In the previous blog I mentioned that Le Tour, which starts tomorrow in Lille, is quite
a bit shorter than some 40 years ago. In the 1980s the riders covered between
700 and in some editions, 1000 kilometres more.
For instance, this year’s three week marathon around France
totals 3320 kilometres compared to 4020.9 in 1984, when Laurent Fignon won his
second consecutive Tour.
It was inferred that shorter stages might reduce the temptation
of those riders who might feel the need to take some “juice” to survive! That hope went out of the window at the turn
of the century, when EPO was the drug of choice, with Lance Armstrong and his
team heading the cheats.
Since then it is claimed that the sport has cleaned up its
act. I read that its 10 years since a rider last tested positive for doping on
Le Tour, so good news.
But have the shorter stages made the race less arduous? Not necessarily. The question was once put to
Sean Kelly, four times the green jersey point’s winner in the 80s, and now a
well-known TV pundit on Le Tour.
He considered that in some cases the race today had become
harder, because the speed was now greater than it was for the longer stages back
in his day.
One of the longest stages of the race in the 80s was during
1984 edition.
This was stage 9, from Nantes in the Loire to Bordeaux in
the south, in the Gironde, 338 kilometres away! It was the longest stage of the
modern era. Longer by between 60 and 100 kilometres from what was the norm. back then.
There was an 8am start and the riders let the organisers
know they were not happy with the distance. It would mean twice as long in the
saddle compared to today’s stages. At least it was flat!
But it took close on 10 hours to complete!
They protested with a go-slow, and only cranked into the
life in the last two hours.
But what a climatic finale!
A sunny but stiflingly hot boring day, every piece of shade
on the route was taken by spectators.
Riders amused themselves by stealing spectator’s hats. Going
back to the cars for bottles all day long and they only came to life in the
last couple of hours.
The stage was won by classics Dutch star Jan Raas, who stole ahead of the field in the final kilometres through
the streets of Bordeaux. I have this memory of Raas cheekilyleaving his effort to the very last in a risky stunt which almost
didn’t pay off.
Having got a decent gap, he squandered his advantage with a delaying tactic which risked costing him the stage victory, looking ahead to the finish line in the distance, and then twisting around to look behind again; taunting the main field surging in pursuit and closing fast.
He waited, waited. He was saving all his
energy before making one last burst with seconds to spare. The Dutch journalists – in fact everyone -
were open mouthed.
It was like watching a surfer defying a huge wave unfolding
in all its fury which would surely engulf the pair. Yet somehow it didn’t.
Raas
surged ahead acrosss the line with an expression which said no bother.
Leali was second in the same time, Mark Madiot was fourth at
3 seconds with Kelly outsprinting the main field breathing down their necks a
further two seconds adrift.
It was a classic finish to enliven a long boring day. Raas
stood there surrounded by press and with a confident grin - more of a smirk. “Well…what did you expect?” it seemed to say.
Here was the
star at the top of his game, a one-day
rider at heart, as this list his famous victories testifies:
World road championship 1; Amstel Gold 5; Tour of Flanders 2; Paris-tours 2; Milan-San
Remo ; Ghent Wevelgem ; Paris-Roubaix ; E3 – Prijs Harelbeke 3; Tour of
Netherlands : Paris – Brussells ; Omloop Hetvolk .
