Indurain vs. Armstrong

Iain Jones said:

Out of interest, and the fact I didn't really have much understanding of
the TdF back in 1996, what was Indurain's last tour like - I know he had a
good early season and arrived at the Tour fit and healthy, but was he low
in the listing from day one, or did he just crack and never recover?
Interesting to know since it's Lance's turn now, and he's started with a
good season... (** beware of spoilers **)

In 96 Indurain cracked on the first mountain stage (Stage 7 -
Chambery-Les Arcs) losing over 4 mins and never really recovered with
the ultimate humiliation of losing 8 and a half minutes to Riis on the
stage to his home town in Pamplona.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/tour96/stages.html

Regards!
Stephen

Steve McGinty said:

Iain Jones said:

Out of interest, and the fact I didn't really have much
understanding of the TdF back in 1996, what was Indurain's last tour
like - I know he had a good early season and arrived at the Tour fit
and healthy, but was he low in the listing from day one, or did he
just crack and never recover? Interesting to know since it's Lance's
turn now, and he's started with a good season... (** beware of
spoilers **)

In 96 Indurain cracked on the first mountain stage (Stage 7 -
Chambery-Les Arcs) losing over 4 mins and never really recovered with
the ultimate humiliation of losing 8 and a half minutes to Riis on the
stage to his home town in Pamplona.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/results/archives/tour96/stages.html

Regards!
Stephen

By pure fluke I was standing by the road when Indurain started losing the
time on the Les Arcs climb. It was a filthy day weatherwise, wet and cold.
The rest of the mountain stages were wet and I think it contributed to loss
of moral to Indurain

Iain Jones said:

Out of interest, and the fact I didn't really have much understanding
of the TdF back in 1996, what was Indurain's last tour like - I know
he had a good early season and arrived at the Tour fit and healthy,
but was he low in the listing from day one, or did he just crack and
never recover? Interesting to know since it's Lance's turn now, and
he's started with a good season... (** beware of spoilers **)

My recollection was that the weather in the first week was diabolical -
cold, wet and miserable - and Indurain didn't like racing In Der Rain...

(dies)

But seriously folks, IIRC he never got goinf after being sapped of energy /
life force / the will to live during the first few days.

--

Dave Larrington - http://www.legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uk/
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
http://www.bhpc.org.uk/
===========================================================

Dave Larrington said:

Iain Jones said:

Out of interest, and the fact I didn't really have much understanding
of the TdF back in 1996, what was Indurain's last tour like - I know
he had a good early season and arrived at the Tour fit and healthy,
but was he low in the listing from day one, or did he just crack and
never recover? Interesting to know since it's Lance's turn now, and
he's started with a good season... (** beware of spoilers **)

My recollection was that the weather in the first week was diabolical -
cold, wet and miserable - and Indurain didn't like racing In Der Rain...
(dies)

It was terrible weather, I think Indurains moral was broken by the
weather and as we know this game is 90% pyshological, the rest being
in the head.

Zulle just won the Prologue from Boardman. It was starting to rain,
quite dark and I am sure Chris didn't want another St Brueic incident so
took it very carefully.

We followed the 1996 race from the start to the shortened stage to
Sestriere, got rained on most of the time, Mrs MSeries was not
very happy.

--

An interesting and relevant extract from

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspaper/0,,176-1167449,00.html

By David Walsh

"The significance of the sixth is emblazoned across the consciousness
of every cycling fan. We have seen them try and fail: Jacques
Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, Bernard Hinault and Miguel Indurain. Anquetil’s
quest for six ended on the road from Chamonix to St Etienne in the
final week of the 1966 Tour. He rode that year to help his teammate
Lucian Aimar win and to ensure his great rival Raymond Poulidor didn’t
win. On both counts, he succeeded and maybe it is true that in winning
his fifth Tour, in 1964, he survived an unrelenting battle with
Poulidor that cost him his chance of a sixth.

People saw that failure coming, someone sensing in 1966 that Anquetil
no longer had the thirst for attrition. Nine years later Merckx
appeared certain to win his sixth but then he suddenly grew old on the
climb to Pra Loup. The younger Bernard Thevenet caught and passed him
and an era changed. Eleven years later, in 1986, Hinault had built a
lead of almost nine minutes approaching the climb to Superbagneres in
the Pyrenees. The race was his, all he had to do was keep pedalling.

Hinault’s hopes died on that murderous ascent, when he was blinded by
reckless ambition to his own humanity. Greg LeMond and others overtook
Hinault and a new era began. Le Blaireau (The Badger), as Hinault was
called, was left with just five.

Exactly 10 years later, Miguel Indurain went for his sixth and was
confidently expected to win. But on the climb to Les Arcs in the Alps,
he slowed three kilometres from the summit and he was never the same
again. He said it was dehydration; we discovered it was the end.

We look at Armstrong now and despite his slightly subdued performance
in last month’s Criterium du Dauphine Libere there is nothing to
suggest he cannot dominate his rivals as he has for the past five
years.

Nothing except the weight of history."

Regards!
Stephen