|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
The Joux-Plane, 1978
The Joux-Plane was paved in 1976, and in 1978 the Tour
used it for the Stage 17 jaunt from Grenoble to Morzine. The Tour had already seen it's share of drama that year. Merckx had formed a new team and trained with the goal of making the Tour a grand swan song. But his health and form were not up to the task and he retired in May. The mantle of race favorite went to Bernard Hinault, a new face to the Tour but a rider that had taken everything he has set his sights on. Another favorite was Joop Zoetemelk, and he had lived up to that designation in the Stage 14 Puy-de-Dome time trial. He was a minute down on Pollentier and even with Hinault at the base of the climb. In the last 6km he pulled back Pollentier's minute and took one of his own. But the big surprise was the 1:40 he took out of Hinault. This set the stage for a battle of strategy and strength in Stage 16 to Alpe d'Huez. Pollentier attacked from far out and gained time while Kuiper, Zoetemelk, and Hinault negotiated the terms of the chase. Kuiper had his eyes on repeating the stage win he had taken the year before, and he withheld the efforts of his Raleigh teammates. Eventually the Mercier and Renault captains come to an agreement and the gap to Pollentier begins to fall. But not so fast as to prevent him from reaching Alpe d'Huez first and staking a claim to the yellow jersey, a claim that is lost in an incident at doping control after the race. As he wrote in a letter to race directors Goddet and Levitan, "Believe me when I say that what hurts the most is the accusation of my having besmirched the Tour. You know and you have seen the degree I have suffered along the roads of the Tour so that this holiday might be the most beautiful day of my career. Alas, I fear that it is going to remain my saddest." What was lost in this affair was the weakness shown by Zoetemelk on the slopes of the climb where he had been dropped by Hinault. Pollentier's ejection had given the yellow jersey to Zoetemelk, but with a mere 14 seconds advantage. Ahead lay a 72 km time trial from Metz to Nancy, and Zoetemelk knew 14 seconds would not cut it. Stage 17 was a nasty, 6 climb slog to Morzine. And it was Zoetemelk's last chance to put time into Hinault. The stage began straight up the Col de Porte, and Kuiper and Hinault both began with an aggressive streak. Kuiper was the runner-up the year before and was capable of exploding the race. And this is just what he intended to do, taking both the Porte and the Granier that followed. He was pushing himself on the descent of the Granier when he made a mistake that left him in a helicopter flying to Chambery with his collarbone sticking out of his skin. Having lost Kuiper the pace fell, and Bittinger and Seznec attacked in hopes of some individual glory and perhaps to be available to assist their captains, Agostinho and Zoetemelk respectively, should they be able to slip Hinault. Bittinger and Seznec agree on a plan to split the day's spoils and they ride away up the road. Bittinger would later fade badly on the Joux-Plane and only made it to the top after receiving food from a spectator. Behind them Hinault thinks over his strategy. He is alone, the early attacks have shelled his teammates. He decides to ride a brutal pace on each of the day's climbs, preventing his rivals from mounting an attack. In the end Zoetemelk is reduced to clinging to Hinault's wheel. It is all he can do to stay with him over the Joux-Plane into Morzine. Zoetemelk left the day with the same 14 second lead that he began it with. A few days later he would collapse in spectacular fashion on the road to Nancy, losing 4:10 to Hinault and passing the yellow jersey to his rival. Bob Schwartz |
Ads |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
The Joux-Plane, 1987
"Bob Schwartz" wrote in message
y.net... Longer than yesterdays' stage (they also rode the Cormet de Roseland ~1900m) , but all the same climbs. Delgado and Roche had been involved in a dog-fight for the preceding three days in the Alps. Delgado had nailed Roche on Alpe d'Huez. Roche had taken a big gamble the day after and rode to a state of collapse to save the Tour at La Plagne. With only 40 odd seconds separating them both on GC, the stage to Morzine was the last chance for Delgado to build up time before the final TT. Delgado and Roche had made the selection some time before the Joux Plane. On the ascent of the Joux Plane both had little digs at eachother. And at the summit Roche attacked and showed how true pros use descending as a GC winning weapon. Roche took 20 odd seconds out of Delgado on the descent and the psychological damage to Delgado was done. Roche rode within himself on the final TT to win by 40 second on GC. This year the TdF has been very interesting. IMHO akin to a 'second-string re-enactment' of the colossal fights of the 1980s, but brought back some good memories (can't blame the current peloton for not having riders of the calibre of Hinault/Lemond/Fignon/Roche/Delgado all together at the same time) . Regards, Steven Perryman |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Perryman's in the house
S Perryman wrote:
This year the TdF has been very interesting. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
The Joux-Plane, 1987
"S Perryman" wrote in message ...
This year the TdF has been very interesting. IMHO akin to a 'second-string re-enactment' of the colossal fights of the 1980s, but brought back some good memories (can't blame the current peloton for not having riders of the calibre of Hinault/Lemond/Fignon/Roche/Delgado all together at the same time) . Really good to read your name again Steve. We miss the old intellectuals. |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
URGENT......taking my uni on a plane? | byza_dog | Unicycling | 26 | June 27th 06 03:18 PM |
FA: 1978 Guerciotti Frame and Fork and pantographed parts | David | Marketplace | 0 | April 13th 06 03:54 AM |
FA: Bob Jackson Tandem 1978 60/60cm Cinelli-Campy-Phil Wood | Tom Dempster | Marketplace | 0 | January 16th 06 01:48 AM |
Lawyer hits hole with mountainbike and sues | Ben Kaufman | General | 87 | April 19th 05 08:19 PM |
FA: Vintage 1978 Somerville Bicycle Poster | Ron | Marketplace | 0 | April 1st 05 11:23 PM |