Former French Road Race Champion Armand de las Cuevas has died, the UNCP (Union Nationale des Cyclistes Profesionnels) has announced. The 50 year-old died on Thursday 2 August in Reunion where he had lived for several years.
Born in Troyes in 1968, De Las Cuevas was a strong climber and time-triallist. In addition to his French title win in 1991, he also won numerous other big races including Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1998), Clásica de San Sebastián (1994), Grand Prix des Nations (1993), Paris–Camembert (1994) and stages of Paris–Nice (1993), Vuelta a Burgos (1994) and the Tour de Romandie (1994).
He also won the prologue of the 1994 Giro d’Italia where he went on to finish 9th overall.
During his eleven year career, he rode for Reynolds, Banesto, Castorama and Petit Casino before returning to Banesto in 1997. He rode for the Amica Chips-Costa de Almería team during his last season in 1999.
