Beat Breu

Beat Breu is a former Swiss road bicycle racer who was born in St. Gallen on October 23, 1957.

In 1982, he accomplished one of his greatest accomplishments, winning the renowned stage on Alpe d’Huez during the Tour de France, as well as another mountain stage ending at Saint-Lary-Soulan, and finished sixth overall. In addition, he won two stages of the Tour de Suisse and one stage of the 1981 Giro d’Italia.

In addition to his accomplishments as a road cyclist, Breu also won the Swiss National Cyclo-cross Championships in 1988 and 1994 as a cyclo-cross racer. In addition, he won a bronze medal in the 1988 UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships.

In 1994, Breu resigned from professional cycling to follow his passion for circus. In 2019, he realized his childhood ambition by establishing his own circus.

The National Museum of Switzerland created a small replica of Breu’s 1982 stage victory atop Alpe d’Huez in 2022.

Following are some of Beat Breu’s most notable cycling accomplishments:

Year	Result
1981	Overall winner, Tour de Suisse
	Stage wins: 3b, 7b
	Winner, Züri-Metzgete
	8th overall, Giro d’Italia
	Stage win: 20
1982	4th overall, Tour de Suisse
	Stage win: 4b
	6th overall, Tour de France
	Stage wins: 13, 16
1983	10th overall, Tour de Suisse
	10th, GP du canton d’Argovie
1984	6th overall, Tour de Suisse
	Stage win: 2
	8th overall, Giro d’Italia
	8th overall, Tour de Romandie
1985	5th overall, Tour de Suisse
	8th overall, Tour de Romandie
1986	6th, GP du canton d’Argovie
	9th overall, Tour de Romandie
1987	6th overall, Tour de Romandie
	Stage win: 4
1988	Swiss National Cyclo-cross Champion
	3rd, UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships
	7th overall, Tour de Romandie
1989	Overall winner, Tour de Suisse
	Stage win: 5b (ITT)
1994	Swiss National Cyclo-cross Champion

Breu’s victory on Alpe d’Huez during the 1982 Tour de France remains one of his greatest achievements and a defining moment in his career.