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Bernard Hinault

Fausto Coppi celebrating his Tour de France victory in 1949

Giro d’ Italia -Tour de France doubles

Fausto Coppi was the first rider to win the Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France in the same year (1949) In 2024, 26 years after Marco Pantani’s double victory, Tadej Pogacar managed to win both Giro d’Italia and Tour de France in the same year. The list of the riders Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1949 Fausto Coppi (ITA) 1952 Jacques Anquetil (FRA) 1964 Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1970 Eddy Merckx (BEL) 1972 Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1982 Bernard Hinault (FRA) 1985 Miguel Indurain (ESP) 1992 Miguel Indurain (ESP) 1993 Marco Pantani (ITA) 1998 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) 2024  

Spanish cyclist Pedro Delgado on dolo attack on the 17th stage (Aspin, Tourmalet, Luz Ardiden) of Tour de France 1985

16 July 1985 Pedro Delgado wins on Luz Ardiden

The 17th stage of Tour de France in 1985 between Toulouse and Luz Ardiden was 209,5 km long and included also Aspin and Tourmalet. This was the very first time, that the race visited Luz Ardiden. Apparently, the main reason to include the climb into the program was its photogenic landscape. Bernard Hinault (La Vie Claire) had a crash on the 14th stage, broke his nose and suffered from bronchitis since then. On the 17th stage, while ascendig Tourmalet, the team Renault-Elf was setting the pace trying to drop Hinault. According to Pedro Delgado (Seat-Orbea), when he saw Hinault yelling at Luis Herrera (Varta–Café de Colombia–Mavic), he decided to attack. Greg LeMond (La Vie Claire),… Read More »16 July 1985 Pedro Delgado wins on Luz Ardiden

Bernard Hinault eats Wladimiro Panizza's food at Giro d'Italia 1980

Bernard Hinault and Wladimiro Panizza (Giro d’Italia 1980)

Although this picture suggests it differently, but Bernard Hinault and Wladimiro Panizza were the two big rivals at the Giro d’Italia in 1980. Hinault finished first (this was his first of a total of three Giro-victories),  and behind him with 5 min 43 sec, Panizza second. Actually the Italian rider wore the pink jersey for a couple days. Bernard Hinault is quite well known for most of the cycling fans, but who was Panizza? Wladimir Panizza (1945-2002) was a professial cyclist between 1967 and 1985. Usually raced as domestique for Felice Gimondi or Franco Bitossi, but he reached the peak of his career in 1980, when managed to finish Giro d’Italia 2nd behind Bernard Hinault.… Read More »Bernard Hinault and Wladimiro Panizza (Giro d’Italia 1980)

5-time Tour de France winner Bernard Hinault celebrating his first victory in 1978

23 July 1978 Bernard Hinault wins his first Tour de France

The 65th edition of Tour de France was held between 29 June and 23 July in 1978. With his performance on the mountain stages (especially on the Puy de Dôme), Joop Zoetemelk seemed to be the slightly bigger favourite of the race. He led the general classification before the 20 stage, a 75 km long individual time trial. Bernard Hinault was a better time trialist, he was already the fastest on the 59 km long 8th stage. He also won the 20th stage, took over the lead and won the Tour de France. It was Bernard Hinault’s first Tour de France thriumph. In the subsequent half decade he won the race another four times. (1979,… Read More »23 July 1978 Bernard Hinault wins his first Tour de France

Tour de France stage winners in all three specialities

There are only three riders, who managed to win at least a stage in all the three specialities (sprint and mountain stages and individual time trial) during a Tour de France: Eddy Merckx 1974 Bernard Hinault 1979 Wout van Aert 2021 MORE CYCLING FUN FACT ON PELOTONTALES [su_posts posts_per_page=”7″ tax_term=”425″ order=”desc”]

Italian cycling legend Fausto Coppi riding between two big snow walls on Stelvio in 1952

Cycling in snow

Road cycling is not a winter sport. But sometimes -especially in the high mountains  – winter visits road cycling events in the form of snow. Images of cyclists struggling through the snow are usually fit into the narrativa of road cycling races being heroic and epic. Fausto Coppi, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and all the other great legends are capture at least one time during their careers in  heroic moment in snow. Let see some of those epic moments. Charly Gaul on Monte Bondone (Giro d’Italia 1956) Race director Vincenzo Torriani was asked to cancel the stage due to the rough weather conditions were forecasted. But he declined it, he may have thought, this could… Read More »Cycling in snow

Eddy Merckx winning the Vuelta a Espana in 1973

Topic of the month in August: the giants of the grand tours

As La Vuelta ciclista a España (19 August-11 September 2022), the last three-week race of of the season is nearing, let’s talk about the cyclists who won all the three grand tours at least one time. Jacques Anquetil was the first rider to achieve this, when he finally won the Vuelta in 1963.  At that point of his career, he already had a Giro d’Italia and 3 Tour de France victories. The full list of his grand tour  triumphs: Tour de France 1957, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 Giro d’Italia 1960, 1964 Vuelta a España 1963 Felice Gimondi also managed to win all the three big races at least one time: Tour de France 1965 Giro… Read More »Topic of the month in August: the giants of the grand tours

Vintage image of cyclists on the top of the hill riding side by side hand in hand.

Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond on the top of Alpe d’Huez (Tour de France 1986)

Thank you for being a devoted reader of PelotonTales. You are the reason why it’s worth spending so many hours to create new content and trying to improve this website. If you would show appreciation to my work, please consider supporting the blog with a small donation. Thank you! Alpe d’Huez witnessed plenty of legendary moments since its introduction to the Tour de France in 1952. One of them is the famous 18th stage in 1986,  when Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond reached the top hand in hand. The team La Vie Claire had usually a very strong line-up at the Tour de France in the mid-1980s. Bernard Hinault was one of the cycling superstars,… Read More »Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond on the top of Alpe d’Huez (Tour de France 1986)

The nfamous crash of Bernard Hinault

Bernard Hinault ‘s crash at Dauphine Libere 1977

“I thought I was dead, I thought it was the time.” -said Bernard Hinault after the 4th stage of Dauphine Libere is 1977. Hinault basically just rode off the road on the descent of Col de Porte and fell into a ravine. The photo shows the moment he climbs back to the road. He seems OK on this picture (he was even able to continue and later win the race, it was one of his first triumphs), but if you take a look at the video, that captured the fall, you might say Hinault was very very lucky to be able to come out of the ravine on his own feet.  

18 April 1982 Jan Raas won Paris-Roubaix

The weather on the day of the 80th Paris-Roubaix was dry. The road from Compiegne to Roubaix was 270,5 km long. 174 riders  were at the start,  57 of them were able to the route. With 20 km to go, a 9-man group led the race, including Jan Raas, Ludo Peeters, Bernard Hinault and Roger de Vlaeminck. Peeters, who was working for Raas on this day, escaped from the group, so Hinault and co. had to chase him. When they caught him, Raas attacked, reached the velodrome in Roubaix alone and won the race. This was his only Paris-Roubaix victory.