Tag Archives: birthday

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Bonne Anniversaire – Henri Desgrange

Henri Desgrange – 31.01.1865 – 16.08.1940

  • Hour Record – 1893
  • Editor L’Auto newspaper –  1900 – 1940
  • Creator of Le Tour de France – 1903

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Desgrange is rightly seen as the father of the Tour. Latching onto an idea of one of his correspondents – Geo. Lefevre – to help boost circulation, he set his newspaper firmly behind the creation of what quickly became Le Grand Boucle. Famously harsh on the riders of the early years, he set the tone for the endeavour as one of grand ambition and epic suffering. His words make clear his thinking: “The ideal Tour would be a Tour in which only one rider survived the ordeal.”

Henri-Desgrange-1920s

 

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Bonne Anniversaire – Stephen Roche

Happy Birthday Triple Crown Winner Stephen Roche

  • World Champion – 1987
  • TdF Winner –  1987
  • Giro D’Italia  Winner – 1987

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Roche climbed to the very summit of the cycling world when he capped off his Annus Mirabilis with the World Championship win. Like his contemporary Greg Lemond, his boyish looks and baby blue eyes belied a fiercely competitive nature, which was shown best that season when he usurped the leader’s jersey in the Giro from his teammate Roberto Visentini. His resolve and strength of will was again shown in the Tour when he miraculously clawed back a minute and half on Pedro Delgado on the slopes of La Plagne to set up his final victory a few days later. Despite slipping into unconsciousness after he crossed the line, when he came round and was asked if he was alright he was still able to quip, “Yes, but I am not ready for a woman straight away.” The World Championship race was won somewhat fortuitously when Roche, in the mix only to support his team mate Sean Kelly, covered a break that none of the other favourites followed. He broke away again and was able to celebrate his victory.

Roche’s Triple Crown can be seen as being won by firstly guile, secondly strength and then with a touch of luck at the end. That sounds about right to me.

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Bonne Anniversaire – Bernard Hinault

Happy Birthday Blaireau

  • World Champion – 1980
  • TdF Winner –  1978, ’79, ’81, ’82, ’85
  • Giro D’Italia  Winner – 1980, ’82, ’85
  • L-B-L – 1977, ’80; Lombardia – 1979, ’84

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Sporting crash-blackened eyes and baring his teeth in that familiar set-jawed snarl, The Badger takes on all-comers and ends up on top again in ’85