Five-time winner of the Tour de France, Bernard Hinault was eyeing a sixth consecutive victory in 1986 for his last participation. And this despite having given his word to Greg Lemond.
The deal seemed clear: a year after benefiting from Greg Lemond’s help to win his fifth Tour de France, Bernard Hinault had to return the favor and further the American’s designs. But the Breton nevertheless set one condition: that he prove worthy of the Yellow Jersey. For three weeks, the five-time winner of the Tour, who was competing in his last season in the pelotons in 1986, would not stop testing his teammate.
Bernard Hinault had approached his last Tour without much certainty after a start to the season marked by a series of abandonments – Tirreno-Adriatico, Milan-San Remo, Tour of Catalonia, Four Days of Dunkirk and Liège-Bastogne-Liège – or disappointments – Flèche Wallonne, Tour de Suisse. However, from the start of the Tour, he would not stop playing the party pooper, multiplying the attacks as in the 6e stage through Normandy or during the first stage in the Pyrenees.
The next day, despite a five-minute lead in the general classification over Greg Lemond, he went back on the attack on the descent of the Tourmalet and embarked on a long solo ride. But on the final climb to Superbagnères, he cracked and lost 4’39” on the other big names, first and foremost his American teammate. Back on the attack between Nîmes and Gap, he drove Greg Lemond crazy, who didn’t hold back from telling him what he thought, forcing Bernard Tapie, the boss of the La Vie Claire team, to intervene.
“We’ll see who’s the strongest.”
Reduced by knee pain, the native of Yffiniac finally lost his yellow jersey in the Col du Granon, but went on the attack again in the last Alpine stage. He is quickly joined by Greg Lemond and the two men finally collaborate on the climb of Alpe d’Huez, crossing the finish line hand in hand to the great happiness of Bernard Tapie. But despite spending three minutes overall, he did not hesitate to challenge his teammate before the final time trial. “We’ll see who’s the strongest.”
If he wins a final stage victory, Greg Lemond is only 26 seconds behind at the finish line and becomes the first American to win the Tour de France. Tried and tested. However, Bernard Hinault does not see the idea of a rivalry there. People tried to make a big deal out of a pseudo-rivalry between LeMond and me, he confided to Le Parisien in 2021. But that wasn’t it at all. It horrifies me that people talk about it again and again. The 1985 Tour was for me. And the agreement was that Greg had to aim for the final victory in 1986. That was very clear. Even thirty years later, it still annoys me to see that lots of people, who weren’t on the bike, were speaking for us. But let them mind their own business! We invented a ridiculous controversy between LeMond and me.”
