Raymond Delisle was one of those cyclists who was always lurking around the favourites in the most important and/or most iconic Tour de France stages without having significant success.
Delisle started his professional career in 1965 in team Peugeot, where he was racing till 1976. (His last year as professional cyclist he spent with the team Miko Mercier.)
He reached his biggest success by winning the national championship in 1969. A few weeks later he won the Tour de France stage on the 14th of July,
becoming the only French cyclist to win a stage in the national jersey on Bastille day.
But the circumstances weren’t optimal for him. Two days earlier he did not stay with the team captain Roger Pingeon, rather went on attack without success. Pingeon wasn’t happy . There was a talk between them that led Delisle to eat his dinner alone in the corner.
On the 14th July, it was a mountain stage in the Pyrenees between Castelnaudary and Luchon, Delisle attacked early. Barry Hoban accompanied him for a while, but the British guy dropped on the Col de Mente. Nonetheless, Delisle still had two very serious chaser: Jan Janssen, the winner of the pevious edition and Eddy Merckx, the future five time TDF-winner (including that year). But Delisle managed to finish the stage 23 sec ahead of Janssen.
Delisle won another stage in 1976, also this was the year, when he wore the yellow jersey for two days. (Lucien Van Impe took it from him.) No wonder, that 1976 was his best year in the general classification. He finished that edition in a 4th place.
Raymond Delisle has retired from professional cycling in 1977. With his wife they bought 16th-century manor house, which they ran as a hotel.