The Super Prestige Pernod was a season-long competition in road bicycle racing between 1958 and 1987. For the first edition it was known as the Prestige Pernod, and for the last four years as the Super Prestige Pernod International.

Super Prestige Pernod
FormerlyChallenge Desgrange-Colombo
SportRoad bicycle racing
First season1959 (1959)
Ceased1987
Replaced byUCI Road World Cup
CountriesInternational
Last
champion(s)
 Stephen Roche (IRE)
Most titles Eddy Merckx (BEL) (7)

History

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Disagreements between the organisers of the similar Challenge Desgrange-Colombo led to its demise and a gap in season-long competitions. In 1958, the publicity division of Pernod offered a trophy for the best French rider of the year. The competition was known as the Prestige Pernod. It was a rival to Challenge Yellow, run by the chain company Sedis since 1931.

The following year, Pernod added the Super Prestige Pernod, for the best rider of the year, assessed on points attributed to the biggest races. At the same time it introduced Promotion Pernod, for the best French rider under 25. The Super Prestige Pernod became an unofficial world points championship.

A fourth class, Promotion Internationale, appeared in 1983 but that and the Promotion Pernod vanished the following year to create a single Super Prestige Pernod. A women's competition was added in 1985. Both were abandoned at the end of 1987 when France banned drinks advertising in sport.[1]

The Super Prestige Pernod was won by some of the greatest names in professional cycle racing. They included Jacques Anquetil, who won four times, Eddy Merckx won a record seven times (1969–1975); Bernard Hinault equalled Anquetil's total with his fourth consecutive victory in 1982; while the final four years were won by Irish riders Sean Kelly (1984–1986) and Stephen Roche (1987). Anquetil was the only rider to regain the title having lost it, a feat he achieved twice.

Races

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Race Location Type Years Editions within SPP
Amstel Gold Race   Netherlands Single day race 1976–1987 10
Bordeaux–Paris   France Single day race 1959–1970, 1973–1987 27
Circuit du Provençal   France Stage race 1965 1
Clásica de San Sebastián   Spain Single day race 1987 1
Clásico RCN   Colombia Stage race 1986–1987 2
Coors Classic   United States Stage race 1986–1987 2
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré   France Stage race 1959–1966, 1969–1974, 1976–1987 26
Four Days of Dunkirk   France Stage race 1961–1962, 1967–1987 23
Genoa–Nice   Italy/  France Single day race 1961–1962 2
Gent–Wevelgem   Belgium Single day race 1979–1987 9
Giro d'Italia   Italy Stage race 1961–1987 27
Giro di Campania   Italy Single day race 1962 1
Giro di Lombardia   Italy Single day race 1960–1987 28
Grand Prix de Fourmies   France Single day race 1979 1
Grand Prix des Nations   France Individual time trial 1959–1987 29
Grand Prix du Midi Libre   France Stage race 1961, 1966–1967, 1969–1974, 1976–1987 21
Grand Prix du Parisien   France Team time trial 1963–1965 3
Grand Prix Stan Ockers   France Single day race 1959–1960, 1962–1963 4
La Flèche Wallonne   Belgium Single day race 1961–1970, 1972, 1974, 1976–1987 24
Liège–Bastogne–Liège   Belgium Single day race 1960, 1965–1969, 1971, 1973, 1975–1987 21
Milan–San Remo   Italy Single day race 1960–1987 28
Milano–Torino   Italy Single day race 1979 1
Omloop Het Volk   Belgium Single-day race 1983–1987 5
Paris–Brussels   France/  Belgium Single day race 1959–1966, 1975–1978, 1981–1984, 1986–1987 18
Paris–Luxembourg   France/  Luxembourg Stage race 1964–1970 7
Paris–Nice   France Stage race 1960, 1963–1987 26
Paris–Roubaix   France Single day race 1959–1987 29
Paris–Tours   France Single day race 1959–1987 29
Rund um den Henninger Turm   Germany Single day race 1968–1974, 1977–1987 18
Setmana Catalana de Ciclisme   Spain Stage race 1972–1974, 1976, 1978 5
Tirreno–Adriatico   Italy Stage race 1980–1987 8
Tour de France   France Stage race 1959–1987 29
Tour de l'Avenir   France Stage race 1982–1987 6
Tour de l'Ouest   France Stage race 1959 1
Tour de la Nouvelle-France   Canada Stage race 1972–1973 2
Tour de Romandie   Switzerland Stage race 1961–1962, 1974–1987 16
Tour de Suisse   Switzerland Stage race 1974–1975, 1977–1987 13
Tour of Flanders   Belgium Single day race 1960–1987 28
Tour of Ireland   Ireland Stage race 1987 1
Tre Valli Varesine   Italy Single day race 1961 1
UCI Road World Championships – Men's road race Varied Single day race 1959–1987 29
Volta a Catalunya   Spain Stage race 1975, 1977, 1985–1987 5
Vuelta a Colombia   Colombia Stage race 1986–1987 2
Vuelta a España   Spain Stage race 1961–1987 27
Züri-Metzgete   Switzerland Single day race 1975, 1979–1982, 1984–1987 9

Winners

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Source:[2]

Year Winner Second Third Fourth Fifth
1959 Henry Anglade   Roger Rivière Noël Foré Rik Van Looy Gérard Saint
1960 Jean Graczyk   Pino Cerami Gastone Nencini Raymond Mastrotto Rik Van Looy
1961 Jacques Anquetil   Raymond Poulidor Rik Van Looy Gilbert Desmet I Nino Defilippis
1962 Jo de Roo   Jef Planckaert Emile Daems Rik Van Looy Jacques Anquetil
1963 Jacques Anquetil   Tom Simpson Raymond Poulidor Jo de Roo Rik Van Looy
1964 Raymond Poulidor   Jan Janssen Jacques Anquetil Rik Van Looy Benoni Beheyt
1965 Jacques Anquetil   Tom Simpson Ward Sels Raymond Poulidor Felice Gimondi
1966 Jacques Anquetil   Felice Gimondi Raymond Poulidor Jan Janssen Lucien Aimar
1967 Jan Janssen   Eddy Merckx Felice Gimondi Roger Pingeon Franco Balmamion
1968 Herman Van Springel   Felice Gimondi Jan Janssen Eddy Merckx Walter Godefroot
1969 Eddy Merckx   Felice Gimondi Herman Van Springel Raymond Poulidor Walter Godefroot
1970 Eddy Merckx   Herman Van Springel Luis Ocaña Eric Leman Felice Gimondi
1971 Eddy Merckx   Luis Ocaña Gösta Pettersson Joop Zoetemelk Cyrille Guimard
1972 Eddy Merckx   Raymond Poulidor Cyrille Guimard Yves Hézard Joop Zoetemelk
1973 Eddy Merckx   Luis Ocaña Felice Gimondi Joop Zoetemelk Freddy Maertens
1974 Eddy Merckx   Roger De Vlaeminck Frans Verbeeck Raymond Poulidor Joop Zoetemelk
1975 Eddy Merckx   Roger De Vlaeminck Francesco Moser Bernard Thévenet Freddy Maertens
1976 Freddy Maertens   Francesco Moser Joop Zoetemelk Eddy Merckx Lucien Van Impe
1977 Freddy Maertens   Roger De Vlaeminck Bernard Hinault Joop Zoetemelk Francesco Moser
1978 Francesco Moser   Bernard Hinault Joop Zoetemelk Gerrie Knetemann Jan Raas
1979 Bernard Hinault   Giuseppe Saronni Joop Zoetemelk Francesco Moser Jan Raas
1980 Bernard Hinault   Fons De Wolf Francesco Moser Hennie Kuiper Giuseppe Saronni
1981 Bernard Hinault   Roger De Vlaeminck Jan Raas Fons De Wolf Hennie Kuiper
1982 Bernard Hinault   Giuseppe Saronni Silvano Contini Tommy Prim Sean Kelly
1983 Greg LeMond   Sean Kelly Jan Raas Giuseppe Saronni Adri van der Poel
1984 Sean Kelly   Bernard Hinault Phil Anderson Laurent Fignon Francesco Moser
1985 Sean Kelly   Phil Anderson Greg LeMond Bernard Hinault Moreno Argentin
1986 Sean Kelly   Greg LeMond Claude Criquielion Adri van der Poel Urs Zimmermann
1987 Stephen Roche   Sean Kelly Claude Criquielion Charly Mottet Eric Vanderaerden

See also

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Citations

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  1. ^ Heijmans & Mallon 2011, p. 189.
  2. ^ "Challenge Pernod". Memoire du cyclisme (in French). Retrieved 20 May 2015.

References

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