved in cycling for 20 years, 14 years as a professional," he said. "I had to make a decision. I was scared of carrying on for one year too many and preferred to go out on a high note."
The Morocco-born Virenque, admired for his solo breakaways and great stamina, is not bitter about never having won the Tour.
"There may have been a possibility to win in 1998, but I'm satisfied with my career," he said.
Virenque said his proudest moment in the Tour came in the Alps in 2000 when he won a stage in which he outlasted six-time Tour France champion Lance Armstrong and 1997 Tour winner Jan Ullrich.
Virenque said he will continue to do promotional work for his Quickstep-Davitamon team and eventually hopes to open a health club.
In 1998, Virenque's Festina squad was ejected from the Tour after customs officers found a large stash of performance-enhancing drugs in a team car.
In a trial that followed, Virenque was cleared of charges he helped supply drugs to teammates, but caused a furor with testimony on systematic drug abuse within his team and cycling. His admission led to a ban that kept him from the 2001 Tour. At the time, he felt his career was over.
A forgiving French public quickly welcomed him back. He won the stage up the legendary Mont Ventoux on his Tour comeback in 2002 and followed with a victory to Morzine in the Alps in 2003. This summer, roadside fans shouted in adoration as Virenque rode by and waved banners bearing his name.
On this past Bastille Day, Virenque won the Tour's longest stage with a solo breakaway. He became the 14th Frenchman since World War II to win on France's national holiday and the first since Laurent Jalabert in 2001.
