1986 Tour de France

Route of the 1986 Tour de France
Race details
Dates	4–27 July 1986
Stages	23 + Prologue
Distance	4,094 km (2,544 mi)
Winning time	110h 35' 19"
Results
Winner  Greg LeMond (USA) (La Vie Claire)   Second  Bernard Hinault (FRA) (La Vie Claire)   Third  Urs Zimmermann (SUI) (Carrera Jeans–Vagabond) Points  Eric Vanderaerden (BEL) (Panasonic–Merckx–Agu) Mountains  Bernard Hinault (FRA) (La Vie Claire) Youth  Andrew Hampsten (USA) (La Vie Claire) Combination  Greg LeMond (USA) (La Vie Claire) Sprints  Gerrit Solleveld (NED) (Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko)   Combativity  Bernard Hinault (FRA) (La Vie Claire)   Team La Vie Claire   Team points Panasonic–Merckx–Agu
← 1985 1987 →

The 1986 Tour de France was a cycling race held in France, from 4 July to 27 July. It was the 73rd running of the Tour de France. Greg LeMond of La Vie Claire won the race, ahead of his teammate Bernard Hinault. It was the first ever victory for a rider outside of Europe. Five-time Tour winner Hinault, who had won the year before with LeMond supporting him, had publicly pledged to ride in support of LeMond in 1986. Several attacks during the race cast doubt on the sincerity of his promise, leading to a rift between the two riders and the entire La Vie Claire team. The 1986 Tour de France is widely considered to be one of the most memorable in the history of the sport due to the battle between LeMond and Hinault.

Thierry Marie (Système U) took the first race leader's yellow jersey after winning the prologue time trial. The lead then moved to Alex Stieda (7-Eleven) after stage 1, only for Marie to recapture the lead after his team won the team time trial on stage 2. After short stints in the lead for Dominique Gaigne and Johan van der Velde, Jørgen V. Pedersen took the yellow jersey following a breakaway on stage 7 and retained the lead even after the first long time trial, won by Hinault. Stage 12 saw Hinault attack with Pedro Delgado (PDM–Ultima–Concorde), who won the stage, while Hinault moved into the lead. Hinault attacked again the following day, but was caught and dropped. LeMond gained back significant time, but still trailed his teammate by 40 seconds.

LeMond would move into the yellow jersey after stage 17, when Hinault fell behind on the climb of the Col d'Izoard. Stage 18 to Alpe d'Huez saw LeMond and Hinault finish hand-in-hand, with the latter winning the stage. LeMond's overall victory was sealed when Hinault was unable to overcome his deficit in the final time trial on stage 20. Urs Zimmermann (Carrera Jeans–Vagabond) finished third, and was the only rider who posed a threat to the La Vie Claire team, who also had the 4th placed rider in Andy Hampsten.

In the race's other classifications, Hinault won the mountains classification, Panasonic–Merckx–Agu rider Eric Vanderaerden the points classification, and La Vie Claire's Andrew Hampsten won the young rider classification. La Vie Claire finished at the head of the team classification by one hour 51 minutes, after placing four riders inside the final overall top-ten placings.

One of cycling's Grand Tours, the Tour consisted of 23 stages, beginning with a prologue in Boulogne-Billancourt and concluded on the Champs-Élysées in Paris. The race was organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation and was shown on television in 72 countries, with the total viewers estimated at one billion.^[1]

Teams

In June, 23 teams had requested to start in the 1986 Tour.^[2] The Tour organisers, Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), accepted 21 applications, so a total of 21 teams participated in the 1986 Tour de France.^[3][4] The two teams whose application was denied were Skala-Skil and Miko.^[2] Each team sent a squad of ten riders, which meant that the race would start with a peloton of 210 cyclists,^[3] a record setting total.^[4][5] The ASO felt that 210 starters were too many and moved to reduce the size of the squads to eight riders each, but the teams protested, and the original number remained.^[6]

7-Eleven became the Tour's first team from the United States, with a squad consisting of eight Americans, one Canadian and one Mexican.^[3][7] Jim Ochowicz, 7-Eleven's founder and manager, met with the ASO and persuaded them to invite his team. In the Spring, the team withdrew from competition in Europe (missing the opportunity to become the first American team in the history of the Vuelta a España) due to the United States conflict with Libya, losing out on much needed competitive racing unavailable in the United States.^[8] Joop Zoetemelk, the reigning road world champion, started and finished his 16th Tour de France, a record that stood until it was tied by Sylvain Chavanel in 2018.^[9][10][a]

The teams entering the race were:^[3]

Pre-race favourites

La Vie Claire teammates, Bernard Hinault (left, pictured in 1982), the 1985 winner and the eventual runner-up, and Greg LeMond (right, pictured in 1989), the eventual winner, were considered among the favourites to win before the race.

Five-time Tour winner and defending champion Bernard Hinault (La Vie Claire) had promised to support his teammate Greg LeMond, who had finished second in 1985, following controversy during that race when LeMond felt that a chance of potential victory had been taken from him due to team tactics. La Vie Claire was therefore considered the squad to beat, with the team also featuring strong riders such as Andrew Hampsten, who had won the Tour de Suisse several weeks before the Tour de France.^[7] Before the start of the event, Hinault announced it would be the last Tour de France of his career.^[12] Prior to the start of the Tour, LeMond was confident of his chances, and pointed out that having Hinault, who he expected to take an early lead, would play to his advantage.^[13] Even with Hinault's assurances of support for LeMond, excitement over a possible record-breaking sixth Tour win was high in France. In a survey of 15 Dutch journalists, eight named Hinault as their main favourite for overall victory, just three chose LeMond.^[14] LeMond's season up to this point had been good, but had not yielded any major victories; he finished second at Milan–San Remo, third at Paris–Nice, fourth at the Giro d'Italia and third at the Tour de Suisse.^[7]

Laurent Fignon (Système U), winner in 1983 and 1984, was working on his comeback, having won the La Flèche Wallonne classic in the spring.^[7] He had missed the chance to defend his title the year earlier due to surgery on an inflamed Achilles tendon.^[15] Juan Mora of El País believed that the race would be highlighted by a duel between Fignon and Hinault. He named LeMond and Frenchman Charly Mottet as potential contenders if their team captains – Hinault and Fignon, respectively – failed to perform to the level expected. Mora believed Pedro Delgado to be the best Spanish contender for the overall title citing that his PDM–Ultima–Concorde should perform well in the team time trial.^[4] Gian Paolo Ormezzano of La Stampa believed that there was no Italian rider competing that could be a legitimate threat to win the race, despite the fact that three Italian based teams were invited – the most since the 1979 edition. Ormezzano also thought the favourites going into the race were Hinault and Fignon.^[16] Fignon later recalled in his autobiography that he did not share the view of himself as a favourite, writing: "I felt terrible physically. My body — and perhaps my mind as well — was registering deep fatigue rather than an urge to get on with it."^[17] Stephen Roche (Carrera Jeans–Vagabond), third overall the year before, had injured his knee in a crash at the Paris Six-Day event in the winter, necessitating surgery in April, which meant that he arrived at the Tour out of form.^[18] Five-time Tour winner Jacques Anquetil named Luis Herrera (Café de Colombia–Varta) as his main favourite. Herrera himself declared: "If I do not lose more than ten minutes before the mountains, I can win."^[19]

Sean Kelly (Kas) was considered the main favourite for victory in the points classification, having won the trophy a record-equalling third time the year before.^[14] However, a crash on the last stage of the Tour de Suisse prevented Kelly from starting.^[20] In his absence, Adri van der Poel (Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko) was given the best chances to win the classification.^[14]

Route and stages

The race route for the 1986 edition of the Tour de France was unveiled on 8 October 1985 by both Jacques Goddet and Félix Lévitan.^[21] The race was pushed back a week from its normal date in order to prevent overlap with the 1986 FIFA World Cup,^[21][22] and therefore started on 4 July.^[23] Covering a total of 4,094 km (2,544 mi),^[24] it included four time trials (three individual and one for teams) and ten stages deemed as flat.^[21] The race included four stages that featured a summit finish:^[12] stage 13 to Superbagnères; stage 17 to Col du Granon; stage 18 to Alpe d'Huez; and stage 21 to Puy de Dôme.^[25] The race took a counter-clockwise route around France.^[26] Following the prologue and opening stages in the Hauts-de-Seine region, the race moved north towards the Belgian border, before turning west to Brittany. The Tour then traveled south to Bordeaux, where a train transfer brought the riders to Bayonne, at the foot of the Pyrenees. From there, transition stages led the race to the Alps, before the final stages in the Massif Central and further north towards Paris.^[27]

The 1986 Tour de France had one rest day, after the finish on the Alpe d'Huez.^[28] The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,642 m (8,668 ft) at the summit of the Col du Galibier mountain pass on stage 18.^[29][30] The longest road-race stage was stage 11, at 258.3 km (160.5 mi).^[23]

Tour director Levitan felt after the 1985 Tour de France that the race had been too easy, and made the course in 1986 extra difficult, including more mountain climbs than before. This angered Hinault, who threatened to skip the 1986 Tour.^[22] Before the race started, an avalanche deposited a large amount of dirt and rock on the slopes of the Col du Tourmalet, prompting Goddet to consider rerouting the course through the Col d'Aubisque.^[4]

Stage characteristics and winners^[28][31][32]

Stage	Date	Course	Distance	Type		Winner
P	4 July	Boulogne-Billancourt	4.6 km (2.9 mi)		Individual time trial	Thierry Marie (FRA)
1	5 July	Nanterre to Sceaux	85 km (52.8 mi)		Plain stage	Pol Verschuere (BEL)
2	5 July	Meudon to Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines	56 km (34.8 mi)		Team time trial	Système U
3	6 July	Levallois-Perret to Liévin	214 km (133.0 mi)		Plain stage	Davis Phinney (USA)
4	7 July	Liévin to Évreux	243 km (151.0 mi)		Plain stage	Pello Ruiz Cabestany (ESP)
5	8 July	Évreux to Villers-sur-Mer	124.5 km (77.4 mi)		Plain stage	Johan van der Velde (NED)
6	9 July	Villers-sur-Mer to Cherbourg	200 km (124.3 mi)		Plain stage	Guido Bontempi (ITA)
7	10 July	Cherbourg to Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët	201 km (124.9 mi)		Plain stage	Ludo Peeters (BEL)
8	11 July	Saint-Hilaire-du-Harcouët to Nantes	204 km (126.8 mi)		Plain stage	Eddy Planckaert (BEL)
9	12 July	Nantes	61.5 km (38.2 mi)		Individual time trial	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
10	13 July	Nantes to Futuroscope	183 km (113.7 mi)		Plain stage	José Ángel Sarrapio (ESP)
11	14 July	Futuroscope to Bordeaux	258.3 km (160.5 mi)		Plain stage	Rudy Dhaenens (BEL)
12	15 July	Bayonne to Pau	217.5 km (135.1 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Pedro Delgado (ESP)
13	16 July	Pau to Superbagnères	186 km (115.6 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Greg LeMond (USA)
14	17 July	Superbagnères to Blagnac	154 km (95.7 mi)		Plain stage	Niki Rüttimann (SUI)
15	18 July	Carcassonne to Nîmes	225.5 km (140.1 mi)		Plain stage	Frank Hoste (BEL)
16	19 July	Nîmes to Gap	246.5 km (153.2 mi)		Plain stage	Jean-François Bernard (FRA)
17	20 July	Gap to Serre Chevalier	190 km (118.1 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Eduardo Chozas (ESP)
18	21 July	Briançon to Alpe d'Huez	162.5 km (101.0 mi)		Stage with mountain(s)	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
	22 July	Alpe d'Huez			Rest day
19	23 July	Villard-de-Lans to Saint-Étienne	179.5 km (111.5 mi)		Plain stage	Julián Gorospe (ESP)
20	24 July	Saint-Étienne	58 km (36.0 mi)		Individual time trial	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
21	25 July	Saint-Étienne to Puy de Dôme	190 km (118.1 mi)		Plain stage	Erich Mächler (SUI)
22	26 July	Clermont-Ferrand to Nevers	194 km (120.5 mi)		Plain stage	Guido Bontempi (ITA)
23	27 July	Cosne-sur-Loire to Paris (Champs-Élysées)	255 km (158.4 mi)		Plain stage	Guido Bontempi (ITA)
	Total		4,094 km (2,544 mi)[24]

Race overview

Opening stages

The prologue was won by Thierry Marie (Système U), with Hinault in third place, just two seconds slower. Fignon and LeMond placed seventh and eighth, both four seconds back.^[7] On stage 1, Alex Stieda (7-Eleven) attacked 40 km (25 mi) from the finish and collected time bonuses at the intermediate sprint, which would move him into the race lead. He was then joined in his breakaway by five other riders.^[33] The sextet held a small margin until the finish, with Pol Verschuere (Fagor) taking the victory. Stieda, a Canadian, became the first rider from North America to wear the race leader's yellow jersey.^[34]

The same afternoon, the team time trial was held. The attempt at defending Stieda's race lead by his 7-Eleven team proved unsuccessful. A crash by Eric Heiden slowed the team and forced several riders to take evasive action in order not to run into him, in the process scraping their tyres at the street curbing, which caused several punctures. In addition, Stieda was tired by his morning effort and fell back, getting in danger of missing the time limit. Chris Carmichael and Jeff Pierce had to fall back to lead him to the finish, which he reached in time but the yellow jersey was lost. It was regained by Marie, whose Système U team won the time trial, while La Vie Claire lost almost two minutes.^[35] Hinault personally instructed the team to wait for Niki Rüttimann and Guido Winterberg, who were nursing the after-effects of crashes during the morning stage, accounting for La Vie Claire's comparatively poor performance.^[36] Café de Colombia–Varta lost significant time and four of the team's riders were eliminated because they missed the time limit.^[19]

7-Eleven bounced back from their disappointment the following day, with Davis Phinney becoming the first American to win a road race stage. Phinney won the stage from a bunch sprint, even though he had been in the day's breakaway for most of the stage.^[35] Stage 4 went through Normandy, on rolling terrain. Régis Simon (RMO–Cycles Méral–Mavic) broke away from the peloton and at 80 km (50 mi) from the finish, he held a lead of over ten minutes. He was eventually caught by a counterattack from Federico Echave (Teka). On the finishing straight, Pello Ruiz Cabestany (Seat–Orbea) overtook Echave to win the stage. Dutch champion Jos Lammertink (Panasonic–Merckx–Agu) retired after suffering a broken skull in a crash, while Fabio Parra (Café de Colombia–Varta) also dropped out, courtesy of knee problems, leaving his team with only five of their original ten starters. Dominique Gaigne took over the yellow jersey from his teammate Marie, who he now led by six seconds.^[37]

Johan van der Velde (Panasonic–Merckx–Agu) won stage 5 and through time bonuses at both intermediate sprints and the stage finish, moved into the overall lead. He got the better of Joël Pelier (Kas) at the finish line. Both had been in a breakaway together, started after 16 km (9.9 mi) ridden. They finished 39 seconds ahead of van der Velde's teammate Eddy Planckaert, who in turn was followed by Miguel Induráin (Reynolds), while the field, led by Alfonso Gutiérrez (Teka), was 1:15 minutes behind. The stage saw a demonstration by workers in Lisieux, which did not impede the race.^[38] Van der Velde kept the race lead the following day. A five-man breakaway decided the outcome of the stage, won by Guido Bontempi of Carrera Jeans–Vagabond ahead of Roberto Pagnin (Malvor–Bottecchia–Sidi).^[39]

The yellow jersey changed hands again after stage 7. The stage began slowly, with the first breakaway established only after 105 km (65 mi). The peloton was back together after 150 km (93 mi), but another attack went shortly thereafter, including Ludo Peeters (Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko), Jørgen V. Pedersen (Carrera Jeans–Vagabond), and Induráin. Other riders joined them 20 km (12 mi) later, but it was Peeters who eventually won the sprint from the group to win the stage, ahead of Ron Kiefel (7-Eleven). Pedersen took the race lead.^[40] On stage 8, after 70 km (43 mi) the peloton allowed Yvon Madiot (Système U) to drive ahead of the field to greet his family. Planckaert, not realising the situation, followed what he considered an attack in the company of Pelier, but all three were brought back. About 20 km (12 mi) later, another group broke away, containing Adri van der Poel (Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko), Mathieu Hermans, (Seat–Orbea) and Andrew Hampsten. Hampsten was considered a threat to the overall classification, which led the field to give chase. The peloton was united before their arrival in the finishing town, Nantes, where Silvano Contini (Gis Gelati) launched an unsuccessful breakaway attempt. Planckert, who only started the stage with the help of analgesic pills from his masseur due to back pain, won the sprint, beating out his teammate Eric Vanderaerden. Pedersen retained the overall lead.^[41]

First long time trial and transition to the mountains

The first real test for the general classification contenders came on stage 9, a 61.5 km (38.2 mi) individual time trial around Nantes. Hinault won the stage, 44 seconds ahead of LeMond, with Roche third, 1:01 minutes slower. Hinault benefited from a puncture by LeMond, which cost him time.^[42] Fignon finished in 32nd place, 3:42 minutes behind Hinault, a result he later described as "unworthy of my status".^[17] Pedersen did enough to retain the yellow jersey. Roche moved into second place, 1:05 minutes behind Pedersen, with Hinault a further five seconds behind in third. LeMond was eighth, 1:59 minutes behind the lead.^[42][43] Zdroj:https://en.wikipedia.org?pojem=1986_Tour_de_France
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