Walter Bénéteau (28 July 1972 – 10 December 2022) was a French professional cyclist. He raced in every Tour de France from 2000 until 2006. Career Stage 1 of the 2006 Tour de France started with a seven-man break-away with Bénéteau being the last man caught with 7km to go after spending 177km out in front. During Stage 6 Bénéteau was hit in the face by Spaniard David de la Fuente causing his glasses and helmet to go flying. Then in Stage 9 Bénéteau was part of an initial 3-man break-away, caught with only 10km to the finish line. During this stage he won all three intermediate sprint points, moving him to 23rd in the Points classification. Bénéteau's final Grand Tour was the 2006 Vuelta a España; he finished first in the main peloton bunch sprint in stage 11, 15 minutes down on winner Egoi Martínez. He finished 83rd overall in his final Grand Tour. Bénéteau announced he would retire after his contract ended with . Death Bénéteau died on 10 December 2022 in a hotel room in Bali, Indonesia. The circumstances of his death have not yet been released by local authorities. Major results Sources: 1996 3rd Tro-Bro Léon 1997 1st Tour du Finistère 1999 7th Tour du Doubs 2000 1st Châteauroux Classic 1st Boucles de l'Aulne 3rd GP Ouest-France 3rd Trophée des Grimpeurs 10th Tour de Berne 2001 2nd Road race, National Road Championships 2002 2nd Tour de Vendée 2nd Tro-Bro Léon 8th Trophée des Grimpeurs 2003 1st Boucles de l'Aulne 3rd La Poly Normande 8th Overall Tour du Limousin 8th Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise 8th Grand Prix de Wallonie 9th Tour de Vendée 2004 9th Road race, National Road Championships 2005 3rd Bordeaux-Caudéran 2006 2nd Boucles de l'Aulne 4th Trophée des Grimpeurs Grand Tour general classification results timeline Sources: References External links 1972 births 2022 deaths Sportspeople from Vendée French male cyclists Tour de Guadeloupe winners Cyclists from Pays de la Loire