1996 Tour de France
 Route of the 1996 Tour de France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 29 June – 21 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 21 + Prologue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,765 km (2,339 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 95h 57' 16" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd edition of the Tour de France, starting on 29 June and ending on 21 July, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day (10 July). It was won by Danish rider Bjarne Riis.
This Tour was noted by the "fall" of favorite Miguel Indurain, ending his record run of five consecutive victories. The course included a stage through his home town Villava, however he suffered a bronchitis because of the poor weather in the first week, and was fined and penalised for accepting drinks illegally.[1] Indurain started to lose time in stage 7, and finally ended 11th failing to win a single stage or spend one day in the yellow jersey.
Stage 9 was scheduled to be a 176 kilometer ride from Val-d'Isère to Sestriere. However, due to appalling weather conditions, including snow, the organizers cut the stage to just 46 km. Bjarne Riis won the stage and opened a crucial 44 second gap over Telekom teammate Jan Ullrich. Ullrich, only 22, really broke through in this Tour, and won the individual time trial of stage 20.
Over a decade after the race, several riders with Team Telekom confessed to doping offences around the period of the 1996 tour, including support riders Rolf Aldag, Udo Bölts, Christian Henn[2] and Brian Holm and team masseur Jef d'Hont has admitted in his autobiography that there was organised use of EPO in the team.[3] On 24 May 2007, Erik Zabel admitted to using EPO during the first week of the race. The winner of the Tour, Bjarne Riis, admitted on 25 May 2007 that he also used EPO during the Tour, as a result was asked by the International Cyling Union (UCI) to return the yellow jersey he received.[4] So far, runner-up Jan Ullrich, who has been under suspicion of doping as a part of the Operación Puerto doping case, has not commented on allegations that he also used EPO. Third place Richard Virenque and fourth place Laurent Dufaux were implicated in the 1998 Festina scandal.
UCI lawyer Philippe Verbiest stated in 2007 that the statute of limitations for removing Riis as winner of the Tour de France had expired, "you cannot strip him of the title but it possible not to mention it anymore ... Because of what he admitted, he is not the winner of the Tour de France. Riis did not win." At the same time tour spokesman Philippe Sudres stated that: "We consider philosophically that he can no longer claim to have won."[5] In 2007, Riis' victory was removed from the Tour de France,[6] yet in 2008 they listed Riis as winner of Tour de France 1996, albeit with a remark about his confession.[7]
Teams
The 18 teams on top of the UCI rankings at the start of 1996 automatically qualified for the Tour.[8] Four wildcards were given, for a total of 22 teams[9]
The teams entering the race were:
Qualified teams
Invited teams
Route and stages
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 29 June | 's-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) | 9.4 km (5.8 mi) |  | Individual time trial |  |
| 1 | 30 June | 's-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) | 209.0 km (129.9 mi) |  | Plain stage |  |
| 2 | 1 July | 's-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) to Wasquehal | 247.5 km (153.8 mi) | | Plain stage |  |
| 3 | 2 July | Wasquehal to Nogent-sur-Oise | 195.0 km (121.2 mi) | | Plain stage |  |
| 4 | 3 July | Soissons to Lac de Madine | 232.0 km (144.2 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 5 | 4 July | Lac de Madine to Besançon | 242.0 km (150.4 mi) | | Plain stage |  |
| 6 | 5 July | Arc-et-Senans to Aix-les-Bains | 207.0 km (128.6 mi) |  | Hilly stage | |
| 7 | 6 July | Chambéry to Les Arcs | 200.0 km (124.3 mi) |  | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 8 | 7 July | Bourg-Saint-Maurice to Val d'Isère | 30.5 km (19.0 mi) | | Individual time trial |  |
| 9 | 8 July | Le Monêtier-les-Bains to Sestriere (Italy) | 46.0 km (28.6 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) |  |
| 10 | 9 July | Turin (Italy) to Gap | 208.5 km (129.6 mi) | | Hilly stage | |
| 10 July | Gap | Rest day | ||||
| 11 | 11 July | Gap to Valence | 202.0 km (125.5 mi) | | Hilly stage |  |
| 12 | 12 July | Valence to Le Puy-en-Velay | 143.5 km (89.2 mi) | | Hilly stage | |
| 13 | 13 July | Le Puy-en-Velay to Super Besse | 177.0 km (110.0 mi) | | Hilly stage | |
| 14 | 14 July | Besse to Tulle | 186.5 km (115.9 mi) | | Hilly stage |  |
| 15 | 15 July | Brive-la-Gaillarde to Villeneuve-sur-Lot | 176.0 km (109.4 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 16 | 16 July | Agen to Hautacam | 199.0 km (123.7 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 17 | 17 July | Argelès-Gazost to Pamplona (Spain) | 262.0 km (162.8 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 18 | 18 July | Pamplona (Spain) to Hendaye (Spain) | 154.5 km (96.0 mi) | | Hilly stage | |
| 19 | 19 July | Hendaye (Spain) to Bordeaux | 226.5 km (140.7 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 20 | 20 July | Bordeaux to Saint-Émilion | 63.5 km (39.5 mi) | | Individual time trial | |
| 21 | 21 July | Palaiseau to Paris (Champs-Élysées) | 147.5 km (91.7 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| Total | 3,765 km (2,339 mi)[12] | |||||
Race overview
The prologue was won by Alex Zulle two seconds ahead of specialist Chris Boardman as overall contenders Bjarne Riis and Miguel Indurain came in 6th and 7th respectively. Zulle held onto the Yellow Jersey through the first few flat stages but in stage 4 a half dozen riders not in overall contention escaped in a breakaway and stayed away finishing several minutes ahead of the main field putting Stephane Heulot in the Maillot Jaune for a few days.
Stage 6 was an intermediate stage run in absolute horrendous weather conditions and was won by Dutchman Michael Boogerd. The inclement weather caused well over a dozen riders to abandon the race including Lance Armstrong who merely thought he was sick from riding in the rainy, cold weather as most of the other riders who abandoned were. He soon learned that his illness was not caused by the weather as the cancer that nearly killed him was discovered.
As the Tour entered the Alps there was a mountain ITT in Stage 8 which was won by Evgeni Berzin, whom had seized the lead in the overall classification following Stage 7. In the time trial he finished more than thirty seconds better than Riis and gained just over a minute on Indurain, Tony Rominger and debutant Jan Ullrich who was having an impressive start to his first Tour.
Stage 9 was a mountain stage that was shortened due to foul weather and was won by Riis, who in the process took enough time to put himself into Yellow. He would maintain a narrow lead over the next several stages and by the time the race reached the Pyrenees Abraham Olano was in 2nd just under a minute behind with Berzin in 3rd, Rominger in 4th, Riis’ teammate Ullrich in 5th and five time defending champion Miguel Indurain struggling to stay in the top 10 nearly 5:00 back.
Stage 17 was won by Laurent Dufaux who in the process moved into 4th place overall, but Riis finished in the same time. A group of eight riders dropped the rest of the field in this Stage and as a result Riis distanced himself from all of his rivals with his own teammate Ullrich moving into 2nd overall, Richard Virenque moved into 3rd place overall and as Indurain finished with the next group more than 8:00 behind his hope of becoming the first rider to win 6 Tours was lost.
The Stage 19 ITT was the last opportunity for major changes to be made in the General Classification and the stage was won by Jan Ullrich who finished nearly a minute ahead of 2nd place Indurain who had completely dominated Individual Times Trials at the Tour De France for the previous several years. Riis had plenty of time to spare and was 1:41 ahead of his teammate Ullrich in the General Classification. Richard Virenque rounded out the podium also winning the King of the Mountains.
Doping was rampant at the 1996 Tour.
Classification leadership
There were several classifications in the 1996 Tour de France. The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification is considered the winner of the Tour.[13]
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and was identified with a green jersey.[13]
There was also a mountains classification. The organisation had categorized some climbs as either hors catégorie, first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reached the top of these climbs first, with more points available for the higher-categorized climbs. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and was identified with a polkadot jersey.[13]
The fourth individual classification was the young rider classification, which was not marked by a jersey. This was decided the same way as the general classification, but only riders under 26 years were eligible.[13]
For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time.[14]
For the combativity award classification, a jury gave points after each stage to the cyclists they considered most combative. The cyclist with the most votes in all stages lead the classification.
- In stage 1, Chris Boardman wore the green jersey.
Final standings
| Legend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Denotes the winner of the general classification |  |
Denotes the winner of the points classification | |
 |
Denotes the winner of the mountains classification | |||
General classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Team Telekom | 95h 57' 16" |
| 2 | | Team Telekom | + 1' 41" |
| 3 | | Festina–Lotus | + 4' 37" |
| 4 | | Festina–Lotus | + 5' 53" |
| 5 |  | Carrera Jeans–Tassoni | + 7' 07" |
| 6 | | Team Polti | + 10' 03" |
| 7 |  | Roslotto–ZG Mobili | + 10' 04" |
| 8 |  | Kelme–Artiach | + 10' 26" |
| 9 | | Mapei–GB | + 11' 00" |
| 10 | | Mapei–GB | + 11' 53" |
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Points classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Team Telekom | 335 |
| 2 | | GAN | 284 |
| 3 | | MG Maglificio–Technogym | 255 |
| 4 | | Refin–Mobilvetta | 204 |
| 5 | | TVM–Farm Frites | 158 |
| 6 | | Lotto | 132 |
| 7 | | Team Telekom | 129 |
| 8 | | Roslotto–ZG Mobili | 126 |
| 9 | | Festina–Lotus | 124 |
| 10 | | Brescialat | 122 |
Mountains classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Festina–Lotus | 383 |
| 2 | | Team Telekom | 274 |
| 3 | | Festina–Lotus | 176 |
| 4 | | Festina–Lotus | 168 |
| 5 | | Team Polti | 158 |
| 6 | | Mapei–GB | 148 |
| 7 | | Team Telekom | 131 |
| 8 | | Festina–Lotus | 110 |
| 9 | | Carrera Jeans–Tassoni | 109 |
| 10 | | Roslotto–ZG Mobili | 101 |
Young rider classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Team Telekom | 95h 58' 57" |
| 2 | | Carrera Jeans–Tassoni | + 5' 26" |
| 3 | | Mapei–GB | + 24' 47" |
| 4 | | Refin–Mobilvetta | + 25' 55" |
| 5 | | Rabobank | + 1h 12' 04" |
| 6 | | Banesto | + 1h 12' 07" |
| 7 | | Roslotto–ZG Mobili | + 1h 13' 39" |
| 8 | | Panaria–Vinavil | + 1h 23' 36" |
| 9 | | TVM–Farm Frites | + 1h 34' 30" |
| 10 | | Panaria–Vinavil | + 1h 44' 17" |
Team classification
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Festina–Lotus | 287h 46' 20" |
| 2 | Team Telekom | + 15' 14" |
| 3 | Mapei–GB | + 51' 36" |
| 4 | Roslotto–ZG Mobili | + 1h 22' 29" |
| 5 | ONCE | + 1h 36' 10" |
| 6 | Rabobank | + 1h 53' 14" |
| 7 | TVM–Farm Frites | + 2h 09' 21" |
| 8 | MG Maglificio–Technogym | + 2h 18' 11" |
| 9 | Team Polti | + 2h 31' 13" |
| 10 | Banesto | + 2h 31' 20" |
Combativity classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Festina–Lotus | 50 |
| 2 | | Team Telekom | 47 |
| 3 | | MG Maglificio–Technogym | 47 |
See also
Notes and references
Footnotes
- 1 2 In 2007, Bjarne Riis admitted to the use of doping during the 1996 Tour. Shortly after his confession, the organisers of the Tour de France have said that they did not consider him a winner, but under UCI regulations at the time, the statute of limitations (ten years) had passed, meaning they could not strip him of his results. The same applies for Erik Zabel, the winner of the points classification.
- ↑ The white jersey was not awarded between 1989 and 1999.[15]
References
- ↑ "Riis overcame climatic chaos to end the reign of Indurain". CNN. Archived from the original on 4 June 2011. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ↑ "Zabel admits to doping at Telekom". BBC News. 24 May 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ↑ "flandersnews.be – Belgian book causes upset".
- ↑ "Riis told to return yellow jersey". BBC News. 25 May 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2010.
- ↑ "ESPN – Tour no longer lists Riis as champ after doping admission – Cycling". Sports.espn.go.com. 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
- ↑ "Tour Director Christian Prudhomme has erased Bjarne Riis' name from the Tour de France record books..." Autobus.cyclingnews.com. 2007-06-07. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
- ↑ "Bjarne Riis Reinstated As Tour Winner". BikeRadar. 2008-07-04. Retrieved 2012-07-24.
- ↑ "News for February 8: Teams Qualification Rules for Events". Cyclingnews. Future Publishing Limited. 8 February 1996. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "83ème Tour de France 1996" (in French). Mémoire du cyclisme. Archived from the original on 13 August 2012. Retrieved 26 September 2016.
- ↑ Augendre 2016, p. 87.
- ↑ Zwegers, Arian. "Tour de France GC Top Ten". CVCC. Archived from the original on 10 June 2009. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- ↑ Augendre 2016, p. 110.
- 1 2 3 4 Christian, Sarah (2 July 2009). "Tour de France demystified - Evaluating success". RoadCycling.co.nz Ltd. Archived from the original on 9 February 2013. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ↑ Chauner, David; Halstead, Michael (1990). The Tour de France Complete Book of Cycling. Villard. ISBN 0679729364. Retrieved 17 April 2012.
- ↑ Mallon, Bill; Heijmans, Jeroen (9 September 2011). Historical Dictionary of Cycling. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-8108-7369-8.
Sources
- Augendre, Jacques (2016). Guide historique [Historical guide] (PDF). Tour de France (in French). Paris: Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.
External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 1996 Tour de France. |
- Official website at the Wayback Machine (archived 26 May 1998)
- 1996 Tour de France results at Cyclingnews.com
