The Tour visits Karlsruhe
The Tour has never finished here. In 1987 the Tour went
from Karlsruhe to Stuttgart, a stage won by Portugal's
Acacio Da Silva.
July 8th in the Tour
- In 1903 Hippolyte Aucouturier became the first multiple
stage winner, taking his second in a row, 423km from
Marseille to Toulouse. Aucouturier was one of four riders
disqualified for 'deceit'.
- Maurice Archambaud took the stage on this date in 1935.
Later he would hold the hour record, and it was his record
that was broken by Coppi.
- Federico 'The Eagle of Toledo' Bahamontes won in Pau on
this date in 1964. It was the last stage win he would take.
He was on his way to his 6th KOM jersey, a record that stood
until last year when Richard Virenque took his seventh.
- If you've been following these you know that every day
so far has been the anniversary of a Merckx stage victory.
And today is no different. 1970, Thonon-les-Bains to
Grenoble. Also 1977 in a TTT with Fiat.
- But 1971 was the year that Ocana put a big scare into
Merckx. It began on this date, when Ocana won a heavy stage
to Orcieres-Merlette and took a yellow jersey that Merckx
had worn for all but two stages since to prologue.
- In honor of the visit to Germany I should mention that
Olaf Ludwig became the only East German to take a stage
before unification, in Besancon, 1990.
- "Man, I was right there. I was right on his wheel. But
when he accelerated there was nothing I could do! I just
watched him ride away." That was Lance Armstrong talking
about Miguel Indurain's daring ride to Charleroi, ten years
ago. Only Johan Bruyneel could stay with him and Big Mig
carried him to the stage win. This was the day before a
time trial and no one expected such a ride from the
Spaniard. You would have to think that both Armstrong
and Bruyneel remember the event.
- But things went much less well for Indurain a year later.
The stage was shortened due to a snowstorm on the Iseran
and Galibier and Bjarne Riis takes the stage and the yellow
jersey.
- We will see the Col du Madeleine later in the Tour. It
was on July 8th, 1969 that the Tour first went over that
climb. The stage went to the mountain town of Briancon,
and Herman Van Springel got there first.
Bob Schwartz
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