Description
1979 Tour de France
The 1979 Tour de France was the race’s 66th edition, held from June 27 to July 22. Defending champion Bernard Hinault returned with Renault-Gitane and confirmed his place as the dominant stage racer of his generation, winning his second consecutive Tour at just 24 years old. Hinault finished ahead of Joop Zoetemelk, with Portuguese veteran Joaquim Agostinho third. Hinault also won the green jersey points classification, Giovanni Battaglin won the mountains classification, Jean-René Bernaudeau was the best young rider, and Renault-Gitane won the team classification.
The race began in the Pyrenees, and Hinault wasted little time asserting himself. After the opening prologue, he won the uphill individual time trial from Luchon to Superbagnères on Stage 2 and followed it the next day with victory on the road stage from Luchon to Pau. Those early successes established Hinault and Zoetemelk as the race’s central figures and began a contest that would continue almost all the way to Paris.
Hinault was exceptionally strong against the clock. He won the 33.4-kilometer individual time trial in Brussels on Stage 11, then produced another decisive ride on Stage 15, the 55.5-kilometer mountain time trial from Évian to Avoriaz. Hinault covered the Avoriaz course in 1:33:35, beating Zoetemelk by 2 minutes 37 seconds and Agostinho by 3 minutes 15 seconds. The result reinforced his advantage as the Tour entered its most demanding Alpine stages.
The Alps nevertheless provided some of the Tour’s most memorable racing. Lucien Van Impe won Stage 16 at Les Menuires, finishing just six seconds ahead of Hinault. The following day Joaquim Agostinho produced one of the finest victories of his career, winning the first finish at Alpe d’Huez by 1 minute 57 seconds over Robert Alban. Hinault and Zoetemelk finished together that day, eighth and ninth.
Remarkably, the Tour returned to Alpe d’Huez the very next day. Stage 18 started and finished at the resort, and this time Zoetemelk attacked successfully. He won the stage 40 seconds ahead of Van Impe and 47 seconds ahead of Hinault, reducing his deficit in the general classification and keeping pressure on the defending champion. The 1979 Tour remains unique for having featured two consecutive stage finishes at Alpe d’Huez.
Hinault responded emphatically in the final week. He won the 50-kilometer individual time trial at Dijon on Stage 21 and then, unusually for a general-classification leader, continued racing aggressively rather than simply defending his advantage. He won Stage 23 into Nogent-sur-Marne and then provided an extraordinary finale on the last stage into Paris. Hinault and Zoetemelk escaped together from the field and contested the victory between themselves, with Hinault beating his principal rival to win on the Champs-Élysées. It gave Hinault seven stage victories during the Tour.
Hinault’s final winning time was 103 hours, 6 minutes and 50 seconds. Zoetemelk was officially classified second at 13 minutes 7 seconds, with Agostinho third at 26 minutes 53 seconds, Hennie Kuiper fourth at 28 minutes 2 seconds and Bernaudeau fifth at 32 minutes 43 seconds. Zoetemelk had originally finished only 3 minutes 7 seconds behind Hinault, but a positive doping control from the final stage resulted in a 10-minute penalty while leaving him in second place overall.
Hinault’s dominance extended beyond the yellow jersey. His seven stage victories included four individual time trials, two conventional road stages and the spectacular final stage into Paris. He also accumulated 253 points to win the green jersey comfortably ahead of Dietrich Thurau. Battaglin won the mountains competition with 239 points, despite receiving a penalty during the Tour following a positive control, while Hinault finished second in the mountains classification. Bernaudeau’s fifth place overall also secured the white jersey as best young rider.
********************************
This is a one-of-a-kind item. Please review photos carefully to determine condition.
Recent Comments