Cyclist known as 'Mr. Clean' in the 1990s shares bizarre stories: 'Armstrong said I was hurting cycling'

Bassons was an excellent cyclist who turned pro in 1996 after starting out as a mountain biker. Three years later, he won a stage at the Critérium du Dauphiné, but that was as far as he got.

According to him, that was because he never wanted to use performance-enhancing drugs. He had already spoken out against banned substances during his career, and that cost him dearly. At the age of 27, he retired from cycling.

On the Winamax Sport YouTube channel, he tells his story about his fight against doping. “When I saw how things were going, I thought it was impossible to win the Tour without doping,” Bassons said.

“I alienated everyone. I have the right to express my opinion. I can’t stand injustice. No one spoke to me anymore—not even my teammates.”

An example: the 1999 Tour de France, which was won by Armstrong.

“Before one stage, I heard that they’d decided to take it easy for the first 100 kilometers. As soon as the starting gun went off, I went full throttle. I went down the descent at full speed. Then I felt a hard thud on my shoulder—it was Armstrong. He said I was damaging the sport of cycling, that I didn’t belong there, and he ended with a‘f*ck you.’ I looked at him and smiled...”

He also cites his first year as a pro as an example. In late 1996, he was invited by “one of the greatest French cyclists” to a New Year’s Eve party. After midnight, that cyclist took his fellow cyclists down to the basement, where things took a strange turn.

"He gave the first cyclist—who pulled out an insulin syringe filled with 'Belgian weed'—some amphetamines; anything to make for a good party... He said to me, “Tonight, you’re part of the family.” He handed me the syringe. I was shocked—even scared—and I said, “No, absolutely not.” He took it badly and said, “Shut up, don’t say a word.” It really scared me.'

His fight against doping was not appreciated. “I was constantly bullied. Some team leaders really wanted me to use doping; they didn’t accuse me of not using doping, but they accused me of not doing my job. They said I had to do everything I could for my team leader. My feeling at the time was that I was the only clean one. The only clean one at Festina out of the 28 riders.”

His team managers were against him, as were his fellow riders. And that sometimes took on bizarre forms. “In 2000–2001, it escalated to physical intimidation. Some Frenchmen—who are now sports directors—pushed me onto the shoulder of the road. They caused me to crash two or three times,” said Bassons.

Bassons, now 52, retired from cycling 25 years ago. The sport of cycling has weathered many scandals but seems to have recovered. There are no major scandals like the one in the 2008 Tour de France. But is cycling truly clean? The Frenchman doesn’t dare say for sure.

Of course, the sport has evolved tremendously, especially in terms of equipment. “It’s hard for me to assess the evolution of the equipment,” Bassons responds.

“But performance is steadily increasing. I’m concerned about the entourage of certain teams. Pogacar’s entourage doesn’t exactly have a good reputation,” he says, referring to Mauro Gianetti, who has a checkered past in the sport.