Former Europcar rider and double Tro-Bro Léon winner Saïd Haddou has died at the age of 43.
The Frenchman was killed on Monday after getting caught up in a traffic collision while riding his motorcycle, L’Equipe reported.
Haddou raced among the pro peloton between 2003 and 2012, spending time at Bigmat-Auber93 and Bouygues Telecom (later known as Europcar). He scored seven wins during his racing career, including sprint victories at the 2007 and 2009 editions of the Breton gravel Classic, Tro-Bro Léon.
Haddou, from Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, also won stages of the Boucles de la Mayenne, Tour du Poitou-Charentes, Etoile de Bessèges, and the Tallinn-Tartu Grand Prix, and raced the Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in 2009. He turned to road racing after starting on the track, winning the European under-23 Madison title in 2022.
Haddou was of Algerian descent, and in 2009, he became the first rider of North African origin to race the Tour de France since 1954, according to Le Monde.
After retiring from racing at the conclusion of the 2012 season, Haddou stayed on two wheels as a driver for France Télévisions.
He teamed up with former racing teammate Thomas Voeckler, piloting the TV motorbike as Voeckler gave live dispatches from races, including the Tour de France. Haddou also worked at other ASO-organised races, driving guests and journalists
Cyclingnews extends its condolences to Haddou’s family, friends, and former teammates.
