Philippe Gaumont

Philippe Gaumont
Personal information
Full namePhilippe Gaumont
Born(1973-02-22)22 February 1973
Amiens, France
Died17 May 2013(2013-05-17) (aged 40)
Arras, France
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight76 kg (168 lb; 12 st 0 lb)
Team information
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Professional teams
1994–1995Castorama
1996Gan
1997–2004Cofidis
Medal record
Representing  France
Men's road bicycle racing
Olympic Games
1992 BarcelonaTeam Time Trial

Philippe Gaumont (22 February 1973 17 May 2013) was a French professional road racing cyclist. He earned a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics, 100 km team time trial. In 1997, he won the Belgian classic Gent–Wevelgem and he was twice individual pursuit French national champion, in 2000 and 2002. In 2004, Gaumont quit professional cycling and later ran a café in Amiens.

Gaumont was well known for having confessed to extensive doping and explaining many tricks of the trade. Gaumont gave a series of interviews, and wrote a book, Prisonnier du dopage ("Prisoner of doping") in which he explained doping methods, masking methods, the use of drug cocktails such as the pot belge for training and for recreation, and how the need to make money makes racers dope themselves. In April 2013, he suffered a major heart attack and was reported to be in a coma. On 13 May 2013, several news sources reported his death, but according to La Voix du Nord he remained in an artificial coma, though had suffered brain death. He died on 17 May 2013.