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By Barry Boyce, CyclingRevealed Historian
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The Badger’s Return to Form
Two time Tour de France champion Bernard “the Badger” Hinault returned with a drive to regain the championship that had eluded him in 1980. The knee problems that hampered Hinault during the 1980 Tour were gone and he was back in top form.
After a knee injury force Bernard Hinault to abandon last year’s Tour, he left no doubt about his definitive return. In Nice the first Maillot Jaune (race leader’s Yellow Jersey) was awarded to Hinault after he dominated the 5.8 km prologue time trial.
The visit to the Pyrenees Mountains was brief in 1981. Stage 5 was the 118 km race from St. Gaudens to St. Lary Soulan, which finished on the brutal climb of the Pla d’Adet. As the lead 3-rider group approached the finish line, Belgian climber Lucien Van Impe surged ahead with 5 km to go. The move gave Van Impe the stage win, but the news of the day Australian rider Phil Anderson. He and Bernard Hinault finished together 27 second behind Van Impe, but the time gain put the Aussie the race lead and the Maillot Jaune.
SPECIAL NOTE: Young Australian Phil Anderson made Tour history when he put on the Maillot Jaune for the first time. Two Australian riders first came to the TdF in 1914 (Don Kirkham, Ivor Munro), but no Aussie rider had ever challenged for the overall race lead. Phil Anderson became the first Aussie to actually take the race lead and although his first lead was short lived, he did set the stage for an influx of riders from non-European, English-speaking countries.
After the single stage of Pyrenees climbing, the Tour moved to the 27 km ITT from Nay to Pau. The Badger could wait no longer and although Phil Anderson rode well, he could not match the power of Hinault. The Badger took back the race lead on the stage 6 ITT.
Anderson was no match for the healthy Hinault, who dominated all the way to Paris. Once he took the race lead on stage 6, he was never challenged again. Hinault steadily increased his race lead through the Alps and the ITT’s. By the time the Tour reached Paris, Hinault commanded a 14’34” lead on the second placed Lucien Van Impe.
The Badger crossed the finish line on the Champs Elysees for his third Tour de France victory.
Stage and Distance |
Stage Winner |
Race Leader |
Prologue NICE, 5.8 km ITT |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 1a NICE-NICE, 97 km |
Freddy Maertens (Bel) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 2 NICE-MARTIGUES, 254 km |
Johan Van der Velde (Ned) |
Gerrie Knetemann (Ned) |
Stage 3 MARTIGUES-NARBONNE, 232 km |
Freddy Maertens (Bel) |
Gerrie Knetemann (Ned) |
Stage 5 ST GAUDENS-ST LARY SOULAN, 118 km |
Lucien Van Impe (Bel) |
Phil Anderson (Aus) |
Stage 6 NAY-PAU, 27 km ITT |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 7 PAU-BORDEAUX, 227 km |
Urs Freuler (Sui) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 8 ROCHEFORT SUR MER-NANTES, 182 km |
Ad Wijnands (Ned) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 9 NANTES-LE MANS, 197 km |
Rene Martens (Bel) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 10 LE MANS-AULNAY SOUS BOIS, 264 km |
Ad Wijnands (Ned) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 11 COMPIEGNE-ROUBAIX, 246 km |
Daniel Willems (Bel) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 12a ROUBAIX-BRUSSELS (Bel), 107 km |
Freddy Maertens (Bel) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 12b BRUSSELS (Bel)-ZOLDER (Bel), 138 km |
Eddy Planckaert (Bel) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 13 BERINGEN-HASSELT, 157 km |
Freddy Maertens (Bel) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 14 MULHOUSE-MULHOUSE, 38 km ITT |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 15 BESANCON-THONON LES BAINS, 231 km |
Sean Kelly (Ire) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 16 THONON LES BAINS-MORZINE, 199 km |
Robert Alban (Fra) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 17 MORZINE-ALPE D'HUEZ, 230 km |
Peter Winnen (Ned) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 18 BOURG D'OISANS-LE PLEYNET, 184 km |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 19 VEUREY-ST PRIEST, 117 km |
Willems Daniel (Bel) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 20 ST PRIEST, 46 km ITT |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 21 AUXERRE-FONTENAY SOUS BOIS, 207 km |
Johan Van der Velde (Ned) |
Bernard Hinault (Fra) |
Stage 22 FONTENAY SOUS BOIS-PARIS/Champs Elysees, 187 km |
Freddy Maertens (Bel) |
 Bernard Hinault (Fra)
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POLKA DOT JERSEY |
 Lucien Van Impe (Bel)
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GREEN POINTS JERSEY |
 Freddy Maertens (Bel)
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| TdF June 25 - July 19, 1981 |
| 3,808 Km |
1.
Bernard HINAULT (Fra) 96h19'38" |
2.
Lucien Van Impe (Bel) +14'34" |
3.
Robert Alban (Fra) +17'04" |
Starters: 150 |
Finishers: 121 |
Average Speed: 37.987 km/h |
TdF 1980
TdF 1982
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Return to the Race Snippets ToC |
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68th Tour de France 1981
