Jean de Gribaldy (18 July 1922 – 2 January 1987) was a French road cyclist and directeur sportif. He rode in the Tour de France in 1947 and 1948. Biography Born in Besançon, Doubs département, Gribaldi was a professional racing cyclist from 1945 to 1954. He began a successful career as a directeur sportif in the mid-1960s. Nicknamed le Vicomte ("the Viscount") due to his aristocratic ancestry, he discovered Sean Kelly, Joaquim Agostinho, and Éric Caritoux. He gave a second chance to many riders dropped by other teams. Most saw their career take a new dimension under Jean de Gribaldy. A street in Besançon, where he was a shopkeeper, has been named Montée Jean de Gribaldy since 1994. Each year, a Jean de Gribaldy cycling race is organized in Besançon. Bibliography Pierre Diéterlé, Jean de Gribaldy, la légende du Vicomte, Editions du Sekoya, 2014 References External links jeandegribaldy.com, a complete site about Jean de Gribaldy (French) Cyclismag: Le Vicomte conteur (French) Cyclismag: De Gri, le découvreur de pépites (French) Cyclismag: Bouts d'ficelle (French) 1922 births 1987 deaths Sportspeople from Besançon French male cyclists Cyclists from Bourgogne-Franche-Comté Directeur sportifs 20th-century French people