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.

cyclingnews.comstages.hOpen ↗
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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.

cyclingnews.comstaOpen ↗
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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 - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
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Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
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Quoted post said:

Originally posted by Dave Larrington

BIain 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)

[/B]

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

timesonline.co.uk0,,176Open ↗
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