Favourite Tour de France memories
bobtbuilder
Posts: 1,537
As we get nearer the start of this year's Tour, what are your favourite three Tour memories, and why?
Mine are:
Thomas Voeckler at the 2004 Tour - The ride he did on stage 14 to hold on to the yellow jersey was one of the most heroic performaces I have seen on a bike. That he suffered so much for just one more day in the maillot jaune, sums up the idea of the race for me.
1998 Tour - Marco Pantani's ride on the stage from Grenoble to Les Deux Alpes when he attacked in the rain and put 9 minutes into Jan Ullrich. I know in retrospect that the performace was likely to have been rocket-fuelled, and the result tarnished, but it was still a majestic sight.
Stage 13 of the 1992 Tour - Claudio Chiappucci's incredible solo ride to Sestrieres holding off a rampant Miguel Indurain and Gianni Bugno.
Mine are:
Thomas Voeckler at the 2004 Tour - The ride he did on stage 14 to hold on to the yellow jersey was one of the most heroic performaces I have seen on a bike. That he suffered so much for just one more day in the maillot jaune, sums up the idea of the race for me.
1998 Tour - Marco Pantani's ride on the stage from Grenoble to Les Deux Alpes when he attacked in the rain and put 9 minutes into Jan Ullrich. I know in retrospect that the performace was likely to have been rocket-fuelled, and the result tarnished, but it was still a majestic sight.
Stage 13 of the 1992 Tour - Claudio Chiappucci's incredible solo ride to Sestrieres holding off a rampant Miguel Indurain and Gianni Bugno.
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Comments
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Robert Millar's win in 1989 in pyrenees at Superbagneres..
Delgado 2 1/2 minutes late for his start 89 TDF prologue
Roche missing his start at the 1991 TDF TTT and being eliminated thus by his own team0 -
I have followed the TdF for years but the one finish that got me really excited and inspired me to get off my fat ar5e was Cancellara's win in yellow in Compiegne, stage 3 2007.
The lad doing the mountain bike jump over the peloton was rather amusing.
Plus Cavs first victory because of his reaction on the line.
There are many other moments that are great too, the usual suspects...0 -
Stephen Roche's sudden appearance behind Delgado at La Plagne in 1987. Had been dropped by Delgado at the bottom of the climb and it looked like his tour chances were gone.0
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I would echo Stephen Roche in 1987 to La Plagne - first stage I ever watched live on TV and the drama of it all got me hooked.
Second would have to be the whole 2003 tour de france - had just finished Uni, had no job, didn't miss a minute and was totally riveted to the action - could barely sleep at night with the excitement of the next day!
Third - London Prologue 2007 - the only time i have seen the tour de france live. Standing at Buckingham palace the crowd and the whole event was amazing - loved the atmosphere and how close you could get to the cyclists - the huge cheers for wiggo and the huge gasps at the speed that cancellara went passed at afterwards on his way to victory.
ps- bloody difficult to narrow it down to 3!!! Haven't even mentioned Cav, Pantani, Abdoujaparov and Miller0 -
Jan U's crash. Where I believe he was descending, went over a guardrail, down into a gully, came back up, got on a bike, with grass and twigs sticking out of his jersey and shorts, and caught up with Lance(who was waiting). I'm sure Lance asked him how he was doing. He looked wild and crazy. Eyes wide open. I would have had to take the rest of the day off.0
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has to be Apdujaparovs crash on the Champs ..... it was even mentioned on a footballing podcast last week, thats how memorable it was0
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87 and 89 tours sure (fignon attacking a fading Lemond on the alpe) el diablo to sestreire fine
but a single stage.. Les Arcs 1996
had it all, even Bruyneel going off the side of a mountain"If I was a 38 year old man, I definitely wouldn't be riding a bright yellow bike with Hello Kitty disc wheels, put it that way. What we're witnessing here is the world's most high profile mid-life crisis" Afx237vi Mon Jul 20, 2009 2:43 pm0 -
Sean Yates taking Yellow,0
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Tom Steels sitting up and throwing his bottle at Fred Moncassin during a full-on sprint. That 1998, right? Then, in the first few stages the next year, he racked up a couple of wins. I was a first-year junior with sprinting legs and that was inspiring: intensity itself. The Tour organizers may not have liked it, we juniors ate it up.0
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I wish I could have seen Merckx riding away from the entire peleton to win the stage in yellow for 130km. totally mad.
LeMond / Fignon TT was amazing - but didn't see it at the time.
the 2003 tour was a belter esp. the Jan vs LA TT in the wet and that yellow musette catching a break lever.
Roll on the 4th!!!!!!--
Obsessed is just a word elephants use to describe the dedicated. http://markliversedge.blogspot.com0 -
Coppi's ride to Sestrieres at the 1952 Tour, when he demolished the field
by almost 20 minutes, later aknowledged by Merckx to be the finest ride
ever. Il Campionissimo
Intrestingly, this was the first year the tour was televised.
OR
Stephen Roche's TT win at the 1987 tour (87.5km) the longest since 1951 a real
statement of his intent to win that years tour.
'Another coffee or are we off.......'0 -
How old are you Captain Oakley?
Nice to hear about someone remembering the old greats...0 -
I'm gona be corny. Jan Ullrich to Andorra in '97, simply 'cos it was my first memory of the Tour, and thus, cycling.
Loved Pantani in '98, and was young and naive enough to see it and not jump to conclusions.
The 03 Tour is my favourite, it had everything.
In the last couple of year's I'd have to say John Lee Augusteyn going off the side last year, purely for the heart in mouth spectacle, and my mother's face
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LA demonstrating his mountain bikers' self, in the 2003 TDF on his way to victory, when he was decending the guy infront of him crashed out and he would have lost a lot of time, but he managed to cut across a field and leap onto the road.
cavs first win,
Lance aarmstrong looking back before sprinting away from the peloton, i just love the way nobody had a response to him.0 -
1989 Tour there was stage exiting the Alps - A shortish hilly transition stage to Aix Les Bains.
The top 5 overall rode away from everyone else and it came down to a sprint between Lemond and Fignon with Lemond winning. I loved it because it wasn't an obvious stage for the big boys to play, they'd just done the Alps yet were still racing en bloc. Fantastic.Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
The massive Eros Poli's lone break over Ventoux and on to win in Carpentras in 19940
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iainf72 wrote:1989 Tour there was stage exiting the Alps - A shortish hilly transition stage to Aix Les Bains.
The top 5 overall rode away from everyone else and it came down to a sprint between Lemond and Fignon with Lemond winning. I loved it because it wasn't an obvious stage for the big boys to play, they'd just done the Alps yet were still racing en bloc. Fantastic.
there was a great bit where Lemond didnt do a turn close to the end of the stage, they were cycling past a lake, and Fignon had a word with lemond, a discussion ensued, and greg still didnt do his turn.....0 -
The 1989 tour has to be the one, especailly as I had four ounces of panache that month, bought with the intention of being an entrepeneur but I just could not be doing that sort of thing, there was an eclipse of the moon/mind that month. The whole thing played out on Channel Four every night at 6:30pm was epicentring. I know Roach won but somehow I don't know how, sorry it was the Lemon guy, bitter little F**k. I got a bang on the head earlier so I am reminiscing about two races at once.
Pantani on the mountains, but strangley it was his descending that got mre going ,I did not know much about it all really.
04 in Liege with Andy for the prologue, A 6 foot 4, 18 stone Kiwi, hge was , we ran into Phil Anderson ten seconds after the bunch dissappeared into the underpass from Liege on the Sunday, Andy was in Cloud Cuckoo over this, his hero and me just thinking that this guy could not be fifty, 38 maybe but lying about your age is not cool at all.0 -
First memories of the Tour (and the thing that got me really into cycling) was watching Greg Lemond win back in 1986.
Also will never forget "The Look" - as Armstrong fakes being weak all day before riding away from Jan Ulrich on Ventoux in 2001 - looking back at him as he speeds off.
Also remember Lance waiting for Ulrich after a crash - and Ulrich returning the favour.0 -
iainf72 wrote:1989 Tour there was stage exiting the Alps - A shortish hilly transition stage to Aix Les Bains.
The top 5 overall rode away from everyone else and it came down to a sprint between Lemond and Fignon with Lemond winning. I loved it because it wasn't an obvious stage for the big boys to play, they'd just done the Alps yet were still racing en bloc. Fantastic.
I remember it well, they all came off at a roundabout heading into Aix le bains...also the great Fignon attacked with Mottet in what was a 2 up TT in through the last 50km to Marseille forcing a chase by Lemond and Delgado on what was a meant to be a flat quiet stage... 0 -
1998 Tour - Marco Pantani's ride on the stage from Grenoble to Les Deux Alpes when he attacked in the rain and put 9 minutes into Jan Ullrich. I know in retrospect that the performace was likely to have been rocket-fuelled, and the result tarnished, but it was still a majestic sight.
This was the moment that got me interested in cycling. It was an amazing spectacle.0 -
It was the 1987 tour that really got me excited about cycling. Stephen Roche in La Plagne was amazing, but the highlight for me was following the woefully underprepared ANC Halfords - Britain's wild card entry. Only four of the team made it to Paris. The only success was Malcolm Elliot's third place on one stage - and he's still riding!0
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I cannot remember any of the years but here goes;
As mentioned before, love LA or hate him 'the look' has to be one of the defining moments in any sport. A complete psychological hammer blow. Must have kept the opositions sports psycologists in business for years afterwards.
A recurring theme already but Stephen Roche at La Plagne
This may seem an odd one but it is memorable for me. Miguel Indurain sacrificing his own chances to pace a failing Pedro Delgado through the high mountains.
I know this makes 4 but everyone has put Stephen Roche. The last great escape on the flat before radio's spoilt the game?? Steve Bauer et al in the torrential rain through Northern France gaining a massive time advantage because 1) the group put the mammer down for virtually the whole stage despite the horrendous conditions and 2) the DS's had no idea where anyone was because of the weather (by the time the blackboard got back to the peleton the rain had washed the time split off!)Coach H. (Dont ask me for training advice - 'It's not about the bike')0 -
1989, I had a 4 week rail pass to mooch around France and caught up with the Tour several times.
Best memory was the Bastille Day finish into Marseilles and the bicentenary celebrations which followed - naked cyclists painted in the colours of the Tricoleur red white and blue, fireworks, food and wine.
I was actually on the Champs Elysees for the time trial, about 500 metres from the finish. Now I know it has gone down as one of the most exciting finishes in the history of the TdF - but being there it was actually pretty boring. A procession of tired and disinterested cyclists grinding through to the end, rather than the usual spectacle of the bunch chasing up and down in all its glory. It was difficult to keep track of what was happening between Lemond and Fignon and at the end there was a stunned silence and most of the crowd drifted away in an anti-climatic shock.0 -
1. This looks like Steven Roche......It IS Stephen Roche
2. Robert Millar winning his duel with Pedro Delgado at Superbagneres - the tension as they neared the top
3. I absolutely HATE Lance now, but at the time, his win in memory of Fabio Casartelli (going over the line pointing to the sky) reduced me to a weeping wreck and still has that effect0 -
Last stage in 1989 was pretty special as was quite a lot of that tour. Quite liked someone's win in the wet (vino) in 2004/5? when a late break of three went round the last corner just in front of the peloton. The overhead shot showed the first person crash. The next two only just made it round but the delay meant their chances looked gone until, in the bottom of the shot, the peloton appeared sliding along on their a*ses as they had gone too fast round the corner too... The look from Lance stage was quite memorable as i think i watched it all. I remember going from thinking that Lance really was in trouble to thinking he was having us on and then seeing it confirmed at the top of the penultimate climb. Cant believe that T-mobile didnt try putting in a harder pace for a while to test if he was bluffing or not.0
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Most of the obvious ones have been mentioned already, so here's a mostly forgotten stage that has always stuck in my mind, although I had to google a couple of the details.
1989 Stage 6 to Futuroscope: A run of the mill flat stage.
Joel Pelier was a journeyman pro with barely a win to his name. He also had a severely handicapped brother who needed constant care, so he parents had never seen him race as pro - but they had made it to this finish this time.
Knowing this Joel felt he had to show himself, so he attacked with 165km to go. In the rain. Into a headwind. No-one else was crazy enough to go with him so he was on his own.
He built up a huge lead (leader on the road) before the bunch started to reel him in. But despite the wind and rain, he held them off to win by a minute and a half. He spent most of the last km in tears and it looked like it might all get the better of him.
I was all quite emotional and heart-warming.Twitter: @RichN950 -
Coach H wrote:I cannot remember any of the years but here goes;
As mentioned before, love LA or hate him 'the look' has to be one of the defining moments in any sport. A complete psychological hammer blow. Must have kept the opositions sports psycologists in business for years afterwards.
A recurring theme already but Stephen Roche at La Plagne
This may seem an odd one but it is memorable for me. Miguel Indurain sacrificing his own chances to pace a failing Pedro Delgado through the high mountains.
I know this makes 4 but everyone has put Stephen Roche. The last great escape on the flat before radio's spoilt the game?? Steve Bauer et al in the torrential rain through Northern France gaining a massive time advantage because 1) the group put the mammer down for virtually the whole stage despite the horrendous conditions and 2) the DS's had no idea where anyone was because of the weather (by the time the blackboard got back to the peloton the rain had washed the time split off!)
Indurain was an absolute gentleman that day to Saint Etienne 1990 TDF..he was in the Lemond move that took minutes off Chiapuccit...break was Breukink, Chozaz, Greg, Indurain, Hampstein and they took 5 or so mins back on chiapucci...and Indurain sat up to go back for Delagdo...Indurain could have won that TDF IMO...he TTd better than Lemond and climbed with him well..0 -
Bjarne Riis throwing his TT bike into a field after something on it went wrong for the second time within a few hundred metres (1997?)0
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2009 ~ Stage 20 ~ Montélimar to Mont Ventoux:
After struggling to match Contador for 3 weeks, Cadel Evans went for a sucide, do or die attack on the first climb on the day, the Côte de Citelle. He was joined by none other than Lance Armstrong. Saxo Bank didn't seem to interested in chasing and just ambled along in the bunch poping wheelies, doing skids and such like.
Evans lead got up to a maximum for 27 minutes before Astana (or Livestrong: delete as appropriate...) and Saxo Bank started to chase. Armstrong was then instructed to wait for a rapidly thining bunch as they got to Bedion with a time gap of just over 8 minutes. Then all race radio was lost due a freak thunderstorm and lighting stricking the radio telecommunications mast on top of Ventoux! Evans was caught at Chalet Reynard after stopping to have an ice cream, quite an odd move considering the snow storm. Contador, Frank & Andy Schleck then traded attacks all the way to the finish, but were narrowly outsprinted by Mark Cavendish!
Quite some stage as I remember it...
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