Jean Stablinski Photo Gallery

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Major victories | Teams | Photos

Jean Stablinski (May 21, 1932 - July 22, 2007) was one of the iconic riders of the 1950s and 1960s. He wasn't born Jean Stablinski, Stablewski was his original name. But a journalist misspelled his name while he was riding the Peace Race (1952?) and the "Stablinski" error stuck.

The son of poor Polish immigrants, at 14 he began working in a mine and also took up cycling. He also played the accordion at dances to supplement the family's income. At 16 he began racing bicycles. At 21 (1953) he turned professional and by 1954 he had won his first big race, Paris-Bourges.

From 1958 to 1967 Stablinski rode on the same teams as Jacques Anquetil, the first racer to win the Tour de France five times. Though Stablinski was allowed a great deal of freedom and accumulated a great number of wins in that time, his main job was to ride support for Anquetil.

That relationship ended when Anquetil wrote some newspaper articles, one of which Stablinski felt criticized him. Stablinski took great offense, feeling he had devoted lot of his professional career to helping Anquetil.

In 1968 he moved to Mercier-BP-Hutchinson, the team of Anquetil's nemesis, Raymond Poulidor. Stablinski retired from racing after the 1968 season.

But, he was not done with competitive cycling, not by a long shot. In 1969 he became manager of the Sonolor-Lejeune professional team. He is noted for having signed up young riders Bernard Hinault and Lucien van Impe while they were young and uncelebrated.

After retirement he also became a member of Les Amis de Paris-Roubaix, and it was in that capacity he brought to the race organizers' attention the cobbles that run through the Arenberg Forest (Tranchée d'Arenberg). That addition is now an essential part of Paris-Roubaix.

Jean Stablinski died in in 1968 after a long illness.

Major victories:

1954: Paris-Bourges

1955: Paris-Valenciennes

1956: Tour des Provinces du Sud-Est

1957:

• Tour de l'Oise
• Grand Prix de Fourmies

1958: Vuelta a España

1960:

• French road champion
• Gênes-Nice
• Grand Prix d'Orchies
• Circuit de l'Aulne

1962:

• World road champion
• French road champion

1963:

• French road champion
• Paris-Brussels

1964:

• French road champion
• Bol d'Or des Mondédières
• Circuit des Frontières

1965:

• Baracchi Trophy (with Jacques Anquetil)
• Tour of Belgium
• Paris-Luxembourg
• Tour de Picardie
• Grand Prix du Canton d'Argovie
• Frankfurt Grand Prix

1966:

• Amstel Gold Race
• Grand Prix d'Isbergues

1968: Grand Prix de Denain

Professional Teams:

• 1953-1955: Gitane-Hutchinson
• 1956-1958: Essor-Leroux
• 1959-1960: Helyett-Leroux
• 1961: Helyett-Fynsec
• 1962: Saint-Raphaël-Helyett
• 1963-1964: Saint-Raphaël-Gitane
• 1965-1966: Ford France
• 1967: Bic-Hutchinson
• 1968: Mercier-BP-Hutchinson

Teams Stablinski directed:

• 1969-1972: Sonolor-Lejeune
• 1973: Sonolor
• 1974: Sonolor-Gitane
• 1075: Gitane-Campagnolo

Photos:

Jean Stablinski trading card

A newspaper clipping from the 1964 Tour de France. Ferdy Kübler leading an echelon, followed by de Gilles, Stablinski, Quentin and Vitetta.

Stablinski on his way to winning the 1962 world road championships

1962, Salò, Italy. After nearly eight hours of racing, Jean Stablinski is the new world professional road champion. Seamus Elliot won't finish for another minute and 22 seconds.

Stablinski, probably 1963

Jean Stablinski, Jacques Anquetil, Raymond Poulidor and Rik van Looy before the start of the 1963 Tour de France

Early in the 1963 Tour de France, before stage 7 because the man on the left, Seamus Elliott, is in yellow. Stablinski, wearing his world champion's jersey is in the middle and eventual overall winner, Jacques Anquetil, is on the right.

Again, the 1963 Tour, after a stage, with Elliott still in Yellow with Stablinski

1964 Tour de France, Stage 3, Amiens - Forest. Bernard Van der Kerkhove beats Stablinski for the stage win.

Stablinski, probably 1964, riding a classic bike of the era, all Campagnolo with Mafac brakes.

Stablinski in 1963 or 1964 wearing his French Champion's jersey, which he won both years.

June 1965, at the Bordeaux Velodrome: Jacques Anquetil and Jean Stablinski.

1965 Tour de France, stage 3: Stablinski and Anquetil.

1965 or 1966, Stablinski with Jacques Anquetil: "Jacques, a friend, a teammate. With him I'm treated as an equal, I'm not a domestique."

A 1967 Stablinski trading card

Stablinski in 1967. Note the rainbow collar, which as a former world champion, he had the privilege of wearing.

Stablinski (Mercier-Hutchinson) talking to actor Alain Delon at the 1968 Tour de France

1991: Lucien van Impe and Jean Stablinski

Jean Stablinski in 1997 at the Paris-Tours race. Eric Houdas photo

Stablinski memorial by the Wallers-Arenberg road, which he had introduced to Paris-Roubaix.

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