This Tour de France has a special flavor in his eyes. Former cyclist Yoann Offredo announced Tuesday that he is suffering from an “autoimmune disease” that affects his eyes, while he is commentating on his fifth Tour de France this year on France Télévisions.
The riders set off this Saturday, June 29, from Florence (Italy), heading for Rimini 200 km away, and being alongside them is a victory for the former member of the FDJ team, as he explained on his Instagram account.
“I discovered the fight against illness”
“Six weeks ago my life took another turn. I was told that I had an autoimmune disease that particularly affected my eyes. I spent time in the hospital environment, discovered the heavy treatments and especially the fight against the disease,” he says.
The 37-year-old wanted to be reassuring about his overall health. “Today I’m better, I’m fighting,” he stressed. The perfect opportunity to use the cycling metaphor to sum up his fight against the disease: “Yesterday I was in front of the broom wagon. Today in the gruppetto. But as of Saturday, back in the France Télévisions peloton for this Tour de France with as much pleasure and joy as ever,” he insisted.
After 12 years of career, he became a consultant
A professional cyclist between 2008 and 2020, Yoann Offredo spent most of his career with the FDJ, before joining Wanty-Gobert in 2017, a team with which he raced until his retirement. Among his performances at the professional level, a 7th place in the Milan-San Remo classic in 2011.
He was the victim of a serious accident in 2019 at the Denain Grand Prix (North). After a heavy fall, he was airlifted to Lille and suffered temporary quadriplegia for several days. In the Tour de France, his best ranking remains 91st place in 2018. After his career, he joined France Télévisions as a consultant for major cycling races, starting with the Tour de France.
