Pacal Richard, the man from Atlanta

Swiss rider Pascal Richard took the Olympic RoadRace gold medal in Atlanta back in 1996, the first time that the event had been open to pro’s.

Here’s a grab from a chat we had a couple of years back.

”In Switzerland we have to do military service for a period every year, and I was in the bike corps. I’d just won the queen stage of the Tour de France as the Swiss National Champion and they told me I had to go straight from the Tour to the bike corps for national service.” Things didn’t work out well; “I discussed with the Colonel, and said that I had big races ahead and had to train, he said “Okay, get up at 6am do all of your military work and go out late in the day”. When I told him I needed 6-7 hours a day it didn’t go down well. I’d had enough and just got in my car and left. Later the military police came and took me to prison, it was crazy, but it’s the Swiss way.”

Several other high profile Swiss athletes also suffered at the hands of national service; “You’d think that as an Olympic Champion they could make some arrangements, as they do with Roger Federer, but no.”

His pro road career had started in 1986. After winning several of the world’s top amateur road races, he signed with the iconic Kas team of Sean Kelly, who he ranks alongside Bernard Hinault, Miguel Indurain and Eddy Merckx as his personal all time greatest riders; “In my first year as a pro, at the Critirium International they told me I was sharing a room with Sean Kelly. I told them I couldn’t, I was almost hysterical – there was just no way I could have slept in a room next to Sean Kelly, I’d be too nervous.” His respect for these riders is clear and huge; “I got to ride with and share rooms with Greg Lemond and many great riders, absolutely amazing… then when I rode with Axel Merckx I was like a small boy cow-tailing to him. He asked why I was like this, and I told him that he was the son of Eddy. It was funny. As for Indurain, he was just class, and so friendly all of the time, a true champion in every way.”