Pierre Rolland

After finishing 21st in the team time trial, Rolland started the Giro off in the worst way possible.

After the first week in the Tour de France, Rolland was only 25th overall, and had also endured a crash on stage 6.

On stage 11, Rolland was part of a four-rider breakaway, along with Chris Anker Sørensen, Robert Kišerlovski and Vasil Kiryienka.

On the descent from the Col du Mollard, Rolland crashed in a corner but quickly got back on his bike.

On the final climb up to La Toussuire/Les Sybelles, Rolland attacked and left the other riders behind, to take yet another solo win in the Tour de France.

Rolland moved up to 9th position overall after the stage but was still keen to hunt for more stage wins.

On the final mountain stage of the Tour, Rolland finished 5th and moved up to 8th position overall.

This was his best career finish at the time, at the Tour de France, and he was also the best placed Frenchman in the general classification.

In April, Rolland won the penultimate stage of the Circuit de la Sarthe, and won the race overall the next day.

Just a few days later he was 3rd in the one-day race, Paris–Camembert.

Pierre Rolland (born 10 October 1986) is a French former professional road racing cyclist, who competed as a professional from 2007 to 2022, and was particularly known for his aggressive style of racing in the mountains.

He won two stages at the Tour de France and was also a stage winner at the Giro d'Italia.

Born in Gien, Rolland turned professional in 2007 for after riding for the team as a stagiaire in late 2006.

In his first season as a professional he won a stage at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo and the Tour du Limousin.

In 2008 he won the mountains classification at the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré.

At the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, Rolland competed in the road race but did not finish.

In his first season at, Rolland finished 3rd at La Tropicale Amissa Bongo, but had to wait until 2010 to collect his first victory for the team, as he won a stage at the Circuit de Lorraine and finished eighth at the Critérium du Dauphiné.

On stage 9 in the Tour de France, Thomas Voeckler claimed the yellow jersey after being in the breakaway.

For the following week, Rolland would help Voeckler defend the jersey over legendary mountain passes at Luz Ardiden, the Plateau de Beille and the Col du Galibier.

Rolland gained acclaim for his strong work in defense of Voeckler's yellow jersey.

Rolland then went on to finish 10th overall at the Giro del Trentino, before one of his last goals of the spring campaign at Liège–Bastogne–Liège.

On stage 2 in the 100th edition of the Tour de France, Rolland made it into the breakaway and snatched the polka-dot jersey for the first time in his career.

He would keep it until stage 7, where fellow Frenchman Blel Kadri took the lead with 1 point.

On the last day in the Pyrenees on stage 9, Rolland reclaimed the jersey after collecting enough points in the breakaway.

Rolland lost the jersey on stage 15 to Chris Froome, who won the stage to Mont Ventoux.

His most famous win came at Alpe d'Huez in the 2011 Tour de France.

With his win on the legendary mountain, Rolland has his name on the sign at turn 16 together with Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk.

Alongside winning a stage in the 2011 Tour de France, Rolland also won the young rider classification.

Rolland recorded his best result, at the time, at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, where he finished 12th.

After finishing 12th the previous year, Rolland had high hopes but had to settle for 24th.

However at the end of the first week, Rolland improved and he moved up to 12th overall when the second rest day approached.

As the more mountainous stages appeared in the race, Rolland improved his performance and moved even further up in the general classification.

On the stage to Val Martello, Rolland finished 3rd and moved up to 4th overall.

His best overall finishes in a Grand Tour included 4th overall at the 2014 Giro d'Italia and 8th overall at the 2012 Tour de France.

Following the 14th stage of the Tour, Lance Armstrong referred to Rolland as a "rockstar."

The 2014 season was the first season that Rolland rode the Giro d'Italia.

After a spring where he had not delivered any top results, the pressure was lifted off his shoulders as he started the race.

Rolland won the 19th stage at the top of Alpe d'Huez, beating Olympic gold medalist Samuel Sánchez and two-time Tour champion Alberto Contador.

The victory also won him the white jersey, which he successfully defended in the 20th stage, as he finished the Tour 10th overall.

In his first race of the season, Rolland won a stage at the Étoile de Bessèges and finished the race 4th overall.