Bernard Hinault
.jpg) Hinault at the 1982 Tour de France | ||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Bernard Hinault | |||||||||||||||
| Nickname | Le Patron, Le Blaireau | |||||||||||||||
| Born |
14 November 1954 Yffiniac, Brittany, France | |||||||||||||||
| 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-Elf-Gitane | |||||||||||||||
| 1984–1986 | La Vie Claire | |||||||||||||||
| Major wins | ||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Bernard Hinault (pronounced: [bɛʁ.naʁ i.no]; born 14 November 1954) is a French former cyclist who won the Tour de France five times.
He is one of only six 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 last French winner of the Tour de France.
Hinault was nicknamed Le Blaireau (the badger), as he would often don a hairband, thus resembling a shaving brush. In an interview in the French magazine Vélo, however, Hinault said the 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 team-mate 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]
Professional career
1975–1977: Gitane
Hinault started professional cycling in 1974. Hinault became friends with Cyrille Guimard, who was ending his career in part due to a knee injury. Guimard became a directeur sportif for the Gitane team and Hinault joined his team. In 1976, Hinault scored an early victory in Paris–Camembert. He demonstrated his time trial strength as he maintained his thin lead to the finish. That year, Guimard spurred Lucien Van Impe to his only win in the Tour de France. Taking Guimard's advice, Hinault did not enter in 1977. Yet he had demonstrated his talent in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré where he beat many Tour favourites including eventual winner Bernard Thevenet. Of note in the Dauphiné Libéré that year was one of the mountain stages. Hinault, wearing the yellow jersey, was at the front after an attack on the ascent and heading for victory. But he crashed descending the mountain, climbed up from the roadside and got back on his bike for the win in Bastille of Grenoble.
1978–1983: Renault
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To prepare for the 1978 Tour de France, Hinault rode his first grand tour, the Vuelta a España. He won and felt ready for his first Tour de France. Before the Tour, he won the national championship, which allowed him to wear the tricolour. This tour became a battle with Joop Zoetemelk, Hinault taking the yellow jersey after the final time trial. He was hailed as the next great French cyclist and won the Tour again in 1979.
At the start of the 1980 season Hinault and Guimard's aim for the season was to win cycling's Triple Crown – the Giro d'Italia, the Tour de France and the world championships, which had previously only been won in the same year by Eddy Merckx. Hinault won that year's Giro, clinching the race with an attack on the Stelvio Pass.[2] In the 1980 Tour de France he abandoned the race while wearing the yellow jersey because of a knee injury but he returned to win the world championship in Sallanches that year.
The following year, 1981, wearing the rainbow jersey, he won Paris–Roubaix and returned to victory in the 1981 Tour and then again in 1982. He missed the Tour in 1983, again because of knee problems. The organiser, Jacques Goddet, said in his autobiography L'Équipée Belle that Hinault's problems came from pushing gears that were too high. During Hinault's absence, his teammate Laurent Fignon rose to prominence by winning the Tour in 1983.
1984–1986: La Vie Claire
In the 1984 Tour de France Fignon won with Hinault second at more than 10 minutes. Disagreements with Guimard led to their separation, and by the mid-1980s Hinault had become associated with the Swiss coach Paul Koechli and the La Vie Claire team. Koechli introduced meditation and relaxation, and these helped Hinault return to the Tour with a victory in 1985. That year he rode much of the race with a black eye after a crash. In 1985 Hinault's lieutenant Greg LeMond was under pressure from Koechli and his team manager to support Hinault and not try for victory. Years later, LeMond claimed in an interview that they had lied about his lead over Hinault in a mountain stage, forcing him to lose several minutes and his chance of victory.
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.
Hinault gained more than 200 victories in 12 years. He won the Giro d'Italia in 1980, 1982 and 1985, and the Vuelta a España in 1978 and 1983. He also won Classics including Paris–Roubaix (1981) and Liège–Bastogne–Liège (1977, 1980). His victory in the 1980 Liège–Bastogne–Liège is memorable because of snow from the start. Hinault made a solo attack and finished nearly 10 minutes ahead of his next rival.
Riding style
Hinault was a "boss of the peloton" or le 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
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,[3] 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.[4]
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.[5]
Career highlights
Major victories
- 1977
- Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- Gent–Wevelgem
- Grand Prix des Nations
- Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1978
- Tour de France
1st place overall classification- Winner stages 8, 15 and 20
- 3 days in yellow jersey
- Vuelta a España
1st place overall classification- Winner of prologue and stages 11b, 12, 14, 18
- Grand Prix des Nations
- 1979
- Tour de France
- 1st place overall classification
1st place points classification- Winner stages 2, 3, 11, 15, 21, 23 and 24
- 17 days in yellow jersey
- Giro di Lombardia
- La Flèche Wallonne
- Grand Prix des Nations
- Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1980
- Tour de France
- Winner prologue, stages 4 and 5
- 2 days in yellow jersey
- Giro d'Italia
1st place overall classification- Winner stage 14
- 5 days in pink jersey
World Road Race Championship- Liège–Bastogne–Liège
- Tour de Romandie
- 1981
- Tour de France
- 1st place overall classification
- Combination classification
- Winner stages 7, 16, 20 and 22
- 18 days in yellow jersey
- Winner Combativity award
- Paris–Roubaix
- Amstel Gold Race
- Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- Critérium International
- 1982
- Tour de France
- 1st place overall classification
- Combination classification
- Winner prologue, stages 15, 20 and 22
- 12 days in yellow jersey
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st place overall classification
- Winner prologue, stages 3, 12, 18, 22
- 15 days in pink jersey
- Grand Prix des Nations
- Tour de Luxembourg
Critérium des As
- 1983
- Vuelta a España
- 1st place overall classification
- Winner of stages 15b, 17
- La Flèche Wallonne
- 1984
- Tour de France
- Second place overall classification
- Winner prologue
- 1 day in yellow jersey
- Winner Combativity award
- Giro di Lombardia
- Grand Prix des Nations
- Four Days of Dunkirk
- Trofeo Baracchi (with Francesco Moser)
- 1985
- Tour de France
- 1st place overall classification
- Winner prologue, stage 8
- 16 days in yellow jersey
- Giro d'Italia
- 1st place overall classification
- Winner stage 12
- 10 days in pink jersey
- 1986
- Tour de France
- Second place overall classification
1st place mountains classification- Winner stages 9, 18 and 20
- 5 days in yellow jersey
- Winner Combativity award
- Coors Classic
- First place overall classification
- Winner two stages
Hinault also won the season-long Super Prestige Pernod International competition four consecutive times up to 1982, equalling Jacques Anquetil's total.
Grand Tour general classification results timeline
Source:[6]
| 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 |
| — | Did not compete |
|---|---|
| DNF | Did not finish |
See also
- Cycling records
- List of French people
- List of Giro d'Italia general classification winners
- List of Grand Tour general classification winners
- List of Tour de France general classification winners
- List of Tour de France secondary classification winners
- List of Vuelta a España classification winners
- List of Vuelta a España general classification winners
- Pink jersey statistics
- Yellow jersey statistics
References
- ↑ Moore 2011, p. 21.
- ↑ Fotheringham, William (25 May 2015). "Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling by William Fotheringham". cyclingnews.com. Retrieved 26 May 2015.
- ↑ Wilcockson, John (18 November 2005). "Inside Cycling with John Wilcockson: LeMond, Hinault and the Tapie connection". VeloNews. Retrieved 4 July 2015.
- ↑ Henrys, Colin (6 December 2013). "Tour de France legend Bernard Hinault becomes Team Raleigh patron". Roadcycling UK. Retrieved 11 December 2013.
- ↑ "Slaying the Badger". ESPN. Retrieved 20 July 2014.
- 1 2 "Palmarès de Bernard Hinault (Fra)" [Awards of Bernard Hinault (Fra)]. Memoire du cyclisme (in French). Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ↑ "Bernard Hinault". Cycling Archives. de Wielersite. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- ↑ "Bernard Hinault (France)". The-Sports.org. Info Média Conseil. Retrieved 10 July 2015.
- Bibliography
- Moore, Richard (2011). Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France. London: Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 978-0-224-08290-7.
Further reading
- Memories of the peloton by Bernard Hinault, Vitesse Press, 1989., ISBN 0-941950-23-9
- Hinault par Hinault by Bernard Hinault, Editions Jacob Duvernet, 2005.
- Fotheringham, William (2015). Bernard Hinault and the Fall and Rise of French Cycling. London: Yellow Jersey Press. ISBN 978-1-4481-5636-8.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bernard Hinault. |
- Bernard Hinault profile at Cycling Archives
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