French cyclist (1972–2022)
Walter Bénéteau![]() Walter Bénéteau in 2006 |
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| Born | (1972-07-28)28 July 1972[1]
Les Essarts, Vendée, France[2] |
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| Died | 10 December 2022(2022-12-10) (aged 50)[3]
Bali, Indonesia |
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| Height | 1.75 m (5 ft 9 in)[2] |
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| Weight | 67 kg (148 lb)[2] |
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| Current team | [4] |
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| Discipline | Road |
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| Role | Rider |
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| Rider type | Sprinter |
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| 1991–1999 | Vendée U |
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| 1995 | Castorama (stagiaire) |
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| 2000–2006 | Bonjour |
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Walter Bénéteau (28 July 1972 – 10 December 2022)[5] was a French professional cyclist.[4] He raced in every Tour de France from 2000 until 2006.[6][7]
Career
Stage 1 of the 2006 Tour de France started with a seven-man break-away with Bénéteau being the last man caught with 7km to go after spending 177km out in front.[8] During Stage 6 Bénéteau was hit in the face by Spaniard David de la Fuente causing his glasses and helmet to go flying.[9] Then in Stage 9 Bénéteau was part of an initial 3-man break-away, caught with only 10km to the finish line.[10] During this stage he won all three intermediate sprint points, moving him to 23rd in the Points classification.[11] Bénéteau's final Grand Tour was the 2006 Vuelta a España; he finished first in the main peloton bunch sprint in stage 11, 15 minutes down on winner Egoi Martínez.[12][13] He finished 83rd overall in his final Grand Tour.[14][15] Bénéteau announced he would retire after his contract ended with Bouygues Télécom.[16][17]
Death
Bénéteau died on 10 December 2022 in a hotel room in Bali, Indonesia. The circumstances of his death have not yet been released by local authorities.[18][5]
Major results
Sources:[2]
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Sources:[7]
References
External links
