RIP Philippe Gaumont

iainf72

Passed away today, never came out of the coma

deejay

iainf72 wrote:

Passed away today, never came out of the coma

That is Sad and even though he did too many Drugs I don't feel Ill of the dead. R.I.P.
He had an enormous Fan Club in Picardie.

blazing_saddles

Shoot, so young. Hard to believe.

Gazzetta67

Sad news, Sadly this sort of news will not put off any "win at all costs" riders who wont even give a jot a about their longer term health after a career in the saddle

knedlicky

According to information put out late this evening, Gaumont is still ‘alive’ because on an oxygen machine, but considered brain dead.

He was supposedly a very nice and approachable guy, and I think overall liked in French cycling circles, if not by everyone (i.e. those who dislike all dopers, even dopers who admit and provide details, as Gaumont did). A few also say that after retirement he lived life too much to the full, i.e. alcohol, which compounded his health problems.

In 2005 Gaumont brought out a book (Prisonnier du Dopage) about his doping experience, expanding on what had already come to light via articles in Le Monde. It was actually written by a female journalist based on interviews with Gaumont and initially named names. But the publisher's lawyers insisted the names be deleted before publication to avoid libel actions - pity.

French singer Richard Fredon was a keen amateur cyclist at AC Margny before arterial endofibrosis (what Stuart O’Grady had) meant he couldn’t consider cycling as a career. He knew of Gaumont because Margny is only about 20 km from where Gaumont came and when Fredon was riding as a youth, Gaumont, about 5 years older, was also around, if not in the same races.

After reading Gaumont’s book, and seeing how the omerta nonetheless held firm, Fredon decided to write a song about Gaumont. He performed this to mates, who later then persuaded him to meet Gaumont to check that Gaumont approved of it, especially since Fredon was hoping to start performing in public. So the two met in a bar in Amiens and apparently got on very well together. Gaumont liked the song and found the lyrics fair, so raised no problems.

In 2009, someone put a version up on YouTube, the video showing photos of Gaumont. It's titled La Gomme, which is the way most people spell Gaumont’s nickname:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p1YINuK1QCM

The song was eventually studio-recorded in 2012, when Fredon made his first album, and there it's titled La Gaume:

http://www.richardfredon.com/Richard_Fredon/mes_chansons_files/richard%20fredon%20la%20gaume.mp3

Fredon has also done songs about cyclists Vandenbroucke (with whom Gaumont was involved – it too appeared on YouTube before being properly recorded), Mélodie Lesieur (2011 women’s national champion in France) and most recently Lance Armstrong.
He’s also done a song about a Dr. Mabuse, which was Bernard Sainz’s nickname.

dave_1

v sad. Millar's new vocabulary is thanks top Gaummont showing us what he was. The body count as a result of PED use or leading on from PED use is getting bigger..VDB, Pantani, Jiminez, Gaummont

Le Commentateur

Strictly speaking Pantani's death was recreational drug overdose as a result of an addiction fueled by a depressive personality disorder.

dave_1

Le Commentateur wrote:

Strictly speaking Pantani's death was recreational drug overdose as a result of an addiction fueled by a depressive personality disorder.

but I see a connection between the amphets, pot belge and generally years of not being yourself due to injections external to your self being introduced to your body..so PED use becomes a giant gateway to recreational drug use, esp when the UCI/Omerta throws the victim on the scarp heap like Pantani in 2003..picked up taste for a high and in doldrums at same time. Lethal mix

jamie1012

A bloody shame. RIP.

frenchfighter

I never knew the guy but any life taken early is sad. Just came across this photo of him:

Pross

The key for me is that whilst he doped he eventually gave up lots of information that hopefully, over the years, will stop other riders ending their lives in a similar way. Also, hopefully his sad death will make riders who are still offered PEDs consider the long term as well as short term risks but I may be crediting people with too much sense there

danlikesbikes

Pross wrote:

The key for me is that whilst he doped he eventually gave up lots of information that hopefully, over the years, will stop other riders ending their lives in a similar way. Also, hopefully his sad death will make riders who are still offered PEDs consider the long term as well as short term risks but I may be crediting people with too much sense there

Good point. Let us hope that the info he gave and the warning to other riders help.

RIP to his family though in such a sad time

jimmythecuckoo

Forgive me but how did he get into the coma?

gpreeves

jimmythecuckoo wrote:

Forgive me but how did he get into the coma?

Heart attack I believe:

http://www.velonation.com/News/ID/14439/Former-pro-Gaumont-in-a-coma-after-heart-attack.aspx

deejay

knedlicky wrote:

So the two met in a bar in Amiens and apparently got on very well together. Gaumont liked the song and found the lyrics fair, so raised no problems.

Probably in the Bar, Gaumont owned in Amiens.

I'm not a Twit on Twitter, so has anybody seen anything from Boardman about his former room mate.

jamie1012

Apparently he's braindead, but still on a respirator.

davidof

Clap de fin pour Gaumont

lucan2

http://www.lequipe.fr/Cyclisme-sur-rout ... ont/371831

Graculus

I'm a bit behind and have only just heard this sad news!

I've just started reading his book and, even taking into account the fact that he obviously wants to put across his side of the story, it is difficult not to feel quite a lot of sympathy for him.