Nicolas Vogondy

Born in Blois, Vogondy won the Tour de Lorraine in 1995 as a junior. He became a professional rider in 1997 when he signed for Française des Jeux. His first professional win came in that same year when he won the third stage of the Tour de Normandie. In 2002 he became national champion of France when he outsprinted Nicolas Jalabert and Patrice Halgand. He won the overall rankings of the Boucles de la Mayenne in 2007, after winning the second stage earlier. He has multiple appearances in the three Grand Tours, the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España.

Vogondy was in the breakaway on stage 5 of 2008 Tour de France. He attacked his two companions just over a kilometer before the finish, as they were about to be caught by the peloton. Vogondy stayed ahead of the pack until about 70 meters before the finish, when he was passed by top sprinters like Mark Cavendish, who won the stage.

Early in the 2010 season, Vogondy was refused a licence to race by the French cycling federation because a medical examination revealed cardiac arrhythmia problems.[3] He was instructed to take several weeks rest pending further tests, but resumed training the following month, and started racing again in April of the same year.

After seventeen years as a professional, Vogondy retired at the end of the 2013 season.[2]

• Nicolas Vogondy at Cycling Archives