Bernard Hinault

Bernard Hinault
Personal information
Full name Bernard Hinault
Nickname Le Patron (The Boss)
Le Blaireau (The Badger)
Born (1954-11-14)November 14, 1954
Yffiniac, Brittany
Height 1.74 m (5 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Weight 62 kg (137 lb; 9.8 st)
Team information
Current team Retired
Discipline Road
Role Rider
Rider type All-rounder
Professional team(s)
1975–1977 Gitane–Campagnolo
1978–1983 Renault–Gitane–Campagnolo
1984–1986 La Vie Claire
Major wins

Grand Tours

Tour de France
General classification (1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985)
Points classification (1979)
Mountains classification (1986)
Combativity classification (1981, 1984, 1986)
Combination classification (1981, 1982)
28 individual stages (1978–1986)
Giro d'Italia
General classification (1980, 1982, 1985)
6 individual stages (1980, 1982, 1985)
Vuelta a España
General classification (1978, 1983)
7 individual stages (1978, 1983)

Stage races

Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1977, 1979, 1981)
Tour de Romandie (1980)

One-day races and Classics

World Road Race Championships (1980)
National Road Race Championships (1978)
Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1977, 1980)
Giro di Lombardia (1979, 1984)
Paris–Roubaix (1981)
La Flèche Wallonne (1979, 1983)
Gent–Wevelgem (1977)
Amstel Gold Race (1981)
Grand Prix des Nations (1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, 1984)

Other

Super Prestige Pernod International (1979–1982)
Medal record
Representing  France
Men's road bicycle racing
World Championships
1980 SallanchesRoad race
1981 PragueRoad race

Bernard Hinault (pronounced [bɛʁ.naʁ i.no]; born 14 November 1954) is a Breton former professional cyclist who won the Tour de France five times.

He is one of only seven cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and one of two cyclists to have won each more than once (the other being Alberto Contador). He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985. He came second in 1984 and 1986 and won 28 stages, of which 13 were individual time trials. The other three to have achieved five Tour de France victories are Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Miguel Indurain; of these, Hinault is the only one to have finished either first or second in each Tour de France he finished. He remains the most recent French winner of the Tour de France.

Hinault was nicknamed Le Blaireau (either "the shaving brush" or "the badger"), as he would often wear a hairband, thus resembling a shaving brush. However, his nickname is typically translated as "badger" by Anglophone cycling commentators and enthusiasts. In an interview in the French magazine Vélo, however, Hinault said the badger nickname had nothing to do with the animal. He said it was a local cyclists' way of saying "mate" or "buddy" in his youth – "How's it going, badger?" – and that it came to refer to him personally. According to Maurice Le Guilloux, a long-time teammate of Hinault, he and Georges Talbourdet first used the nickname when the three riders trained together in their native Brittany in the early years of Hinault's professional career.[1]

Early life and family

Hinault was born on 14 November 1954 in the Breton village of Yffiniac to Joseph and Lucie Hinault. Bernard was the second oldest of four children. The family lived on a cottage named La Clôture, built shortly after Hinault was born. His parents were farmers and the children often had to help out during harvest time. His father later worked as a platelayer for the national rail company SNCF. Hinault was described as a "hyperactive" child, with his mother nicknaming him "little hooligan".[2] Hinault was not a good student, but visited the technical college in Saint-Brieuc for an engineering apprenticeship. It was here that he started athletics, becoming a runner and finishing tenth in the French junior cross-country championship in 1971.[3]

In December 1974, just before turning professional, Hinault married Martine, who he had met at a family wedding the year before.[4] Their first son, Mickael, was born in 1975,[5] with a second, Alexandre, in 1981.[6]

Amateur career

"It seemed natural to him that he had won."
Hinault's mother Lucie speaking about his reaction after his first race.[7]

Hinault came to cycling through his cousin René, who rode weekend races. At first, he had to use the shared family bike which he rode devotedly. He received his own bike when he was 15, as a reward for passing his school exams and used it for his trips to college. During the summer of 1971, he made training rides with René, who was a second-class amateur and had problems keeping up with the sixteen-year old. Hinault received his racing licence from Club Olympique Briochin in late April 1971 and entered his first race on 2 May in Planguenoual. Advised to try to stay with the other riders, Hinault won the event.[8] Hinault would go on to win his first five races, amassing twelve wins from twenty races by the end of the year.[7] Also during the summer of 1971, Hinault was at odds with his father about his choice to pursue cycling as a career. Joseph Hinault only relented after his son ran away from home for three days to stay with his cousins, sleeping between straw in the barn.[9]

For 1972, Hinault was allowed to race with the over-18s. At a race in Hillion, he and René escaped from the field to take a dominant victory, shared as they crossed the finish line together, to the dismay of the race organisers.[10] The young Hinault was heavily influenced by his trainer at the Club Olympique Briochin, Robert Le Roux, who had earlier worked with 1965 World Champion Tom Simpson.[11] Hinault won nineteen races in his second season as an amateur, including the national junior championship against opposition a year older than him, such as future professional Bernard Vallet.[12] He took his military service at the young age of 18 over the course of 1973, not racing for the entire year. Returning to competition overweight, Hinault still managed to win his first race of 1974. This was his last season as an amateur and again highly successful, including a victory in his hometown of Yffiniac towards the end of the year, where an alliance formed by four other riders was unable to hold him back. He also competed in track cycling, winning the national pursuit championship.[13] On the road, he raced in the Étoile des Espoirs, a race open to amateurs and young professionals. Hinault finished fifth overall, and second on the time trial stage behind reigning pursuit world champion Roy Schuiten. Towards the end of the season, Hinault turned down an offer to race with the prestigious Athletic Club de Boulogne-Billancourt, instead deciding to turn professional in 1975.[14]

Professional career

1975–1977: Gitane

In January 1975, Hinault turned professional with the Gitane–Campagnolo team, run by former World Champion Jean Stablinski, on a lean wage of 2,500 francs per month. The decision to turn professional relatively early was in part taken due to the fact that, had Hinault raced the 1975 season as an amateur, he would have likely been prevented from turning professional before the 1976 Summer Olympics in order to be part of the French team there.[15] Early on, he showed no interest in adhering to the unwritten rules of the field (peloton), in which younger riders had to show respect towards respected older ones. At a criterium race in August 1975, he went up against a coalition of senior riders, who had decided to split up the prize money between them. Hinault won all of the intermediate cash prizes until five-time Tour de France winner Eddy Merckx declared that Hinault was included in the pact.[16] His results in his first season were impressive, with seventh at Paris–Nice and a victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe, netting him the Promotion Pernod, the prize for the best new professional in France.[17] However, Hinault showed little willingsness to learn the basic trades of cycling from Stablinksi, often escaping early in the race instead of learning how to ride inside the peloton. This and the fact that Stablinski put Hinault into too many races led to conflicts between the two.[18]

For 1976, Hinault stayed with Gitane, as former professional Cyrille Guimard, who had just retired from cycling, took over the team and became directeur sportif. Guimard and Hinault got along well, and the latter was kept out of the high-profile races for 1976, instead focussing on a steady improvement in lesser known races such as Paris–Camembert, which he won. That year, Guimard spurred Lucien Van Impe to his only win in the Tour de France.[19] Hinault's progress was visible, with a second, consecutive victory at the Circuit de la Sarthe, third at the Grand Prix du Midi Libre and a win at the Tour de l'Aude, ensuring him the Prestige Pernod, the award for the best French rider of the season.[20]

During the spring classics season of 1977, Hinault left the Tour of Flanders before it had even started, gaining him a formal warning by Guimard for his conduct. Just three weeks later, Hinault won Gent–Wevelgem in a solo effort after an attack 30 km (19 mi) from the finish. Five days later, at Liège–Bastogne–Liège, Hinault followed an attack by favourite André Dierickx and beat him in the two-man sprint to take his first victory in one of cycling's "monuments".[21] In accordance with Guimard's plan to build Hinault up slowly, he did not enter the 1977 Tour de France. He did however start the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, seen as the most important preparation event for the Tour. While in the leader's jersey on the penultimate stage to Grenoble, Hinault attacked up the Col de Porte, leading Van Impe and Bernard Thévenet by 1:30 minutes by the summit. On the descent, he misjudged a hairpin corner and crashed down the mountainside. A tree saved him from falling far down, while his bike was lost. Hinault then climbed back onto the road, took a new bike and without showing any hesitation, continued on. Up the finishing climb in Grenoble, he briefly dismounted, still shocked from the near-death experience and pushed his bike for about 20 m (22 yd), before remounting and winning the stage eighty seconds ahead of Van Impe. This also secured his overall victory ahead of eventual Tour winner Thévenet.[22] At the end of the season, Hinault won the Grand Prix des Nations, an individual time trial, with a "colossal margin" of 3:15 minutes ahead of favourite Joop Zoetemelk.[23]

1978–1983: Renault

1978: Grand Tour breakthrough

Hinault at the 1978 Tour de France

At the beginning of 1978, the Gitane team was taken over by its parent company, the state-owned car manufacturer Renault, becoming Renault–Gitane–Campagnolo.[24] Hinault started the season with second place at Paris–Nice. He then competed in the Critérium National de la Route. Trailing Raymond Martin by more than two minutes before the final 22 km (14 mi) time trial, he made up his significant deficit and won the event.[25]

Hinault then competed in his first ever three-week Grand Tour, at the 1978 Vuelta a España, then held at the end of April. He won the opening prologue time trial in Gijón, but then let the leadership switch to Ferdi Van den Haute. He won stage 11b, a mountain time trial in Barcelona and regained the race lead the next day, when he won the stage to La Tossa de Montbui after an escape with teammate Jean-René Bernaudeau. He ensured his overall victory by winning stage 18 to Amurrio. On that stage, he bridged over to escapee Andrés Gandarias, who had earlier asked for Hinault's permission to attack. Hinault claimed to have been annoyed into attacking by one of Gandarias' teammates and offered him to carry him to the finish. However, the Spaniard was unable to follow his wheel, saying: "This guy has made me suffer like a dog, he's tougher than Eddy Merckx!"[26]

Ahead of his first Tour de France, Hinault raced in the 1978 Tour de Suisse, where he did not feature prominently. He then travelled to the French Road Race Championship, held at Sarrebourg. He launched an escape, on which he rode 55 km (34 mi) on his own, leading the rest of his competitors by more than six minutes by the start of the last lap. However, he had forgotten to eat enough and suffered from hypoglycaemia during the last part of the race, crossing the finish line to take the title in "a state of obvious distress". His victory allowed him to wear the French tricolore for the following year.[27]

"He marched forward like Napoleon. He took all the responsibility, stood in the front line, was spat at by the crowd."
Fellow rider Paul Sherwen describing Hinault's role in the riders' strike at Valence-d'Agen during the 1978 Tour de France.[28]

In the 1978 Tour de France, Hinault fell behind early to challenger Zoetemelk when Renault lost two minutes to Mercier during the team time trial. On stage 8, the first longer individual time trial, Hinault gained back 59 seconds on Zoetemelk, while the previous two Tour winners, Van Impe and Thévenet, lost so much time that they were now counted out from chances of an overall win. Hinault rode conservatively in the Pyrenees to stay within striking distance of Zoetemelk.[29] On stage 12a, from Tarbes to Valence-d'Agen, he firmly imprinted his authority on the race, although not by riding. The riders had been complaining about split stages, where more than one would be held on one day, as was the case on this 12 July. When they reached the finishing town, they dismounted their bikes and walked to the finish line in protest. Hinault was chosen by his fellow competitors to be the spokesperson of the strike. Journalist Felix Magowan wrote: "Before today's strike, people were asking if the Tour had a boss. Today that was answered. His name is Hinault."[30] Following the strike, Hinault had trouble sleeping and was caught out the next day, a stage in the Massif Central, forcing his team into a long chase. Thus weakened, he lost 1:40 minutes to Zoetemelk on the following day's uphill time trial. Hinault countered the next day en route to Saint-Étienne, breaking away with Hennie Kuiper. By the finish, the two had been reeled back, but Hinault surprisingly contested the finishing sprint, winning the stage. The following day, stage 16 to Alpe d'Huez, ended with Zoetemelk, Hinault and the temporary yellow jersey Michel Pollentier separated by only 18 seconds. That was, until Pollentier was caught trying to defraud his doping test and was disqualified, leaving Hinault and Zoetemelk to fight out the overall victory. On the final mountain stage, Hinault put his rival under pressure, but was unable to make up any time. He then clinched the race leader's yellow jersey in the final time trial, gaining more than four minutes to win his first Tour de France with an advantage of 3:56 minutes.[31]

Following his Tour win, he finished fifth at the World Championships, before once more winning the Grand Prix des Nations, this time ahead of Francesco Moser.[32]

1979: Second Tour victory and Classics success

The 1979 season started slowly for an off-form Hinault. He bounced back at the Flèche Wallonne classic in April, when he caught up to a breakaway by Giuseppe Saronni and Bernd Johansson, outsprinting the former to win the race. He then beat Zoetemelk to victory at the Dauphiné Libéré, winning four stages. He won the race by over ten minutes, also taking the points and mountain classifications. In the coming weeks ahead of the Tour, he proved his willingness to assist his teammates to ensure their loyalty, helping Lucien Didier win the Tour de Luxembourg and finishing second behind Roland Berland in the National Championship race.[33]

Joop Zoetemelk (pictured in 1979) was Hinault's strongest competitor during his first Tour de France victories.

The 1979 Tour de France was again a two-way battle between Hinault and Zoetemelk. In the prologue, Hinault was fourth, on the same time as the Dutchman. The mountain stages started immediately thereafter, with Hinault winning the mountain time trial on stage two, taking over the yellow jersey. He also won the next stage into Pau. The team time trial on stage four again went Zoetemelk's way, as his Mercier team took back 41 seconds on Hinault's Renault squad. On stage eight, in another team time trial, Renault fared much better, and Hinault extended his advantage to 1:18 minutes. The next day however, on a stage containing cobbled sections, Hinault suffered two punctures, losing almost four minutes to Zoetemelk. He took back 36 seconds on the time trial in Brussels on stage 11 before regaining the race lead after another time trial, uphill to Avoriaz on stage 15. At this stage, he led Zoetemelk by 1:48 minutes, with third placed Kuiper already more than 12 minutes behind. Hinault gained another minute on stage 16, before Zoetemelk regained 47 seconds up Alpe d'Huez three days later. The final time trial of the Tour went Hinault's way once again, extending his advantage by a further 69 seconds. He also took the next stage in a slightly uphill sprint finish.[34] On the final stage towards the Champs-Élysées in Paris, traditionally a ceremonious affair without attacks, Zoetemelk broke away with Hinault, with both gapping the field and Hinault taking another stage victory. Zoetemelk finished 3:07 minutes behind Hinault, but then had ten minutes added to his time for failing a doping test. The next finisher, Joaquim Agostinho, was almost half an hour behind the winner.[35]

Towards the end of the season, Hinault won his second cycling monument, the Giro di Lombardia. He had escaped from the field a massive 150 km (93 mi) from the finish, but was later joined by some other riders. Only Silvano Contini finished with him, with the next group more than three minutes behind. The victory also secured that Hinault won his first of four consecutive Super Prestige Pernod International, the award handed to the best rider of the season.[36]

1980: Attempt at the Triple Crown

As was often the case, Hinault started the season slowly in 1980, dropping out of Paris–Nice.[37] He then entered Paris–Roubaix, partly to prepare for the cobbled sections during that year's Tour de France, and finished fourth.[38] A week later, he scored one of his most memorable wins at that year's Liège–Bastogne–Liège. As soon as the riders left Liège, snow began to fall, soon turning into a blizzard. Hinault wanted to abandon, as had many others, including all but one of his teammates. He was convinced to carry on until the feeding station at Bastogne, where the snow had turned into rain. Only 21 riders were left by this point. Hinault removed his rain cape and attacked, catching up to the leaders and carried on by himself, winning with a margin of almost ten minutes ahead of Kuiper. The victory came at a price, as his right index and middle fingers took weeks to recover from frostbite, causing him pain for several years to come.[39]

Hinault and Guimard then turned their attention to the only Grand Tour he had not won yet: the Giro d'Italia. They hoped that Hinault would be able to reproduce a feat Eddy Merckx had achieved in 1974, winning the Giro, the Tour and the World Championship in the same year.[40] This is commonly referred to as the Triple Crown of Cycling.[lower-alpha 1]

Hinault started the 1980 Giro as odds-on favourite, pitted against local riders Francesco Moser and Giuseppe Saronni, who had the home crowd on their side. Following fourth place at the prologue in Genoa, Hinault made a spontaneous visit to Fausto Coppi's home of Castellania, paying respect to the first rider ever to have won Giro and Tour in the same year. On stage five, a time trial to Pisa, Hinault took over the race leader's pink jersey. He then relinquished his lead to Roberto Visentini, who was not considered to be a contender for the final victory. On stage 14, he attacked when the peloton relaxed after an intermediate sprint, winning the stage ahead of Wladimiro Panizza, who took the race lead. Hinault then made the decisive move of the race on stage 20, when he attacked on the tough climb of the Stelvio Pass. He caught up with his teammate Bernaudeau, and both carried on for the remaining 80 km (50 mi) of the stage together. Hinault gifted the stage victory to his teammate, while he clinched the overall victory almost six minutes ahead of Panizza.[42]

In the 1980 Tour de France, Hinault was once again set to duel with Joop Zoetemelk, who had moved to the dominant TI–Raleigh squad. Hinault convincingly won the prologue in Frankfurt, 17 seconds ahead of Gerrie Knetemann.[43] On stage 5 from Liège to Lille, which contained cobbled sections used in Paris–Roubaix, conditions were poor with rain and heavy winds. Hinault called for the field to take a slow tempo, but when Zoetemelk's teammate Jan Raas attacked, he went after him. He eventually found himself in a group with several other riders, while Zoetemelk was distanced. At 20 km (12 mi) from the finish, he followed another attack from Kuiper and won the sprint at the line. The next stage was set to contain more cobbled roads, but on Hinault's protest, most of the worst parts were taken out. Hinault had however suffered damage to his left knee on the stage to Lille.[44] With his tendinitis worsening, he carried on until the end of the twelfth stage, just before the race was headed for the Pyrenees. That night, Hinault and Guimard told the race organisers, Jacques Goddet and Felix Levitan, that he would abandon the race, while still in the lead.[45] He left the race at night, not informing the press, which let to a fallout with the media that took years to recover.[46][47] In Hinault's absence, Zoetemelk duly won his only Tour de France.[48]

"Five laps from the finish it was obvious that no one was going to beat him. That was how he operated. It was just brutal. That was my introduction to the world of Bernard Hinault."
Robert Millar describing his experience riding next to Hinault during the 1980 World Championship road race.[49]

Hinault returned from the disappointment of the Tour to start at the World Championship road race, held on a very tough parcours in Sallanches, where he won the title and with it the rainbow jersey.[47] Hinault had broken away about 80 km (50 mi) from the finish with several riders, including Pollentier and the first-year professional Robert Millar.[lower-alpha 2] On the last lap, he dropped his last companion, Gianbattista Baronchelli, on the steepest part of a climb and soloed to victory. It had been a race of attrition with only 15 out of 107 riders making it to the finish.[51]

1981: Winning a third Tour de France

Hinault had never made a secret about his dislike for riding on cobbled roads. The most prominent race of this character, Paris–Roubaix, was met with particular disdain, even though he never finished lower than thirteenth. After the 1980 edition, he had said to organiser Goddet: "You will never see me in this circus again."[52] However, he returned for 1981, saying that he did so out of respect for his stature as World Champion. He suffered seven crashes and punctures, but reached the finish at the velodrome with the lead group, where he outsprinted favourites Roger De Vlaeminck and Moser.[53] Some weeks later, he added a victory at the Amstel Gold Race.[54] Furthermore, he also won the Critérium International and again dominated the Dauphiné Libéré, winning by twelve minutes ahead of Agostinho.[55]

At the 1981 Tour de France, Hinault took an early lead by winning the prologue, then relinquished the yellow jersey to Knetemann and later to Phil Anderson. On the time trial to Pau on stage seven, he regained the lead and did not lose the jersey until Paris, beating Van Impe by almost a quarter of an hour.[56] He won five stages, including all four individual time trials.[57] Amidst media criticism that he was riding too defensively in the mountains, he also took victory in the Alps on a stage to Le Pleynet.[58]

At the World Championship in Prague, Hinault failed to defend his title. Having bridged a two-and-a-half minute gap to a strong lead group on his own, he came third in the final sprint.[59]

1982: Achieving the Giro–Tour double

Hinault at the 1982 Tour de France

Hinault returned to the Giro in 1982. He looked set for victory after the first two weeks, having taken a significant lead after wins in the stage-three time trial and stage 12 to Campitello Matese. However, on stage 17 to Boario Terme, Guimard and the Renault team misjudged the toughness of the climb and Hinault lost the lead to Silvano Contini. He hit back the next day, winning the stage to Montecampione, turning the race in his favour.[60]

In "his most uneventful Tour",[61] Hinault never looked in trouble on his way to completing the Giro–Tour double at the 1982 Tour de France. He won the prologue in Basel, before the lead briefly turned to Ludo Peeters and Phil Anderson. Hinault regained the yellow jersey after the first time trial and won the overall classification easily. He took four stages, including again the final one on the Champs-Élysées, this time from a bunch sprint.[61] Zoetemelk was again the runner up, more than six minutes behind Hinault.[62] He later in the season added another victory at the Grand Prix des Nations.[61]

1983: Second Vuelta and the ascent of Fignon

Since 1981, Hinault had been joined at Renault by two young talents, Laurent Fignon and the American Greg LeMond.[63] Both joined Hinault for the 1983 Vuelta a España, where he faced stiff competition from local riders like Marino Lejarreta, Julián Gorospe, and Alberto Fernández. Six days before the race started, he had won La Flèche Wallonne for a second time. On stage four of the Vuelta, Fignon attacked and won, but Lejarreta, the defending champion, had followed him and gained time on Hinault. He bounced back and took the lead the following day on the mountain stage to Castellar de n'Hug. However, just one day later, the Spanish teams jointly attacked and Lejarreta moved ahead of Hinault, who was 22 seconds down. At the uphill time trial at Balneario de Panticosa, he suffered and finished more than two minutes behind Lejarreta. Hinault joined forces with Kuiper and Saronni to attack on stage 10 to Soria, affected by crosswinds. Affected by returning pain in his knee, on stage 14, he was in trouble again, at one point trailing his rivals by more than five minutes, but regained contact. In the time trial around Valladolid on stage 15b, Hinault won, now just ten seconds behind Gorospe in the general classification. The following day brought the last mountain stage and Renault put pressure on Gorospe from early on. Eventually, Hinault, joined by Lejarreta and Vicente Belda escaped for 80 km (50 mi), with him taking victory in Ávila, distancing Gorospe by over twenty minutes and sealing his second Vuelta victory.[64] Due to the tightly fought battle between Hinault and his Spanish competitors, the 1983 race is described on the Vuelta's website as "one of the most beautiful and spectacular" editions.[65]

Hinault's tendinitis had returned and after two failed attempts to get back into racing after the Vuelta, he announced that he would miss the 1983 Tour de France.[66] In his absence, teammate Fignon won the event on his first attempt.[67] Hinault tried another comeback at a criterium two days after the Tour, but the pain returned and he did not race for the remainder of the season.[68]

1984–1986: La Vie Claire

1984: Defeat at Fignon's hands

By 1983, the relationship between Hinault and Guimard had deteriorated to a point where the former described their relationship as "war".[69] Hinault forced a choice on the Renault team to either release him or oust Guimard. The team decided to stick with their sporting director, leading Hinault to search for a new team. He joined forces with businessman Bernard Tapie to form the new La Vie Claire squad. Their sporting director became Swiss coach Paul Koechli, who had made a name for himself with innovative and effective training methods, leaving Hinault a lot of freedom while at the same time scientificly measuring his progress.[70]

Hinault returned to racing at the Volta a la Comunitat Valenciana, where he won the final stage. He then took victory at the Four Days of Dunkirk. But his spring campaign lacked major successes. At the Dauphiné Libéré, he came second to Colombian Martín Ramírez, who later claimed that Hinault and his team had tried to intimidate him during the final stage of the race.[71] Hinault also proved his fighting spirit during the 1984 Paris–Nice, a race he finished third overall. During stage 5 to La Seyne-sur-Mer, Hinault was descending in a lead group with several other favourites. As they reached the valley, the road was blocked by protesters, unhappy with the announced closure of a dockyard at La Ciotat. While the other riders stopped, he drove into the group head-on, dismounted, and punched the protester closest to him. In the ensuing fist fight, Hinault suffered a broken rib.[72]

The 1984 Tour de France was made out to be the big duel between Hinault and Fignon, who had just won the French National Championship.[71][73] Hinault won the prologue, but Renault took the team time trial, 55 seconds ahead of La Vie Claire. He lost another 49 seconds to Fignon in the first long individual time trial, a discipline he had previously dominated. Following the second time trial, Hinault was only seventh on general classification, two minutes behind his adversary. The next stage led to Alpe d'Huez. Hinault attacked on the Rampe de Laffrey, but Fignon was able to respond. The two exchanged attacks on the way up the climb, but it was in the valley that Hinault was able to draw out a gap of about a minute. On Alpe d'Huez itself, he was first passed by eventual stage winner Luis Herrera. When he started to slow, Fignon caught up to him and eventually dropped Hinault, who lost a further three minutes. He would ultimately finish the Tour in second place, a significant ten minutes behind Fignon.[74]

Hinaut managed to bounce back from his Tour defeat in the fall. In late September, he took his fifth and final victory at the Grand Prix des Nations, riding the 90 km (56 mi) time trial at a then record speed of 44.19 km/h (27.46 mph). Fignon could only manage fourth, more than two minutes behind. Next, he won the Trofeo Baracchi, a two-man time trial, in which he competed with Moser. He then won the Giro di Lombardia for a second time, breaking away from the group of favourites 10 km (6.2 mi) from the finish.[75]

1985: The second Giro–Tour double

For 1985, Greg LeMond switched teams from Renault to join Hinault at La Vie Claire.[76] Together, they entered the 1985 Giro d'Italia. During the race, Hinault was met with hostility from the home crowd, who supported local rider Francesco Moser. On the stage 12 time trial, Hinault took the leader's pink jersey and opened the decisive gap to Moser, who would eventually finish second. During the stage however, Hinault was spat at by spectators and almost knocked over, even though his team car rode behind him with the door opened the entire time to ensure that bystanders would have a harder time impeeding him. Hinaut won his third Giro with a margin of just over a minute.[77]

In the 1985 Tour de France, Fignon did not take part due to an Achilles heel injury. Hinault therefore entered the race as the favourite. He took victory in the prologue in his native Brittany. La Vie Claire won the stage three team time trial by over a minute. The next day, Hinault's teammate Kim Andersen took over the yellow jersey. Hinault supported him over the next days, even going so far as dropping back when Andersen punctured to lead him back into the peloton, underlying his loyalty to riders who would later have to assist him. On stage 8, a time trial to Strasbourg, Hinault took back the race lead, winning the stage by more than two minutes ahead of Stephen Roche. While the race travelled through the Alps and in a second time trial, he consolidated his lead, holding an advantage of five-and-a-half minues on LeMond, who was now second overall.

"I'll stir things up to help Greg win, and I'll have fun doing it. That's a promise."
Hinault pledging his support for Greg LeMond for the 1986 Tour de France in an interview at the 1985 race.[78]

On stage 14 to Saint-Étienne, LeMond finished two minutes ahead of a group containing Hinault. Here, a crash occurred, with Hinault one of the riders involved. He crossed the finish line, but suffered a broken nose. Around the same time, he started to experience symptoms of bronchitis. On stage 17, he showed signs of weakness and was unable to stay with the other leaders on the Col du Tourmalet. LeMond meanwhile followed an attack by Roche, but was forbidden by the team to cooperate to distance Hinault. LeMond would later claim that the team had deceived him by telling him that Hinault was closer behind than he actually was. Hinault eventually finished the stage just over a minute behind LeMond. He won the Tour by just under two minutes from his younger teammate. After the finish, he publicly pledged that he would support LeMond's bid for a first Tour victory the following year.[79]

1986: The final season

Hinault climbing the Col d'Izoard during the 1986 Tour de France

In January 1986, Hinault was given the Légion d'honneur by French president François Mitterrand. He had, already in 1982, announced that he would retire from cycling on his 32nd birthday, in November 1986. During his last season, he won the Coors Classic race in the United States.[80]

Hinault also rode the 1986 Tour, ostensibly to return LeMond's favor of the previous year and help him win. Hinault rode an aggressive race, which he insisted was to demoralize rivals. He claimed his tactics were to wear down opponents and that he knew LeMond would win. Laurent Fignon and Urs Zimmermann were put on the defensive from the first day. Fignon quit due to injuries aggravated by stress. In the Alpe d'Huez stage Hinault mounted an early attack that gained a lot of time. LeMond then chased down Hinault and eventually took the yellow jersey from his teammate. LeMond was later quoted as feeling betrayed by Hinault's tactics.

Riding style

Hinault was a "boss of the peloton" or Patron. He was prominent in a riders' strike at Valence d'Agen in the 1978 Tour to protest against split stages, in which the riders had to ride a stage in the morning and another in the afternoon. He also imposed discipline and often cooperation among riders, once famously decreeing that "there will be no attacks today because tomorrow's stage will be difficult". He was respected by riders but feared by many for his temperament. If he felt slighted by another rider he would use his strength to humiliate the offender. To the public, Hinault was often arrogant, remote, and shy of publicity. When an interviewer suggested he devote more attention to fans, Hinault replied, "I race to win, not to please people".

Retirement

Hinault in his position as presenter at the Tour de France, in 2004

After retiring in 1986, Hinault returned to farming in Brittany and worked for the Tour de France organization, appearing at stage finishes to greet stage winners and jersey holders. He also worked for Look, whose owner Bernard Tapie also owned the La Vie Claire team,[81] as a technical consultant and helped develop the Look clipless pedal. He has now finished with farming and in 2008 returned to cycling, but not to racing. Hinault has lost none of his fire in recent years: upon seeing a protester jump onto the podium at the end of stage 3 of 2008's Tour de France, in front of the winner, Samuel Dumoulin, Hinault leapt forward without hesitation and shoved the protester off. In December 2013 it was announced that Hinault would be taking on a role as "patron" with the British Team Raleigh-GAC squad for the 2014 season.[82]

In July 2014 it was announced that Hinault and his former teammate Greg LeMond at the 1986 Tour de France would be featured in a 30 for 30 film titled Slaying The Badger to be directed by John Dower. The film is based on the book of the same name by Richard Moore and was first shown on July 22, 2014 on ESPN.[83]

Doping controversy

Hinault, who refused to take a doping test on 27/07/1982,[84] has angrily defended fellow French rider Laurent Jalabert who admitted to testing positive for EPO,[85] and rejected veiled suggestions by Lance Armstrong that Hinault himself had doped.[86] He has strongly criticised Chris Froome for participating in the 2018 Giro d'Italia while awaiting the decision on his adverse analytical result for the permitted asthma drug salbutamol.[87] He stated that suspicions over drug use meant that Froome did not belong to be considered alongside himself and Eddy Merckx even though Merckx failed three doping tests[88] and Froome so far has not failed any.[87]

Career achievements

Major results

Source:[89][90][91]

1975
1st Individual pursuit, National Track Championships
1st Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
1976
1st Individual pursuit, National Track Championships
1st Overall Circuit de la Sarthe
1st Stage 3a
1st Overall Tour du Limousin
1st Stage 1
1st Overall Tour de l'Aude
1st Overall Tour d'Indre–et–Loire
1st Paris–Camembert
1977
1st Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Stages 1 & 5
1st Overall Tour du Limousin
1st Stage 1
1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège
1st Gent–Wevelgem
1st Grand Prix des Nations
1978
1st Road race, National Road Championships
1st Overall Tour de France
1st Stages 8 (ITT), 15 & 20 (ITT)
1st Overall Vuelta a España
1st Prologue, Stages 11b, 12, 14 & 18
1st Overall Critérium International
1st Stage 3
1st Grand Prix des Nations
2nd Overall Paris–Nice
3rd Giro di Lombardia
1979
1st Overall Tour de France
1st Points classification
1st Stages 2 (ITT), 3, 11 (ITT), 15 (ITT), 21 (ITT), 23 & 24
1st Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Overall Super Prestige Pernod International
1st Giro di Lombardia
1st La Flèche Wallonne
1st Grand Prix des Nations
1st Stage 3 Tour de Luxembourg
2nd Overall Critérium International
2nd Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
8th Gent–Wevelgem
1980
1st Road race, UCI Road World Championships
1st Overall Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 14
Tour de France
1st Prologue, Stages 4 (ITT) & 5
Held after Prologue, Stage 1a & Stages 11–12
1st Overall Tour de Romandie
1st Overall Super Prestige Pernod International
1st Liège–Bastogne–Liège
2nd Road race, National Road Championships
3rd La Flèche Wallonne
4th Paris–Roubaix
5th Amstel Gold Race
1981
1st Overall Tour de France
1st Combination classification
1st Stages 7 (ITT), 16, 20 & 22 (ITT)
Combativity award Overall
1st Overall Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
1st Overall Critérium International
1st Overall Super Prestige Pernod International
1st Paris–Roubaix
1st Amstel Gold Race
3rd Road race, UCI Road World Championships
1982
1st Overall Tour de France
1st Combination classification
1st Prologue, Stages 14 (ITT), 19 (ITT) & 21
1st Overall Giro d'Italia
1st Prologue, Stages 3 (ITT), 12, 18, & 22 (ITT)
1st Overall Super Prestige Pernod International
1st Overall Tour de Luxembourg
1st Grand Prix des Nations
1st Grand Prix d'Ouverture La Marseillaise
1st Critérium des As
9th Paris–Roubaix
1983
1st Overall Vuelta a España
1st Stages 15b & 17
1st La Flèche Wallonne
1st Grand Prix Pino Cerami
1984
2nd Overall Tour de France
1st Prologue
Held after Prologue
Combativity award Overall
1st Overall Four Days of Dunkirk
1st Giro di Lombardia
1st Grand Prix des Nations
1st Trofeo Baracchi (with Francesco Moser)
2nd Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
3rd Overall Paris–Nice
4th Züri–Metzgete
1985
1st Overall Tour de France
1st Prologue & Stage 8 (ITT)
1st Overall Giro d'Italia
1st Stage 12 (ITT)
1986
1st Overall Coors Classic
1st Stages 7a & 11a
1st Overall Vuelta Ciclista a la Comunidad Valenciana
1st Trofeo Luis Puig
2nd Overall Tour de France
1st Mountains classification
1st Stages 9 (ITT), 18 & 20 (ITT)
Held after Stages 12–16
Combativity award Overall

Grand Tour general classification results timeline

Source:[89]

Grand Tour 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986
Vuelta a España 1 — — — — 1 — — —
Giro d'Italia — — 1 — 1 — — 1 —
Tour de France 1 1 DNF 1 1 — 2 1 2

Monuments results timeline

Source:[92]

Monument 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986
Milan–San Remo 54 — — — 7 — — — — DNF — —
Tour of Flanders — — — 11 — — — — — — — —
Paris–Roubaix — — — 13 11 4 1 9 — — — —
Liège–Bastogne–Liège — — 1 — 2 1 18 — 32 19 18 —
Giro di Lombardia — 17 — 3 1 — — — — 1 — —
Legend
— Did not compete
DNF Did not finish

Notes

  1. ↑ Since Merckx, only Stephen Roche managed to repeat the Triple Crown, in 1987.[41]
  2. ↑ Millar later in life had a gender transition and is now known as Philippa York.[50] For the purpose of this article, her name and gender from the 1980s are used.

References

  1. ↑ Moore 2011, p. 21.
  2. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 21-24.
  3. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 26-27.
  4. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 61-62.
  5. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 68.
  6. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 150.
  7. 1 2 Fotheringham 2015, p. 32.
  8. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 28-31.
  9. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 34.
  10. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 37-38.
  11. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 45.
  12. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 50-51.
  13. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 52-54.
  14. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 55-56.
  15. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 60-61.
  16. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 58-60.
  17. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 63-64.
  18. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 66-68.
  19. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 69-75.
  20. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 76.
  21. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 78-79.
  22. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 80-81.
  23. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 91.
  24. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 105.
  25. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 92.
  26. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 93-95.
  27. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 97.
  28. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 85 & 90.
  29. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 98-99.
  30. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 85-91.
  31. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 100-102.
  32. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 103.
  33. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 117-118.
  34. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 119-122.
  35. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 114-116.
  36. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 123-124.
  37. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 129.
  38. ↑ Moore 2014, p. 25.
  39. ↑ "Liège-Bastogne-Liège's cold memories". cyclingnews.com. 23 April 2008. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  40. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 131.
  41. ↑ Cossins, Peter (30 September 2017). "Crowning achievement: How Stephen Roche completed his shock Triple Crown". Cycling Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  42. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 131-134.
  43. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 134.
  44. ↑ Moore 2014, pp. 27-31.
  45. ↑ Besançon, Lucas (9 July 2013). "1980 : Hinault, Maillot jaune, abandonne en larmes" (in French). Le Parisien. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  46. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 139-141.
  47. 1 2 Robinson, Mark (14 November 2011). "Bernard Hinault: The greatest of them all?". cyclingnews.com. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  48. ↑ Moore 2014, p. 31.
  49. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 146.
  50. ↑ Fotheringham, William (6 July 2017). "Philippa York: 'I've known I was different since I was a five-year-old'". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 May 2018.
  51. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 145-146.
  52. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 147.
  53. ↑ Moore 2014, pp. 31-32.
  54. ↑ Moore 2011, p. 80.
  55. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 179.
  56. ↑ Wheatcroft 2013, p. 250.
  57. ↑ LagetLagetCazabanMontgermont 2013, p. 220.
  58. ↑ Moore 2011, p. 81.
  59. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 180.
  60. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 181-182.
  61. 1 2 3 Wheatcroft 2013, p. 251.
  62. ↑ LagetLagetCazabanMontgermont 2013, p. 224.
  63. ↑ Moore 2011, p. 66.
  64. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 186-190.
  65. ↑ "Año 1983". lavuelta.com (in Spanish). Unipublic. Archived from the original on 16 August 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
  66. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, p. 194.
  67. ↑ "Stars aus dem Schatten". Der Spiegel (in German) (30/1983): 129. 25 July 1983. Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  68. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 194-195.
  69. ↑ Moore 2014, p. 132.
  70. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 220-226.
  71. 1 2 Fotheringham 2015, pp. 230-231.
  72. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 199-201.
  73. ↑ Moore 2014, p. 133.
  74. ↑ Moore 2014, pp. 133-140.
  75. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 251-253.
  76. ↑ Moore 2011, p. 138.
  77. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 254-255.
  78. ↑ Moore 2011, p. 160.
  79. ↑ Moore 2011, pp. 150-160.
  80. ↑ Fotheringham 2015, pp. 267-268.
  81. ↑ Wilcockson, John (18 November 2005). "Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: LeMond, Hinault and the Tapie connection". VeloNews. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
  82. ↑ Henrys, Colin (6 December 2013). "Tour de France legend Bernard Hinault becomes Team Raleigh patron". Roadcycling UK. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  83. ↑ "Slaying the Badger". ESPN. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
  84. ↑
  85. ↑ "Hinault: French senators "want to kill the Tour de France"". road.cc. 2013-06-27. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  86. ↑ "LANCE ARMSTRONG: 'It's Impossible To Win The Tour De France Without Doping'". Business Insider. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  87. 1 2 Kelner, Martha (2018-05-29). "Chris Froome should not be listed with cycling greats, says Bernard Hinault". the Guardian. Retrieved 2018-05-29.
  88. ↑ "Eddy Merckx". Wikipedia. 2018-05-30.
  89. 1 2 "Palmarès de Bernard Hinault (Fra)" [Awards of Bernard Hinault (Fra)]. Memoire du cyclisme (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  90. ↑ "Bernard Hinault". Cycling Archives. de Wielersite. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  91. ↑ "Bernard Hinault (France)". The-Sports.org. Info Média Conseil. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
  92. ↑ "Bernard Hinault". procyclingstats.com. Retrieved 24 July 2018.

Bibliography

  • Fotheringham, William (2015). The Badger: Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling. London: Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 978-0-224092050.
  • Laget, Françoise; Laget, Serge; Cazaban, Philippe; Montgermont, Gilles (2013). Tour de France: Official 100th Race Anniversary Edition. London: Quercus. ISBN 978-1782064145.
  • Moore, Richard (2011). Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France. London: Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 978-0-2240-99868.
  • Moore, Richard (2014). Étape: The Untold Stories of the Tour de France's Defining Stages. London: HarperSport. ISBN 978-0-00-750010-9.
  • Wheatcroft, Geoffrey (2013). Le Tour. A History of the Tour de France. London: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4711-28943.

See also

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