Cycling Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt's cycling section of the club originally began in 1924 under L'Association Cycliste de Boulogne-Billancourt. The cycling section of the club is celebrated as the club's most influential section and is touted as one of the best in France and in the world as the club regularly trains riders from various countries such as England, the Republic of Ireland, Australia, Scotland, and Estonia. The section has produced numerous cycling champions, which include
Pierre Adam,
André Darrigade,
Jean Stablinski,
Bernard Thévenet,
Stephen Roche, to name a few. One of the most notable cyclists that emerged from the club was
Jacques Anquetil who became the first cyclist in the history of the sport to win the
Tour de France five times. Anquetil also won two
Giro d'Italia, one
Vuelta a España, and captured two medals in Olympic competition. Prior to 1975, the club limited the number of foreign riders who could join. However, in 1975, the club changed their policy and started their very own
Foreign Legion, which was composed of international cyclists. The club provided the new riders with bikes, clothes, and accommodation and expenses leaving the rider with the job of training and winning races. Notable international cyclists who started with the club include
Phil Anderson,
Robert Millar,
Paul Kimmage,
Sean Yates,
Allan Peiper,
Seamus Elliott,
Jacques Boyer,
Graham Jones,
Jaan Kirsipuu,
John Herety,
Matt Stephens and
Paul Sherwen.
Association football Other sports Other primary sports Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt are relatively strong at are notably judo,
kayaking,
figure skating, swimming,
rugby, and association football. In judo, the club has produced gold medalists in
Cécile Nowak and
Catherine Fleury, who both won golds in their respective weight classes at the
1992 Summer Olympics. Nowak had previously been a World champion after winning gold at the
1991 World Judo Championships.
Pascal Tayot won a silver medal in his weight class, also at the 1992 Olympics, and later won gold the following year at the
1993 Mediterranean Games.
Larbi Benboudaoud was the last medalist in the club's judo section after winning the
silver medal at the
2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In kayaking, the club is notable for having produced World champion
Bernard Brégeon who won a gold medal at the
1982 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships in the K-2 10000 metres event. Brégeon later earned bronze and silver at the
1985 and
1986 events, respectively. The club achieved success at the
1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles when Brégeon obtained the silver medal following his performance in the
K-2 1000 metres. Brégeon also won the bronze in the K-2 500 metres event. Also at the Olympics,
Didier Vavasseur captured the bronze medal in the
K-4 1000 metres event. In swimming, the club hasn't produced many medals, but have sent the likes of
David Holderbach,
Lionel Poirot, and
Frédéric Lefèvre to various Olympic Games ranging from the
1988 Games to
1996. One of the club's notable swimmers was
Yann de Frabique, who, though didn't perform well on the Olympic stage, won eight medals in three
Summer Universiade Games. In figure skating,
Alain Calmat is one of the more notable skaters who originated from the club. Calmat won over 25 medals, which includes five golds at the
French Figure Skating Championships, three golds at the
European Figure Skating Championships, and one gold at the
World Figure Skating Championship. Calmat also won a silver medal at the
1964 Winter Olympics, held in
Innsbruck, Austria. Other notable skaters that began their careers at the club include
Alain Giletti, an early rival of Calmat, who won over 20 medals, 16 of them gold,
Patrick Péra, who succeeded Calmat and Giletti, who won two bronze medals, one each at the
1968 Winter Olympics and the
1972 Games, and
Surya Bonaly, who won over 20 medals while active. In team sports, Boulogne-Billancourt is hardly relevant, excluding the ice hockey team, which has won the
Ligue Magnus three times and has also won the prestigious
Spengler Cup on three occasions. In rugby, the team is currently playing in
Fédérale 2, the fourth division of
French rugby. Notable players who have played rugby with the team include
Nick Mallett, who currently manages the
Italy rugby union national team,
Michel Tachdjian, and
Abdelatif Benazzi. In football, the club has struggled with regards to senior football, but has performed well in youth often reaching the final rounds of the
Coupe Gambardella. The club unofficially serves as a
feeder club to
Paris Saint-Germain who often recruit young players from the club. Currently, 16-year-olds Jason Bli and Ilan Boccara are highly sought-after recruits who currently play for Paris Saint-Germain after joining the club from Boulogne-Billancourt. It can also be described the other way around as youth players who are often rejected by Paris Saint-Germain often are recruited by Boulogne-Billancourt. Boulogne-Billancourt regularly send their players to the prestigious
Clairefontaine academy. Notable players that started their careers at the club include
Hatem Ben Arfa, who is a
French international and currently plays for
Paris Saint Germain,
Issiar Dia, who is a
Senegalese international,
Barkley Miguel Panzo who plays for the
Angola National team,
Loïc Damour,
Tripy Makonda, and
Ishak Belfodil, who play professionally for
Strasbourg,
PSG, and
Olympique Lyonnais, respectively. ==See also==