The information had been disclosed in the conditional at the start of the day this Wednesday by the Swiss newspaper Blick. It was confirmed in the evening by the colleagues of Le Matin. Former French cyclist Christophe Moreau was taken into custody on Sunday January 15.
The Franco-Swiss is suspected of domestic violence and death threats against his wife Emilie Moreau, deputy of the canton of Jura, and his two daughters. Based in Porrentruy, the Jurassian retired in 2010, after more than fifteen years of career, and became general manager of the Philippe Wagner Cycling team.
The arrest took place on Sunday at the request of the prosecutor. The former athlete was then in a state of intoxication. Shotguns were seized from his home. His license was withdrawn in October when he was checked driving with an illegal blood alcohol level.
According to information from Le Matin and Le Quotidien jurassien, Christophe Moreau has been spotted several times prowling in front of the home of Emilie Moreau, with whom he is in divorce proceedings. He is also accused of threatening by telephone on numerous occasions.
Champion of France in 2007
Passed by Festina, Crédit Agricole, Agritubel or Caisse d’Epargne, the fifty-year-old has notably shone on the roads of the Tour de France. He finished just off the podium in 2000. The following year, Moreau won the prologue and wore the yellow jersey for two stages. He was also crowned French champion in 2007 and won the general classification of the Critérium du Dauphiné twice (2001 and 2007).
His career was marked by the Festina affair. In 1998, Richard Virenque’s team was excluded from the Tour de France when one of the trainers, Willy Woet, was surprised at the Belgian border with a multitude of doping products inside a Festina branded car. The same year, Moreau had tested positive for anabolics. According to Bruno Roussel, sports director of the team, his rider had been the victim of a person gravitating in the entourage of the group.
Following his career, the former AG2R cyclist obtained Swiss nationality. “I feel more Swiss and Jura than French,” he assured Radio Frequency Jura in 2015.
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