1985 Tour de France

Hinault laid down a claim towards his fifth Tour victory immediately, by winning the prologue time trial. LeMond suffered mechanical issues, as a jammed chain slowed him in the final section of the course. He nevertheless finished fifth, 21 seconds behind Hinault.[16] Eric Vanderaerden was second, four seconds slower than Hinault, ahead of Roche in third place.[42] Alfons De Wolf (Fagor) arrived five minutes late for his start and then lost another two minutes to Hinault, meaning that he was eliminated from the race before reaching the first stage proper, having missed the time limit.[43]

Rudy Matthijs (Hitachi–Splendor–Sunair) won the first stage from a bunch sprint, ahead of Vanderaerden, who with the help of time bonuses took over the race leader's yellow jersey. Maarten Ducrot (Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko) had highlighted the stage with a 205 km (127 mi) solo breakaway and held a maximum lead of 16 minutes, but was caught with 22 km (14 mi) to go.[44] Ángel Arroyo, who won second place in 1983, abandoned after just 123 km (76 mi) into the first stage.[45] Matthijs made it two stage wins in a row on the second stage, this time coming out on top in a sprint ahead of Sean Kelly.[46]

La Vie Claire won the stage 3 team time trial by over a minute ahead of the next-best team. Their team coach, Paul Köchli, had made the decision to fit faster wheels to the slower riders, balancing out the performance of the squad.[47] While Vanderaerden held on to the yellow jersey, courtesy of the time bonuses he had collected earlier, the eight riders behind him on general classification now came from La Vie Claire.[18] Hinault, however, was bothered by the large amount of reporters and photographers behind the finish line, punching one of them on the chin.[16] Stage 4 saw the first successful breakaway, with a seven-rider group finishing 46 seconds ahead of the main field. While Gerrit Solleveld (Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko) won the stage, Kim Andersen took the overall lead for La Vie Claire.[48] Future five-time Tour winner Miguel Induráin abandoned during stage 4.[30]

Stage 5 into Roubaix, which featured some cobbled roads, was won by Henri Manders (Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko). He had been in a breakaway with Teun van Vliet (Verandalux–Dries–Nissan), who had done most of the work on the front, before Manders left him about 20 km (12 mi) before the finish, as van Vliet developed spasms in his legs.[49] Stage 6 saw a controversial sprint finish in Reims. Kelly and Vanderaerden had battled hard for the victory, with the latter pushing Kelly towards the barriers, who pushed back with his arm. Vanderaerden crossed the line first and received the stage honours and the yellow jersey on the podium. Later however, the race jury decided to relegate both Kelly and Vanderaerden to the back of the field, giving the stage victory to Francis Castaing (Peugeot–Shell–Michelin), while the race lead remained with Andersen. LeMond, who had mixed himself into the sprint, was raised from fourth to second, giving him a twenty-second time bonus. This allowed him to move into third place in the general classification, two seconds ahead of Hinault.[48][50] With 51 km (32 mi) raced on stage 7, an eight-rider group attacked, including Ludwig Wijnants (Tönissteiner–TW Rock–BASF), but were brought back 27 km (17 mi) later. Luis Herrera was active later in the stage, establishing a breakaway after 193 km (120 mi). From this group, Wijnants, again in the breakaway, attacked with 3 km (1.9 mi) to go. Just as Herrera brought him back 2 km (1.2 mi) later, Wijnants attacked again to claim the stage win.[51]

Stage 8 saw the first long individual time trial of the Tour. At 75 km (47 mi), it was the longest individual time trial in the Tour since 1960.[24] Bernard Hinault won the stage by a high margin, with second-placed Roche 2:20 minutes slower.[52] Hinault even caught and passed Sean Kelly, who had started two minutes ahead of him and proceeded to take another minute out of him. Third was Mottet, ahead of LeMond, who lost 2:34 minutes to Hinault.[48] While Hinault regained the race lead, LeMond was now his closest challenger, 2:32 minutes behind on the general classification, with Anderson and Roche already almost four minutes behind.[53] Dietrich Thurau (Hitachi–Splendor–Sunair) was given a one-minute time penalty for drafting behind Mottet. Angry at the decision, Thurau physically attacked the judge who had handed out the penalty, grabbing him by the throat, and was subsequently ejected from the race on stage 10.[25][54][lower-alpha 3]

The next stage to Épinal was won by Maarten Ducrot, 38 seconds ahead of René Bittinger (Skil–Sem–Kas–Miko). Jeronimo Ibañez Escribano (Seat–Orbea) was taken to hospital, following a crash 8 km (5.0 mi) from the finish.[56] On stage 10, Jørgen V. Pedersen won the day for Carrera–Inoxpran in a sprint finish, beating Johan Lammerts (Panasonic–Raleigh) into second place. Hinault finished 15th and retained his lead in the overall standings.[57] Paul Sherwen (La Redoute) was involved in a crash just 1 km (0.62 mi) into the stage and suffered throughout, reaching the finish more than an hour behind Pedersen. Since he arrived so late, he had to traverse in between spectators who thought no more riders would come across the route. He was well outside the time limit, but the race jury, against the advice of the race director, decided to allow him to start the next stage, naming his "courage" after his early fall as the reason for their decision.[58][59]

Stephen Roche (pictured at the 1993 Tour de France) finished the Tour third overall.

The race entered the high mountains on stage 11, with the first leg in the Alps to Avoriaz. The route crossed the summits of the Pas de Morgins and Le Corbier before arriving in Morzine for the final ascent. Hinault strengthened his claim on the overall victory by escaping early with Luis Herrera, who by now was too far down in the general classification to be a threat. Instead, he collected the points for the mountains classification, a lead which he would hold until the end of the race. Herrera also won the stage, seven seconds ahead of Hinault. LeMond lost 1:41, coming in fifth in a group with Delgado and Fabio Parra (Varta–Café de Colombia–Mavic). Hinault's lead therefore increased to exactly four minutes on second-placed LeMond in the overall standings.[60][61]

Even though stage 12 featured seven categorised climbs, it saw no changes on the top of the general classification,[60] as Parra and Herrera fought out the victory in between teammates. This time, it was Parra who emerged the winner, on the same time as Herrera. Kelly and Niki Rüttimann (La Vie Claire) followed 38 seconds down, one second ahead of the group containing the other favourites, led home by Roche.[62] During the stage, Joël Pelier (Skil–Sem–Kas–Miko), riding his first Tour, had followed Herrera, thinking he was joining a breakaway, not realising that Herrera was only sprinting for mountain points. Hinault, who was generally accepted as the patron, meaning the most influential rider, was unhappy with the acceleration in the field, as he wanted the tempo to remain slow. This led to an altercation between the two, with Hinault driving up to Pelier and to complain.[63][64][lower-alpha 4]

Weakened by his attacking riding style, Hinault placed only second in the mountain time trial to Villard-de-Lans, about a minute behind Vanderaerden. Yet, his advantage over LeMond, who again had mechanical issues, increased to 5:23 minutes on the general classification.[60] Roche lost 16 seconds to Hinault, Anderson 24 seconds and Kelly 35 seconds. Roche remained the closest competitor to the La Vie Claire duo, sitting third overall, 6:08 minutes behind Hinault, with Kelly fourth, at 6:35 minutes. Anderson was sixth, behind Bauer.[66]

Following the only rest day of the Tour, stage 14 took the riders to Saint-Étienne in the Massif Central. The stage, following a hilly route, saw Luis Herrera attack again and gain more points for the mountains classification. Although he crashed on the final descent of the day, he prevailed to reach the finish line first, soaked in blood, 47 seconds ahead of a select group of riders containing LeMond.[67] Hinault followed in a group almost two minutes later. As they approached the finish, Bauer's rear wheel hit a piece of traffic furniture. As his bike moved sideways, it touched Anderson's, who crashed and brought down Hinault with him. The latter suffered a broken nose, but was able to finish the stage. As the accident had occurred within the final kilometre, the time he lost in the crash was not counted. However, Hinault rode the rest of the Tour with a stitched nose and two black eyes, caused by his sunglasses breaking when he fell.[64][68][69] As a result of LeMond finishing ahead of him, Hinault's overall lead was cut down to 3:32 minutes.[67]

Stage 15 was another transition stage. Hennie Kuiper (Verandalux–Dries–Nissan), winner of Milan–San Remo earlier in the year, did not take the start. Pedro Muñoz abandoned the race after 30 km (19 mi). Jean-Claude Bagot of Fagor escaped on the third climb of the day, after 96 km (60 mi). After he was recaptured, another attack went, containing Joël Pelier. Hinault, suffering from his injuries, was unhappy with the accelerations and brought the escape group back himself, not least due to the participation of Pelier. After 134 km (83 mi), Eduardo Chozas (Reynolds) attacked on a downhill section and managed to get away from the peloton. By the time he crossed the summit of the Col d'Entremont after 180 km (110 mi), his lead had increased to over ten minutes. 15 km (9.3 mi) from the finish. the gap had increased to over 11 minutes, while Ludo Peeters (Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko) escaped from the main field. At the finish, Chozas took victory, 9:51 minutes ahead of Peeters, who just held off the group of favourites, led by Kelly. Hinault retained the race lead, while Chozas rose to seventh overall.[70]

Another stage with minor categorised climbs followed the next day. Frédéric Vichot (Skil–Sem–Kas–Miko) broke clear of the field after 38 km (24 mi), building a maximum lead of more than twenty minutes. As he approached the finish, his advantage decreased significantly, but he managed to win the stage, 3:12 minutes ahead of Mottet and Bontempi, as Hinault remained the leader of the race overall.[71]

Congestion in his broken nose had led to a bronchitis for Hinault, severely impacting his ability to perform. He was therefore on the back foot as the race entered the Pyrenees on stage 17. On the Col du Tourmalet, Renault–Elf set a high tempo, putting Hinault into difficulty. Pedro Delgado later recalled that he saw Hinault yelling at Herrera, at which point he decided to attack.[73] With Delgado went Roche and LeMond, as well as Parra. Early leader Pello Ruiz Cabestany (Seat–Orbea) led over the top of the Tourmalet, 1:18 minutes ahead of Delgado, followed by LeMond, Roche, and Parra two minutes down.[74] As they approached the final ascent to Luz Ardiden, LeMond and Roche were in front. LeMond asked his team car about the gap to Hinault. Koechli told LeMond that Hinault was only 45 seconds behind him and that he was not allowed to work with Roche, in order not to endanger La Vie Claire standing first and second on the general classification. He was told to hold station or attack and drop Roche. The latter heard the conversation between LeMond and his team car and remained alert, therefore, both cancelled each other out and allowed other riders to catch back up. When LeMond saw that Hinault was not among them, he began to suspect that the gap he had been told was not correct.[75] Delgado attacked from the main group and won the stage. LeMond eventually finished fifth, 2:52 minutes behind, and gained little over a minute on Hinault.[76][77][78] At the finish, LeMond was visibly angry when interviewed by American television, saying that he felt betrayed by his team of a chance to win the Tour.[79] In the general classification, Hinault remained in front, with LeMond 2:25 minutes behind.[77] Views on the stage differ. LeMond describes how he was ready to quit the Tour that night, being severely disappointed by his team's refusal to let him work with Roche in order to win the Tour. Hinault meanwhile maintains that there were no bad feelings inside La Vie Claire during the 1985 Tour and that it was a clear case of not attacking a teammate who has the race lead.[80] Later the same day, team owner Tapie and Hinault convinced LeMond to continue riding by assuring him that the year after, Hinault would work for LeMond.[81] LeMond emerged from the meeting with a different public statement, telling the press that he got carried away after the finish and that he would continue to work for Hinault.[78]

Stage 18a, which was held in the morning, had a summit finish on the Col d'Aubisque. Roche attacked on the final ascent and won the stage, taking one-and-a-half minutes out of Hinault's lead.[52] According to LeMond, Hinault was suffering so badly this time that he had to push his teammate in order to conserve the race lead.[81][82] Stage 18b in the afternoon was won by Roche's La Redoute teammate Régis Simon, who won a two-man sprint to the line against Álvaro Pino (Zor–Gemeaz Cusin).[83] After the two split stages, Hinault's lead over LeMond stood at 2:13 minutes, with Roche in third, 3:30 minutes behind.[84]

Greg LeMond (pictured at the 1989 Tour de France) finished in second place overall to his teammate Hinault.

With only one time trial to come, victory appeared all but secure for Hinault. Speaking to journalist Samuel Abt of The New York Times, five-time Tour winner Jacques Anquetil declared that he and Eddy Merckx would "accept him in our club with pleasure".[85] Stage 19 to Bordeaux remained uneventful until about 30 km (19 mi) to the finish, when several riders tried, but failed, to escape. The race then settled for a bunch sprint, won by Vanderaerden ahead of Kelly by a very small margin. It was the first time during this Tour that the entire field, still 145 riders strong, reached the finish together.[86] The following day, Johan Lammerts achieved the third stage victory for the Panasonic–Raleigh team. He had broken away with four other riders with 35 km (22 mi) to go and went clear of them 9 km (5.6 mi) from the finish to win by 21 seconds ahead of Andersen. LeMond gained several seconds through bonuses at intermediate sprints, closing the gap to Hinault to 1:59 minutes.[87]

On the penultimate day of the Tour, stage 21 saw the final time trial, around Lac de Vassivière near Limoges. LeMond did not incur any mechanical difficulties this time and won the stage, five seconds faster than Hinault. It was not only the first stage win for LeMond, but the first for a rider from the United States.[81] After the stage, LeMond said: "Now I know I can beat Hinault. I know I can win the Tour de France."[88] Third place went to Anderson, who finished 31 seconds slower than LeMond, with Kelly in fourth, 54 seconds adrift, five seconds faster than Roche.[89]

The final stage into Paris was, per tradition, a ceremonial affair, with no attacks to alter the general classification.[90] In the final sprint, Rudy Matthijs took his third stage victory,[91] with Sean Kelly finishing in second place for the fifth time during this Tour.[92] Hinault finished safely in the field to win his fifth Tour de France,[93] putting him equal with Anquetil and Merckx as record winner of the event, as well as securing his second Giro-Tour double.[94] During the final stage, Pedro Delgado used the small categorised climbs along the route to move past Robert Millar into second place in the mountains classification, ensuring his team the prize money that went with it.[95][lower-alpha 5]

Hinault's final victory margin over LeMond was 1:42 minutes.[96] Roche rounded out the podium in third place, 4:29 minutes behind. His compatriot Kelly finished fourth overall, at 6:26 minutes, ahead of Anderson.[97] The average speed of the race was 36.391 km/h (22.612 mph), compared to 35.882 km/h (22.296 mph) the year before.[98] Five teams finished the Tour with all ten riders still in the race: La Vie Claire, Skil–Sem–Kas–Miko, Kwantum–Decosol–Yoko, Peugeot–Shell–Michelin, and Panasonic–Raleigh.[99]