French cycling's eternal runner-up Poulidor dies at 83 Former French cycling champion Raymond Poulidor, the 'eternal runner-up' at the Tour de France, dies on Wednesday at the age of 83 having been admitted to hospital a day earlier suffering from severe fatigue. Poulidor's huge popularity in France stemmed from his impressive feat of finishing on the Tour de France podium eight times during a relentless but ultimately futile bid to win the race's fabled yellow jersey in a period dominated by the 'Cannibal', Belgian Eddy Merckx.