Jean-François Bernard

Jean-François Bernard (born 2 May 1962) is a French former professional road bicycle racer.

Career
He turned professional in 1984 for La Vie Claire, led by Bernard Hinault. He was seen as Hinault’s successor as a winner of stage races from 1986.

He competed in the team time trial event at the 1984 Summer Olympics.

Bernard wore the yellow jersey as leader of the general classification in the 1987 Tour de France and won two stages, both time trials, including one on Mont Ventoux. He finished the race third behind Stephen Roche of Ireland and Pedro Delgado of Spain and was in contention all the way to the end in what still remains among the closest Tours in history.

He won three stages in the 1988 Giro d'Italia and led the race, but he crashed in a tunnel, injured his back and abandoned the race. The next year he needed an operation and months of recuperation for fibrosis in his left knee.

A saddle sore and another operation forced him out of the 1990 Tour de France. He never again challenged in the grands tours. In 1991 he joined the Spanish team, Banesto which had two leaders for stage races in Delgado and Miguel Indurain. Bernard helped Indurain dominate the Tour.

Bernard won the 1992 Paris–Nice.

Bernard retired at the end of 1996 with 52 professional wins. He is now a consultant for L'Équipe, L'Équipe TV and Eurosport. In 2005 a race, La Jean-François Bernard, was organised in the Nièvre region of Bourgogne as part of the Trophy of Bourgogne, an amateur competition. He is the father of racing cyclist Julien Bernard.

Major results

 * 1983
 * 1st MaillotFra.PNG Road race, National Amateur Road Championships


 * 1984
 * 5th Overall Tour de l'Avenir


 * 1985
 * 1st Stage 6a Tour de Suisse
 * 3rd Trofeo Baracchi
 * 5th Grand Prix des Nations
 * 9th Overall Critérium International
 * 10th Overall Tour du Limousin
 * 1st Stage 2
 * 10th Overall Tour de l'Avenir
 * 10th Clásica de San Sebastián


 * 1986
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Tour Méditerranéen
 * 1st Stage 5a (ITT)
 * 1st Coppa Sabatini
 * 1st Châteauroux Classic de l'Indre Trophée Fenioux
 * 1st Stage 16 Tour de France
 * 1st Prologue Tour d'Armorique
 * 2nd Overall Tour de Romandie
 * 1st Prologue & Stage 5b (ITT)
 * 3rd Grand Prix des Nations
 * 3rd Gran Piemonte
 * 5th Overall Critérium International
 * 6th Grand Prix de Cannes
 * 7th Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
 * 1st Prologue & Stage 7b (ITT)
 * 7th Overall Paris–Nice
 * 9th Tour du Nord-Ouest


 * 1987
 * 1st Giro dell'Emilia
 * 1st Grand Prix de Rennes
 * 1st Stage 19 Giro d'Italia
 * 2nd Overall Paris–Nice
 * 1st Stage 4
 * 2nd Circuit de l'Aulne
 * 2nd Grand Prix des Nations
 * 3rd Overall Tour de France
 * 1st Jersey combined.svg Combination classification
 * 1st Stages 18 (ITT) & 24 (ITT)
 * 7th Overall Critérium International
 * 10th Critérium des As


 * 1988
 * 1st Grand Prix d'Aix-en-Provence
 * Giro d'Italia
 * 1st Stages 1 (ITT), 8 & 15
 * 5th Overall Tour de Romandie
 * 9th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe


 * 1989
 * 1st Stage 2 Tour du Vaucluse


 * 1990
 * 1st Stage 15 (ITT) Vuelta a España
 * 1st Stage 7b (ITT) Paris–Nice
 * 7th Overall Herald Sun Tour
 * 1st Stage 7
 * 7th Grand Prix de Wallonie


 * 1991
 * 1st Circuit de l'Aulne
 * 3rd Polynormande
 * 4th La Flèche Wallonne
 * 6th Overall Tour du Limousin
 * 7th Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
 * 8th Giro dell'Appennino


 * 1992
 * 1st Jersey white.svg Overall Paris–Nice
 * 1st Stage 7b (ITT)
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Critérium International
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
 * 1st Stage 4a (ITT)
 * 1st Polynormande
 * 2nd Trofeo Comunidad Foral de Navarra
 * 3rd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
 * 5th Overall Volta a Catalunya
 * 1st Stage 3
 * 7th Overall Tour du Limousin
 * 10th Road race, UCI Road World Championships


 * 1993
 * 1st Jersey yellow.svg Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
 * 1st Stage 4a (ITT)
 * 2nd GP Ouest–France
 * 8th Overall Tour du Limousin
 * 1st Stage 2
 * 8th Subida a Urkiola


 * 1994
 * 8th Overall Paris–Nice