Miguel Indurain
Encyclopedia
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
s from 1991
1991 Tour de France
The 1991 Tour de France was the 78th Tour de France, taking place July 6 to July 28, 1991. The total race distance was 22 stages over 3914 km, with riders averaging 38.747 km/h.-Stages:-General classification:-External links:* *...
and 1995
1995 Tour de France
The 1995 Tour de France was the 82nd Tour de France, taking place July 1 to July 23, 1995. It was Miguel Indurain's fifth and final victory in the Tour. On the fifteenth stage Italian rider Fabio Casartelli died after an accident on the Col de Portet d'Aspet....
, the first to do so, and the fourth athlete to win five times. He won the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
twice, becoming one of only seven people in history to achieve the Giro Tour double in the same season. He wore the race leader's yellow jersey in the Tour de France for 60 days. Indurain's ability and physical size—1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) and 80 kg (176 lbs)—earned him the nickname "Miguelón
Augmentative
An augmentative is a morphological form of a word which expresses greater intensity, often in size, but also in other attributes...
" or "Big Mig". He was the youngest rider ever to win the Spanish amateur national road championship, when he was 18, at 20 the youngest rider to lead the Vuelta a España, and at 20 he won a stage of the Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Riders competed in national teams...
.The race was known at the time as the Tour of the European Community.
Early career
Miguel Indurain was born in the village of Villava, which is now an outlying area of PamplonaPamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
. He has three sisters – Isabel, Maria Dolores and Maria Asuncion – and a brother, Prudencio, who also became a professional cyclist. His first bicycle was a green secondhand Olmo given to him for his 10th birthday. It was stolen when he was 11 and he worked in the fields with his father to pay for a new one. He tried running, basketball, javelin and soccer from nine to 14. Then he joined the local CC Villaves and rode his first race in July 1978,L'Équipe reported on 8 July 2001 that 2,000 children had taken up cycling in the town because of Indurain's fame. an event for unlicensed riders in which he came second. He won his second race and competed every week thereafter. His hero in cycling was Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault
Bernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...
. At 18 he was the youngest winner of the national amateur road championship.
Professional career
In 1984 he rode the Olympic Games in Los Angeles and then turned professional on 4 September for Reynolds,. He won his first professional race a week later, a time trial in the Tour de l'AvenirTour de l'Avenir
Tour de l'Avenir is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Riders competed in national teams...
.
In 1985 he started the Vuelta a España
1985 Vuelta a España
The 40th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from 23 April to 12 May 1985...
and came second in the prologue, behind Bert Oosterbosch
Bert Oosterbosch
Bert Oosterbosch was a Dutch racing cyclist. Oosterbosch was a successful track and road racer.-Early career:...
. Oosterbosch lost time on the second stage and Indurain became leader, the youngest rider to do it.
He rode the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
later that year, as he would do in each of the next 11 years, but dropped out in the fourth stage.
In 1986, Indurain again rode the Tour, dropping out on the 12th stage.
He started the 1987 Vuelta a España
1987 Vuelta a España
The 42nd Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 23 to May 15, 1987. It consisted of 22 stages covering a total of 3,921 km, and was won by Luis Herrera of the Café de Colombia cycling team...
with bronchitis from the Tour of Belgium.
He rode the 1988 Tour de France
1988 Tour de France
The 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h...
as team mate of the winner Pedro Delgado
Pedro Delgado
Pedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....
.
In 1989, he escaped during the ninth stage of the Tour de France. He won the stage and became leader of the mountains classification, wearing the polkadot jersey the next stage, the only time in his career.
In 1990, Indurain rode the Tour de France again for Delgado, but Delgado could not win. Indurain finished 10th place, sacrificing several places by waiting for Delgado.
1991: winning his first Tour
In 1991, Greg LeMondGreg LeMond
Gregory James LeMond is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada....
was favourite for the Tour. Indurain was a fine time trialist but considered too large to be a good climber. LeMond led the race until the 12th stage. On the 13th he broke down on the Tourmalet, and lost more than seven minutes to Indurain, who became the leader and stayed leader to the end.
1992: Tour-Giro double
Indurain won the prologue at San SebastiánSan Sebastián
Donostia-San Sebastián is a city and municipality located in the north of Spain, in the coast of the Bay of Biscay and 20 km away from the French border. The city is the capital of Gipuzkoa, in the autonomous community of the Basque Country. The municipality’s population is 186,122 , and its...
and wore the yellow jersey from the first day. The 1992 Tour
1992 Tour de France
The 1992 Tour de France was the 79th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 26, 1992. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3983 km, with riders averaging 39.504 km/h...
was remarkable for a long breakaway by Claudio Chiappucci
Claudio Chiappucci
Claudio Chiappucci is a retired Italian professional cyclist. He was on the podium three times in the Tour de France general classification - second in 1990, third in 1991 and second again in 1992.-Career:...
on a stage to Sestriere
Sestriere
Sestriere is an alpine village in Italy, a comune of the Province of Turin. It is from the French border. Its name derives from Latin: ad petram sistrariam, that is at sixty Roman miles from Turin....
that included six mountains. Indurain finished third, content as the French historian Jean-Paul Ollivier said, "knowing he would take the yellow jersey in the time trials.". The tactic brought criticism from Indurain's boyhood hero, Bernard Hinault, who said: "Indurain is the best rider of his generation but he has won this Tour quietly, without great opposition. If the opposition coninues to let him get away with it, his reign looks like lasting a long time.". Indurain finished in the time trial in stage nine, over 65 km, three minutes ahead of the second rider. Near the end he caught Laurent Fignon
Laurent Fignon
Laurent Patrick Fignon was a French professional road bicycle racer. He won the Tour de France in 1983 and in 1984. He missed winning it a third time, in 1989, by 8 seconds, the closest margin ever to decide the tour. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1989, after having been the runner-up in 1984,...
, who had started six minutes before him.
He won the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
in 1992.
1993: Second Tour-Giro double
Indurain rode the same way in the 1993 Tour1993 Tour de France
The 1993 Tour de France was the 80th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 25, 1993. It consisted of 20 stages, over 3714.3 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.709 km/h....
. He won the prologue at Puy-du-Fou, in the Vendée region, and waited until the ninth stage, the 59 km time trial at Lac de Madine, to take control of the race. He won by 2m 11s. From then on, said Ollivier, he rode defensively, watching Tony Rominger
Tony Rominger
Tony Rominger is a Swiss former professional road racing cyclist who won the Vuelta a España in 1992, 1993 and 1994 and the Giro d'Italia in 1995.He began cycling late, allegedly spurred by competition with his brother...
, whom he considered a rival against the clock. Ollivier said Indurain's wasn't a ride without effort but another historian, Pierre Chany
Pierre Chany
Pierre Chany was a French cycling journalist. He covered the Tour de France 49 times and was for a long time the main cycling writer for the daily newspaper, L'Équipe.- Biography :...
, said it lacked audacity and that Indurain never "did anything unprovoked which would have allowed this exceptional rider to rise above the rest and excite the crowd.".
He won the Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
in 1993.
1994: Tour and hour record
Indurain again won the first time trial, the ninth stage from PérigueuxPérigueux
Périgueux is a commune in the Dordogne department in Aquitaine in southwestern France.Périgueux is the prefecture of the department and the capital of the region...
to Bergerac, in the south-west. He beat Rominger by two minutes. He did, however, attack in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
, accelerating at the foot of the 10 km climb to the ski station at Hautacam
Hautacam
Hautacam is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Midi-Pyrénées region. The winter sports station lies at a height of 1560 meters...
. Luc Leblanc
Luc Leblanc
Luc Leblanc is a retired professional male cyclist from France. In 1994 he became World Road Champion.-Biography:...
, Richard Virenque
Richard Virenque
Richard VirenqueRichard Virenque's name is pronounced Ree-shah Vee-rahnk. Virenque considers himself a man of the South but pronounces his name in standard French. Confusion is caused by the southern habit of pronouncing "en" as "ang" or "eng", making it Vee-rank. But Virenque says Vee-rahnk or...
, Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely considered one of the best climbers in professional road bicycle racing...
and Armand de Las Cuevas stayed with him but other rivals, including Rominger, were left behind. Indurain lost the stage to Leblanc but kept the yellow jersey to the end.
In 1994 he set a world hour record
Hour record
The hour record for bicycles is the record for the longest distance cycled in one hour on a bicycle. There are several records. The most famous is for upright bicycles meeting the requirements of the Union Cycliste Internationale . It is one of the most prestigious in cycling...
of 53.04 kilometres (33 mi), beating Graeme Obree
Graeme Obree
Graeme Obree is a Scottish racing cyclist who twice broke the world hour record, in July 1993 and April 1994, and was the individual pursuit world champion in 1993 and 1995. He was known for his unusual riding positions and for the "Old Faithful" bicycle he built which included parts from a...
.
Indurain entered the Giro again, but this time was beaten by Evgeni Berzin and Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani
Marco Pantani was an Italian road racing cyclist, widely considered one of the best climbers in professional road bicycle racing...
, who had solely prepared for the Giro.
1995: Fifth Tour victory
He also won the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 1995.The seventh stage of 1995 Tour
1995 Tour de France
The 1995 Tour de France was the 82nd Tour de France, taking place July 1 to July 23, 1995. It was Miguel Indurain's fifth and final victory in the Tour. On the fifteenth stage Italian rider Fabio Casartelli died after an accident on the Col de Portet d'Aspet....
linked Charleroi
Charleroi
Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...
and Liège
Liège
Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium....
, both in southern Belgium. It took in the rolling roads of Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Liège-Bastogne-Liège
Liège–Bastogne–Liège, often called La Doyenne , is one of the five 'Monuments' of the European professional road cycling calendar. It is run in the Ardennes region of Belgium, from Liège to Bastogne and back....
. Indurain attacked with Johan Bruyneel
Johan Bruyneel
Johan Bruyneel is a former road bicycle racer in professional cycling and a directeur sportif for UCI ProTour team . Retiring from racing in 1998, he became director of , a US-based UCI ProTour cycling team...
following and the rest were left 50 seconds behind. The following day Indurain won the first time trial, organised on a demanding circuit at Seraing
Seraing
Seraing is a Walloon municipality of Belgium in Province of Liege. The municipality of Seraing includes the old communes of Boncelles, Jemeppe-sur-Meuse, and Ougrée. With Liège, Herstal, Saint-Nicolas, Ans, and Flémalle it forms the greater Liège agglomeration...
. Jean-Paul Ollivier wrote: "It offered him another chance to assert his authority. Who could challenge him? The hierarchy established itself by itself. Indurain once again set off on a demonstration Tour. This last victory by the rider from Navarra was a model of strength, intelligence and authority, all well controlled. There wasn't an tactical error, never a scare, no moments of weakness.".
Indurain won the world time trial championship.
1996: Aiming for sixth Tour victory
He also won the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré in 1996.Indurain aimed for a sixth victory in the 1996 Tour
1996 Tour de France
The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day ....
, but suffered from the beginning. He came seventh in the prologue. After bronchitis in a cold and wet first week, he lost time from stage seven. He said that, on the Cormet de Roseland on 6 July, "my legs started to feel odd but, because the speed of the group wasn't very high, I didn't take much notice. I even imagined attacking at the foot of the Arcs climbs." He dropped out the group and lost three minutes in three kilometres. Race referees penalised him 20 seconds for accepting a bottle of drink in the last kilometre Race rules forbid team managers to approach riders at the end of the race to avoid their cars interfering with the race or making it unsafe. He said the 20 seconds were nothing compared to the minute he would have lost had he not taken the bottle. He later said he would stop racing. The Dane Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Riis
Bjarne Lykkegård Riis , nicknamed The Eagle from Herning , is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team Saxo Bank Sungard...
won and his teammate Jan Ullrich finished second. Indurain finished 11th and, in a stage passing through his hometown and ending in Pamplona
Pamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
, he finished 19th, eight minutes behind the stage winner.
He won the individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
in the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta
1996 Summer Olympics
The 1996 Summer Olympics of Atlanta, officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad and unofficially known as the Centennial Olympics, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1996 in Atlanta, Georgia, United States....
, where professionals competed for the first time.
In September 1996 Indurain rode the Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
at the insistence of his team. He dropped out unexpectedly on the Mirador del Fito, 30 km (18.6 mi) from the end of the stage to Covadonga
Covadonga
Covadonga is a village and one of 11 parishes in Cangas de Onís, a municipality within the province and autonomous community of Asturias, in northwestern Spain...
. Relations with his team manager, José-Miguel Echavarri, had been difficult since an aborted attempt on the hour record in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
in October 1995. The two no longer speak.
Indurain was a strong time trialist
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
, gaining on rivals and riding defensively in the climbing stages. Indurain won only two Tour stages that were not individual time trial
Individual time trial
An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials...
s: mountain stages to Cauterets
Cauterets
Cauterets is a spa town, a ski resort and a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-Geography:Cauterets is located southwest of Lourdes in the beautiful valley of the Gave de Cauterets and borders the Pyrenees National Park....
(1989) and Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden
Luz Ardiden is a ski resort in the Pyrenees. It is situated in the Hautes-Pyrénées department, in the Midi-Pyrénées. The ski resort, which lies at a height of 1720 meters, opened on January 16, 1975...
(1990) in the Pyrenees
Pyrenees
The Pyrenees is a range of mountains in southwest Europe that forms a natural border between France and Spain...
.
End of career
Indurain took two months to consider his future, particularly the €4.5 million that Manolo SaizManolo Saiz
Manuel "Manolo" Saiz Balbás is the former team manager of one of the most successful Spanish professional road bicycle racing teams, first called Team ONCE, then Liberty Seguros-Würth, Astana-Würth, and lastly Astana Team.Saiz was a hands-on manager and directeur sportif...
was said to have offered him to transfer to the ONCE team. Negotiations foundered over which races Indurain would ride and whether Saiz would pay more. On 1 January 1997 he told 300 journalists and others in the El Toro hotel in Pamplona that he would not race again. "This is a long and deeply meditated decision, especially as physically I'm in condition to win a sixth Tour", he said. "In early 1996 I decided it was time to go, and I tried to win the Tour for the last time. When I didn't, I thought the Olympics would be the perfect way of bowing out, but what happened after the Tour of Spain made me change my mind. Every year it gets harder and I think I have spent enough time in the sport. My family are waiting." He read a 30-line statement and left without taking questions.
Physical advantages
Indurain had a physiology superior to fellow athletes. His blood took seven litres of oxygen around his body per minute, compared to 3–4 litres for an ordinary person and 5–6 litres for fellow riders. His cardiac output is 50 litres a minute; a fit amateur cyclist's is about 25 litres. Indurain's lung capacity was 7.8 litres, compared to an average of 6 litres. His resting pulsePulse
In medicine, one's pulse represents the tactile arterial palpation of the heartbeat by trained fingertips. The pulse may be palpated in any place that allows an artery to be compressed against a bone, such as at the neck , at the wrist , behind the knee , on the inside of the elbow , and near the...
was as low as 28 BPM
Heart rate
Heart rate is the number of heartbeats per unit of time, typically expressed as beats per minute . Heart rate can vary as the body's need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide changes, such as during exercise or sleep....
, compared to an average 60–72 bpm, which meant his heart would be less strained in the tough mountain stages. His VO2 max
VO2 max
VO2 max is the maximum capacity of an individual's body to transport and use oxygen during incremental exercise, which reflects the physical fitness of the individual...
was 88 ml/kg/min; in comparison, Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
's was 83.8 ml/kg/min and Greg LeMond
Greg LeMond
Gregory James LeMond is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada....
's was more than 92 ml/kg/min.
He consulted the Italian professor, Francesco Conconi
Francesco Conconi
Francesco Conconi is an Italian sports doctor and scientist, with disciples such as Michele Ferrari and Luigi Cecchini. Conconi is a Professor at the University of Ferrara in Italy where he heads the Centro Studi Biomedici Applicati allo Sport or Biomedical Research Institute...
, from 1987 and his weight dropped from 85 to 78 kg under his guidance, "changing himself into an all-round rider", said Philippe Brunel in L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
. He was 10 kg lighter than when he was a junior.
Retirement
Indurain lives near PamplonaPamplona
Pamplona is the historial capital city of Navarre, in Spain, and of the former kingdom of Navarre.The city is famous worldwide for the San Fermín festival, from July 6 to 14, in which the running of the bulls is one of the main attractions...
and has a house in Benidorm
Benidorm
Benidorm is a coastal town and municipality located in the comarca of Marina Baixa, in the province of Alicante, Valencian community, Spain, by the Western Mediterranean....
, on the Mediterranean. He and his wife, Marisa, have three children. He founded the Miguel Indurain Foundation in 1998 to promote sport in the Navarra region from which he comes. He is its president. He works with the Spanish Olympic Committee, promoting Sevilla's candidature for the 2004 Olympics, and the Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale
Union Cycliste Internationale is the world governing body for sports cycling and oversees international competitive cycling events. The UCI is based in Aigle, Switzerland....
. He hunts wildlife and rides a bike three or four times a week. He attends cyclotourist events such as L'Étape du Tour
L'Étape du Tour
L'Étape du Tour is an organised mass participation cyclosportive event that allows amateur cyclists to race over the same route as a Tour de France stage...
and the Cape Argus Pick & Pay Cycle Tour in Cape Town, South Africa.
Personality
Indurain resisted comparison to Tour champions of the past and said he "never felt superior to anyone". He "never had airs about himself and only reluctantly stepped into the limelight that came with the maillot jaune", Andy Hood wrote in ProcyclingProcycling
Procycling, or ProCycling, is a bicycling sport magazine owned by Future Publishing. First published in April 1999, there are 13 issues a year distributed in all countries where there are English speaking readers....
.
Indurain was a man difficult to know. He was modest and quiet, "governing his troops without ever being demanding." A Spaniard journalist frustrated that he could find nothing interesting about him, asked "I wonder if his wife knows who this man is who sleeps beside her." A team-mate, Jean-François Bernard
Jean-François Bernard
Jean-François Bernard is a former French professional road bicycle racer. He turned professional in 1984 for La Vie Claire, led by Bernard Hinault...
said: "When he comes down for his meal, you don't even hear him move his chair."
Procycling wrote:
- [His] humility seems to have spared him from some embarrassing questions that others of his generation haven't been so lucky to avoid. While the likes of Bjarne RiisBjarne RiisBjarne Lykkegård Riis , nicknamed The Eagle from Herning , is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team Saxo Bank Sungard...
have been forced to confess to using EPOErythropoietinErythropoietin, or its alternatives erythropoetin or erthropoyetin or EPO, is a glycoprotein hormone that controls erythropoiesis, or red blood cell production...
and other banned drugs, Indurain remains protected by Spain's jealous media. His five straight Tour crowns paralleled Spain's coming of age following decades of repression under the dictatorship of General FrancoFrancisco FrancoFrancisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
and his face became a symbol of a new, more assertive Spain stepping confidently on to the European stage.
Philippe Brunel in L'Équipe
L'Équipe
L'Équipe is a French nationwide daily newspaper devoted to sports, owned by Éditions Philippe Amaury. The paper is noted for coverage of football , rugby, motorsports and cycling...
called him "humble and sublime, taciturn some days. But who was this robotic athlete who, in his streamlined helmet and his Plexiglass visor, dominated [domestiquait] the time-trials like no one before him except perhaps Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil
Jacques Anquetil was a French road racing cyclist and the first cyclist to win the Tour de France five times, in 1957 and from 1961 to 1964...
?"
The magazine Cycling Weekly
Cycling Weekly
Cycling Weekly is a British cycling magazine. It is published by IPC Media and is devoted to the sport and past-time of cycling. It is affectionately referred to by British club cyclists as "The Comic".-History:...
wrote: "He seems to do everything very slowly, as though he is trying to conserve energy even here. His eyes blink at half-speed but the gaze from his brown eyes is steady. He looks as relaxed off the bike as he does when he is on it, but you are aware that you are in the presence of a great bike rider."
Indurain said the man who most impressed him was Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
, whom he gave a yellow jersey from the Tour de France and a pink jersey from the Giro d'Italia.
Assessment
Procycling wrote:- A British journalist once asked Sean YatesSean YatesSean Yates is an English former professional cyclist and head Directeur Sportif at Team Sky.-Career:Yates competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics, finishing sixth in the 4,000m individual pursuit. He also competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics...
what it was like riding with Miguel Indurain, who at the time was in the midst of his winning streak at the Tour de France. Yates responded that, for him, riding with the Spaniard was as hard as it would be for the journalist to keep pace with Yates. Taking into account that the former MotorolaMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
rider was himself the winner of a Tour time trial and wore the yellow jersey, his reply indicates just how special an athlete Indurain was and how highly he was regarded by his peers.
- Beyond his peers, however, the view of Indurain is less acclamatory. The former Banesto team leader is often dismissed as a rider who based his Tour victories on overwhelming advantage in the time trials and limiting his losses in the mountains. In his calculating style he was similar to Jacques Anquetil, but, unlike the Frenchman, lacked a rival with the Poulidor factor who could spark him to legendary feats of achievement. In addition, the fact that his one-day record bears not the slightest comparison with Eddy MerckxEddy MerckxEdouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
or Bernard HinaultBernard HinaultBernard Hinault is a former French cyclist known for five victories in the Tour de France. He is one of only five cyclists to have won all three Grand Tours, and the only cyclist to have won each more than once. He won the Tour de France in 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982 and 1985...
tends to leave him at the bottom of the pecking order of five-time Tour champions. Indurain usually left spectators hoping for more but knowing they were very unlikely to get it.
- In 2000, he was voted Spain's sportsman of the 20th century, but at the same time didn't make the top 100 in L'Équipes ranking of the world's best. Loved by his countrymen but a mystery to the rest of the world, he was undoubtedly the best of his generation.
Indurain is a member of the Laureus World Sports Academy
Laureus World Sports Awards
The Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year. The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons Daimler and Richemont and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and...
.
Career highlights
Tour de France- 19841984 Tour de FranceThe 1984 Tour de France was the 71st Tour de France, run over 4020.9 km in 23 stages and a prologue, from 29 June to 22 July 1984.French rider Laurent Fignon won his second consecutive Tour, beating former teammate Bernard Hinault by over 10 minutes. Hinault was pursuing his fifth Tour...
: Withdrew - 19851985 Tour de FranceThe 1985 Tour de France was the 72nd Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 21, 1985, over 4109 km in 22 stages and a prologue.Bernard Hinault would attempt to equal the records of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx who had each won the Tour de France five times. Hinault was unable to...
: Withdrew, 4th stage - 19861986 Tour de FranceThe 1986 Tour de France was the 73rd Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 27, 1986. The total race distance was 4094 km, distributed over 23 stages and a prologue. It was won by Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour...
: Withdrew, 8th stage - 19871987 Tour de FranceThe 1987 Tour de France was the 74th Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 26, 1987. It consisted of 25 stages over 4231 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.645 km/h...
: 97th - 19881988 Tour de FranceThe 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h...
: 47th - 19891989 Tour de FranceThe 1989 Tour de France was the 76th Tour de France, a race of 21 stages and a prologue, over 3285 km in total. In the closest tour in history, Greg LeMond was behind by 50 seconds at the start of the final stage, a time trial into Paris. LeMond rode for an average speed of 54.55 km/h ,...
: 17th - 19901990 Tour de FranceThe 1990 Tour de France was the 77th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 22, 1990. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3504 km, with riders averaging 38.62 km/h...
: 10th - 19911991 Tour de FranceThe 1991 Tour de France was the 78th Tour de France, taking place July 6 to July 28, 1991. The total race distance was 22 stages over 3914 km, with riders averaging 38.747 km/h.-Stages:-General classification:-External links:* *...
:
1st - 19921992 Tour de FranceThe 1992 Tour de France was the 79th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 26, 1992. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3983 km, with riders averaging 39.504 km/h...
:1st - 19931993 Tour de FranceThe 1993 Tour de France was the 80th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 25, 1993. It consisted of 20 stages, over 3714.3 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.709 km/h....
:1st - 19941994 Tour de FranceThe 1994 Tour de France was the 81st Tour de France and included two stages in England , Stage 4, Dover to Brighton and Stage 5, around Portsmouth. It took place July 2 to July 24, 1994...
:1st - 19951995 Tour de FranceThe 1995 Tour de France was the 82nd Tour de France, taking place July 1 to July 23, 1995. It was Miguel Indurain's fifth and final victory in the Tour. On the fifteenth stage Italian rider Fabio Casartelli died after an accident on the Col de Portet d'Aspet....
:1st - 19961996 Tour de FranceThe 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day ....
: 11th
Vuelta a España
- 19841984 Vuelta a EspañaThe 39th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 17 to May 6, 1984. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,593 km, and was won by Éric Caritoux of the Skil-Sem cycling team...
: Withdrew - 19851985 Vuelta a EspañaThe 40th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from 23 April to 12 May 1985...
: 84th - 19861986 Vuelta a EspañaThe 41st Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 22 to May 13, 1986. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3,666 km, and was won by Álvaro Pino of the Zor cycling team....
: 92nd - 19871987 Vuelta a EspañaThe 42nd Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 23 to May 15, 1987. It consisted of 22 stages covering a total of 3,921 km, and was won by Luis Herrera of the Café de Colombia cycling team...
: Withdrew - 19881988 Vuelta a EspañaThe 1988 Vuelta a España was the 43rd Vuelta a España, taking place from April 25 to May 15, 1988. It consisted of 20 stages over 3425 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.506 km/h...
: Withdrew - 19891989 Vuelta a EspañaThe 44th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 24 to May 15, 1989. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3656 km, and was won by Pedro Delgado of the Reynolds cycling team.Pedro Delgado had won the previous Tour de France...
: Withdrew - 19901990 Vuelta a EspañaThe 45th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 24 to May 15, 1990. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3711 km, and was won by Marco Giovannetti of the Seur cycling team.Defending champion Pedro Delgado was the...
: 7th - 19911991 Vuelta a EspañaThe 46th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 29 to May 19, 1991. It consisted of 20 stages covering a total of 3215 km, and was won by Melchor Mauri of the ONCE cycling team.Miguel Induráin, Laudelino Cubino and Anselmo Fuerte...
: 2nd - 19961996 Vuelta a EspañaThe 51st Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 6 to September 28, 1996. It consisted of 22 stages covering a total of 3,898 km, and was won by Alex Zülle of the ONCE cycling team.-External links:*...
: Withdrew, 12th stage
Giro d'Italia
- 19921992 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1992 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 75th edition of the race, was held from 24 May to 14 June 1992. It covered a total of 3,835 km, in 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 37.017 km/h...
:
1st - 19931993 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1993 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 76th edition of the race, was held from 23 May to 13 June 1993, consisting of 22 stages. It covered a total of 3,703 km, completed at an average speed of 37.723 km/h...
:1st - 19941994 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1994 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 77th edition of the race, was held from 22 May to 12 June 1994, consisting of 22 stages. It covered a total of 3,738 km, completed at an average speed of 37.124 km/h...
: 3rd
Major results
-
World Time-Trial Championship (1995) -
Summer OlympicsCycling at the 1996 Summer OlympicsFinal results for the Cycling competition at the 1996 Summer Olympics. There were three categories of events – road cycling, track cycling and mountain biking...
Men's Individual Time Trial (1996) - Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1995, 1996)
- Paris–Nice (1989, 1990)
- Clásica de San SebastiánClásica de San SebastiánThe Donostia-Donostia Klasikoa - Clásica San Sebastián-San Sebastián is a cycle race that has been held every summer since 1981 in San Sebastián, Spain...
(1990) - Critérium InternationalCritérium InternationalThe Critérium International is a two-day bicycle stage race held in France every spring. It was formerly known as the Critérium National de la Route, first run in 1932....
(1989) - Grand prix du Midi LibreGrand Prix du Midi LibreThe Grand Prix du Midi Libre was a multiple-stage cycling course in the south of France. The race, named after the newspaper that organized it, was first organized in 1949 and was an important preparation courses for the Tour de France...
(1995) - Volta a Catalunya (1988, 1991, 1992)
- Tour de l'AvenirTour de l'AvenirTour de l'Avenir is a French road bicycle racing stage race, which started in 1961 as a race similar to the Tour de France and over much of the same course but for amateurs and for semi-professionals known as independents. Riders competed in national teams...
(1986)
Accolades
- French Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneurThe Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
- Prince of Asturias AwardsPrince of Asturias AwardsThe Prince of Asturias Awards are a series of annual prizes awarded in Spain by the Prince of Asturias Foundation to individuals, entities or organizations from around the world who make notable achievements in the sciences, humanities, and public affairs....
: Sports (1992) - Active member – Laureus World Sports AcademyLaureus World Sports AwardsThe Laureus World Sports Awards are awarded annually to sportspeople who have been outstanding during the previous year. The Laureus World Sports Awards were established in 1999 by Founding Patrons Daimler and Richemont and is supported by its Global Partners Mercedes-Benz, IWC Schaffhausen and...
- 1995 ABCAmerican Broadcasting CompanyThe American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
's Wide World of Sports Athlete of the Year
Grand Tours overall classification results timeline
| Grand Tour | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Vuelta a España The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages... |
WD 1984 Vuelta a España The 39th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 17 to May 6, 1984. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,593 km, and was won by Éric Caritoux of the Skil-Sem cycling team... |
84 1985 Vuelta a España The 40th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from 23 April to 12 May 1985... |
92 1986 Vuelta a España The 41st Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 22 to May 13, 1986. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3,666 km, and was won by Álvaro Pino of the Zor cycling team.... |
WD 1987 Vuelta a España The 42nd Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 23 to May 15, 1987. It consisted of 22 stages covering a total of 3,921 km, and was won by Luis Herrera of the Café de Colombia cycling team... |
WD 1988 Vuelta a España The 1988 Vuelta a España was the 43rd Vuelta a España, taking place from April 25 to May 15, 1988. It consisted of 20 stages over 3425 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.506 km/h... |
WD 1989 Vuelta a España The 44th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 24 to May 15, 1989. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3656 km, and was won by Pedro Delgado of the Reynolds cycling team.Pedro Delgado had won the previous Tour de France... |
7 1990 Vuelta a España The 45th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 24 to May 15, 1990. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3711 km, and was won by Marco Giovannetti of the Seur cycling team.Defending champion Pedro Delgado was the... |
2 1991 Vuelta a España The 46th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 29 to May 19, 1991. It consisted of 20 stages covering a total of 3215 km, and was won by Melchor Mauri of the ONCE cycling team.Miguel Induráin, Laudelino Cubino and Anselmo Fuerte... |
- 1992 Vuelta a España The 47th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 27 to May 17, 1992... |
- 1993 Vuelta a España The 48th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 26 to May 15, 1993. It consisted of 20 stages covering a total of 3605 km, and was won by Tony Rominger of the Clas-Cajastur cycling team.Tony Rominger, winner of the previous... |
- 1994 Vuelta a España The 49th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 25 to May 15, 1994. It consisted of 20 stages covering a total of 3531 km, and was won by Tony Rominger of the cycling team.Tony Rominger, winner of the past two editions, was once... |
- 1995 Vuelta a España The 50th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 2 to September 24, 1995. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3750 km, and was won by Laurent Jalabert of the ONCE cycling team... |
WD 1996 Vuelta a España The 51st Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from September 6 to September 28, 1996. It consisted of 22 stages covering a total of 3,898 km, and was won by Alex Zülle of the ONCE cycling team.-External links:*... |
Giro d'Italia The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar... |
- 1984 Giro d'Italia The 1984 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 67th running or the race, was held from 17 May to 10 June 1984, consisting of 22 stages. It was won by Francesco Moser, who took over the lead from Laurent Fignon in the final stage... |
- 1985 Giro d'Italia The 1985 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 16 May to 9 June 1985, consisting of 22 stages for a total of 3,998 km, ridden at an average speed of 37.89 km/h... |
- 1986 Giro d'Italia The 1986 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 69th edition of the race, was held from 12 May to 2 June 1986. It covered a total of 3,858 km at an average speed of 37.615 km/h, in 22 stages... |
- 1987 Giro d'Italia The 1987 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 70th running of the race, was held from 21 May to 13 June 1987, consisting of 22 stages. It was won by Stephen Roche.The defending champion Roberto Visentini returned with a strong team to win his second Giro... |
- 1988 Giro d'Italia The 1988 Giro d'Italia was the 71st edition of the Giro d'Italia, one of cycling's Grand Tours.The Giro started off in Urbino on 23 May. The route included notable climbs such as the Passo di Gavia, the Campitello Matese, the Chiesa in Valmalenco, and the Passo san Marco... |
- 1989 Giro d'Italia The 1989 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 17 May to 10 June 1989, consisting of 22 stages. It was won by the French Laurent Fignon.This 72nd edition was 3,623 km long, completed at an average speed of 38.747 km/h.- General classification :... |
- 1990 Giro d'Italia The 1990 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 73rd running of the race, was held from 18 May to 6 June 1990. It covered 3,450 km, for a total of 21 stages, and was completed at an average speed of 37.609 km/h.... |
- 1991 Giro d'Italia The 1991 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 74th edition of the Corsa Rosa, was held from 26 May to 16 June 1991. It covered 3,715 km completed at an average speed of 37.03 km/h, for a total of 21 stages... |
1 1992 Giro d'Italia The 1992 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 75th edition of the race, was held from 24 May to 14 June 1992. It covered a total of 3,835 km, in 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 37.017 km/h... |
1 1993 Giro d'Italia The 1993 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 76th edition of the race, was held from 23 May to 13 June 1993, consisting of 22 stages. It covered a total of 3,703 km, completed at an average speed of 37.723 km/h... |
3 1994 Giro d'Italia The 1994 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 77th edition of the race, was held from 22 May to 12 June 1994, consisting of 22 stages. It covered a total of 3,738 km, completed at an average speed of 37.124 km/h... |
- 1995 Giro d'Italia The 1995 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 78th edition of the race, was held from 13 May to 4 June 1995, consisting of 22 stages. It covered a total of 3,736 km, completed at an average speed of 38,26 km/h... |
- 1996 Giro d'Italia The 1996 Giro d'Italia of cycling, the 79th edition of the Corsa Rosa, was held from 18 May to 9 June 1996. It covered a total of 3,990 km, in 22 stages, completed at an average speed of 37.877 km/h... |
Tour de France The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The... |
- 1985 Tour de France The 1985 Tour de France was the 72nd Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 21, 1985, over 4109 km in 22 stages and a prologue.Bernard Hinault would attempt to equal the records of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx who had each won the Tour de France five times. Hinault was unable to... |
WD 1985 Tour de France The 1985 Tour de France was the 72nd Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 21, 1985, over 4109 km in 22 stages and a prologue.Bernard Hinault would attempt to equal the records of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx who had each won the Tour de France five times. Hinault was unable to... |
WD 1986 Tour de France The 1986 Tour de France was the 73rd Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 27, 1986. The total race distance was 4094 km, distributed over 23 stages and a prologue. It was won by Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour... |
97 1987 Tour de France The 1987 Tour de France was the 74th Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 26, 1987. It consisted of 25 stages over 4231 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.645 km/h... |
47 1988 Tour de France The 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h... |
17 1989 Tour de France The 1989 Tour de France was the 76th Tour de France, a race of 21 stages and a prologue, over 3285 km in total. In the closest tour in history, Greg LeMond was behind by 50 seconds at the start of the final stage, a time trial into Paris. LeMond rode for an average speed of 54.55 km/h ,... |
10 1990 Tour de France The 1990 Tour de France was the 77th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 22, 1990. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3504 km, with riders averaging 38.62 km/h... |
1 1991 Tour de France The 1991 Tour de France was the 78th Tour de France, taking place July 6 to July 28, 1991. The total race distance was 22 stages over 3914 km, with riders averaging 38.747 km/h.-Stages:-General classification:-External links:* *... |
1 1992 Tour de France The 1992 Tour de France was the 79th Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 26, 1992. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3983 km, with riders averaging 39.504 km/h... |
1 1993 Tour de France The 1993 Tour de France was the 80th Tour de France, taking place July 3 to July 25, 1993. It consisted of 20 stages, over 3714.3 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.709 km/h.... |
1 1994 Tour de France The 1994 Tour de France was the 81st Tour de France and included two stages in England , Stage 4, Dover to Brighton and Stage 5, around Portsmouth. It took place July 2 to July 24, 1994... |
1 1995 Tour de France The 1995 Tour de France was the 82nd Tour de France, taking place July 1 to July 23, 1995. It was Miguel Indurain's fifth and final victory in the Tour. On the fifteenth stage Italian rider Fabio Casartelli died after an accident on the Col de Portet d'Aspet.... |
11 1996 Tour de France The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day .... |
WD = Withdrew