STRASBOURG71. Go for off-road stability

Transcription

1 STRASBOURG71 Go for off-road stability

2 The joy of winning in a record-breaking time Strasbourg FRANCE The 58 th Tour de France starts on 26 June 1971 in Mulhouse. Everyone naturally assumes Eddy Merckx will be wearing the yellow jersey in Paris on 18 July. Still, there are those who would begrudge him another victory. The headlines in one French newspaper the day before the le Grand Départ read: 120 riders waiting for Merckx s faux pas. His team consists of 10 riders and 130 riders in total are taking part. With the exception of his team mates, Eddy Merckx doesn t really have any friends in the Tour caravan. The same French paper continues: Zoetemelk, Ocana, Petterson and Roger De Vlaeminck realise they probably won t be able to keep Merckx from winning his third Tour in a row but still they embark on their three-week adventure with a glimmer of hope. The stage is set. The mood is grim.

3 20 stages Total distance 3,608 km Average peloton speed km/h Eddy Merckx average speed km/h Restoring the natural order In 20 stages the riders will cover a total of 3,608 km and Merckx controls the proceedings from the opening kilometres. In the prologue a team time trial the Molteni team demonstrates its total supremacy and Eddy takes the yellow jersey on the first day. Not one of the riders is looking forward to day two as they have to complete three stages. There s a brief commotion when Rini Wagtmans wins the first stage in the morning and takes over the yellow jersey from his team mate but Merckx quickly restores the natural order and reclaims the yellow jersey by the end of the day. This sets him up for the next day, a semi-mountain stage from Mulhouse to Strasbourg. Cannibal versus Gitan In the pelting rain and against a howling head wind, the pack leaves for Strasbourg. The riders brave the storm until they arrive at the foot of the 772 m high Col du Firstplan. Under normal circumstances this is just a molehill to a trained rider, but the storm has worn down the peloton and 114 riders are at the end of their tether. Just 16 riders survive and that obviously includes the likes of De Vlaeminck, Zoetemelk, Ocana, van Impe and Merckx. This elite group of riders sets a strong pace and they gradually extend their lead to more than 8 minutes. It looks like the outcome of this 58 th Tour has already been decided. But Eddy Merckx isn t done yet. With Lucien Aimar, Cyrille Guimard, Ferdinand Bracke, Agostinho and most of the Spanish favourites left behind, the cannibal now sets his sights on the stage victory. With Roger de Vlaminck in the breakaway this will be no simple task because the man nicknamed le Gitan takes to foul weather and slippery roads like a fish to water.

4 Eddy thanks his team mates Eddy Merckx pulls out all the stops in his effort to beat Roger De Vlaeminck. He rides like a man possessed and demonstrates he has prepared this sprint perfectly. Precisely according to script, Herman Vanspringel appears out of nowhere. Merckx s loyal lieutenant annihilates all of Molteni s opponents and according to one TV journalist, he rides as if chased by a 1,000 devils. And then it s Merckx s turn again. Although it s a risky enterprise, he breaks away in a dangerously slippery bend. A deeply disappointed De Vlaminck is left trailing in his wake on the raindrenched track. The next morning, one newspaper exclaims: Merckx risks life for prestige win. Another reports: Merckx wins heart-stopping sprint. Eddy Merckx himself readily admits: Yes, I did take chances. Yes, my bike skidded on the bends but no, I didn t panic. I wanted to win at all costs to thank Herman Vanspringel for all of his hard work. The bond between Eddy and his team mates is strong. It s Eddy Merckx fault The rest of the peloton crosses the finish line 8 minutes and 24 seconds after Merckx. Everyone agrees that the stage between Mulhouse and Strasbourg lays the foundation for Eddy s 1971 Tour victory. Most of Eddy s rivals find this hard to accept. For me the Tour is already over and it s Eddy Merckx s fault, Agostinho snaps. Even De Vlaeminck bows his head and admits: I knew Eddy would beat me. The hard facts of 1971 In the Tour of 1971, Eddy Merckx wins a total of four stages: Strasbourg, Albi, Bordeaux and Versailles. He also wins the points classification. The number two in the final standings of 1971, Joop Zoetemelk, trails Merckx by a whopping 9 minutes and 51 seconds. Still, statistics don t tell the whole story. The Tour of 1971 was extremely tough. And not just for Merckx. For many stages, it looked like being Luis Ocana s tour. The Spaniard had built an unassailable lead over Merckx but Eddy never lost faith and this put great pressure on Ocana. The duel was decided in the descent of the Col de Mente. The Spaniard suffered a severe crash and was forced to abandon the race. Cycling can be cruel. Very cruel.

5 Eddy Merckx Roger De Vlaeminck Herman Vanspringel Joop Zoetemelk Gianni Motta photo credits: Pressesports. All rights reserved.