BERNARD HINAULT

'Bernard Hinault' (born 14 November, 1954 in Yffiniac, Bretagne) is a French cyclist best known for his five victories in the Tour de France. He is also one of only four cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each Grand Tour more than once. His first place Tour de France achievements were in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985. In addition, he placed second in 1984 and 1986 and won 28 stages, of which 13 were individual time trials. The other four cyclists to have achieved at least five first place victories in the Tour de France are Jacques Anquetil (1964), Eddy Merckx (1974), Miguel Indurain (1995) and Lance Armstrong (2003). Hinault was originally nicknamed '''Le Blaireau''' ('the Badger') because the animal has the reputation of not letting go of his prey easily. Throughout his career, he's been known for his distinctive personality : fiercely independent, outspoken, quick to take offense and often quick with a ''riposte''. 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.

Contents

Biography

Cycling career

Le Patron

Retirement

Professional highlights

Pro Team Sponsors

Main victories

Quotes

See also

Reference

Biography

Cycling career

Hinault, born in the town of Yffiniac in Brittany started his professional cycling career in 1974. In the peloton, Hinault met and became friends with Cyrille Guimard who was ending his career in part due to a chronic knee injury. Guimard became a directeur sportif for the Gitane team and Hinault joined this team after. In 1976, Hinault scored an early but noted victory in the french semi classic race Paris-Camembert. During this race, he demonstrated his time trialing skills as he sustained 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 Tour de France in 1977 so as to gain further experience. Yet he had demonstrated his talent in the prestigious stage race the Dauphine Libere where he beat many of the Tour favourites of 1977 including eventual winner Bernard Thevenet. Of note in the Dauphine Libere of that year was an incident on one of the mountain stages. Hinault wearing the leaders yellow jersey, was at the front of the field after an attack on the ascent and seemed to be heading for the victory. But he had a spectacular crash while descending the mountain. But he did not let the crash upset his nerves and he climbed up from the roadside and got back on his bike for the win.
In order to prepare for the 1978 Tour de France, Hinault entered his first grand tour race with the 1978 Vuelta a Espana. He won this race and felt ready for his first Tour de France. Before the Tour, he won the french national championship, which allowed him to wear the tricolour as he challenged. This tour became a battle between him and the great Dutch cyclist Joop Zoetemelk with 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. In the 1980 Tour de France he was forced to abandon while wearing the yellow jersey because of a knee injury but he returned to win the World Championship Road Race in Sallanches later that year. The following year, 1981, while wearing the rainbow jersey on his shoulders he won Paris-Roubaix and he 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 of the Tour, Jacques Goddet, said in his autobiography, L'Équipée Belle, that Hinault's persistent knee 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. In the 1984 Tour de France Fignon won the race with Hinault second at more than 10 minutes behind.
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 methods that helped Hinault return to the Tour with a victory in 1985. That year he rode much of the race with a black eye received in a crash. In the 1985 Tour Hinault's lieutenant Greg LeMond was under pressure from Koechli and his team manager to support Hinault and not try for a victory of his own. Years later, LeMond claimed in an interview that they had lied to him about his lead over Hinault in a mountain stage, forcing him to lose several minutes and his chance of a first Tour victory.
Hinault also entered the 1986 Tour, ostensibly to return LeMond's favor of the previous year and help LeMond win his first Tour. Hinault rode an aggressive race, which he insisted was to deter and demoralize their rivals. He claimed his tactics were to wear down LeMond's (and his) opponents and that he knew that LeMond would win because of time losses earlier in the race. Regardless of motives, this tactic worked well, and Laurent Fignon and Urs Zimmermann were put on the defensive from the first day. Fignon quit the race due to injuries aggravated by stress. In the Alpe d'Huez stage Hinault mounted an early attack that gained a lot of time, unsettling LeMond to the point where he felt that he had to chase Hinault. Hinault claimed his tactic was to wear opponents down by forcing them to chase him first, so that LeMond could beat them later.
In addition to the Tour de France, Hinault was successful in other events, with more than 200 victories over his twelve year professional career. In 1980, he won the World Cycling Championship in Salanches, France. In the other two Grand Tours, he won the Giro d'Italia in 1980, 1982 and 1985, and the Vuelta a España in 1978 and 1983. He also had first place victories in one-day Classics including Paris-Roubaix (1981) and Liège-Bastogne-Liège (1977, 1980). His victory in the 1980 Liège-Bastogne-Liège is memorable because of a snow storm that besieged the race from the start. Hinault made a solo attack and finished nearly 10 minutes ahead of his next rival.

Le Patron

Hinault was considered a ''boss of the peloton'' or "le Patron". He was prominent in a riders' strike at Valence d'Agen in the 1978 Tour de France 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 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 not hesitate to use his great strength to humiliate the offender. To the public, Hinault was often seen as arrogant, remote and frustratingly 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 race organization, often appearing at stage finishes to greet stage winners and jersey holders. He also worked for LOOK Cycles as a technical consultant and helped develop the Look clipless pedal.

Professional highlights

Pro Team Sponsors

★ Gitane-Campagnolo: 1977

★ Renault-Elf-Gitane: 1978-1983

★ La Vie Claire: 1984-1986

Main victories

;1977
:Grand Prix des Nations
:Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
:Liège-Bastogne-Liège
:Gent-Wevelgem
;1978
:Tour de France
::1st place overall classification
::Winner stages 8, 15 and 20
::3 days in yellow jersey
:Vuelta a España
: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
:Grand Prix des Nations
:Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
:Giro di Lombardia
:La Flèche Wallonne
;1980
:Tour de France
::Winner prologue, stages 4 and 5
::2 days in yellow jersey
:Giro d'Italia
:World Road Cycling Championship
:Liège-Bastogne-Liège
:Tour de Romandie
;1981
:Tour de France
::1st place overall classification
::Winner stages 7, 16, 20 and 22
::18 days in yellow jersey
:Paris-Roubaix
:Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
:Amstel Gold Race
;1982
:Tour de France
::1st place overall classification
::Winner prologue, stages 15, 20 and 22
::12 days in yellow jersey
:Giro d'Italia
:Grand Prix des Nations
;1983
:Vuelta a España
:La Flèche Wallonne
;1984
:Tour de France
::Second place overall classification
::Winner prologue
::1 day in yellow jersey
:Grand Prix des Nations
:Giro di Lombardia
:Quatre Jours de Dunkerque
;1985
:Tour de France
::1st place overall classification
::Winner prologue, stage 8
::16 days in yellow jersey
:Giro d'Italia
;1986
:Tour de France
::Second place overall classification
::1st place climber classification
::Winner stages 9, 18 and 20
::5 days in yellow jersey
Hinault also won the season-long ''Super Prestige Pernod International'' competition four consecutive times up to 1982, equalling Jacques Anquetil's total.

Quotes

★ ''"I slept like a baby the night before, because I knew that I'd win the next day,"'' on winning the World Championship at Salanches, France, in 1980.

★ ''"In the beginning of the year, I choose a few races that I want to win. Other than those races, I'm willing to work for others."''

★ ''"Cyrille Guimard does not listen to you, but in the races he is a tactical genius,"'' on his relationship with former manager / directeur sportif Cyrille Guimard.

★ ''"As long as I breathe, I attack."

★ ''"He has a head, two arms, two legs, just as I,"'' in reference to whether he fears Eddy Merckx.

See also

★ Cycling records

Reference

★ ''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.