Tour de France 1996

The 83e Tour de France is held of the June 29th with the July 21st 1996 out of 21 stages for 3.765 km.

General information

the departure of the Turn takes place with “s-Hertogenbosch with the Netherlands; the final arrival is judged with the Fields-Élysées.
victorious Quintuple of the Turn, the Spaniard Miguel Indurain finishes 11th with 14 ' 14".
the stage Chambéry - the Arcs are marked per many bounces. Abandonment of the French yellow jersey Stephan Heulot, Laurent Jalabert released dàs the first slopes, doubles fall for Switzerland Alex Zülle, falls spectacular of Johan Bruyneel, Miguel Indurain wedges in the rise towards the Arcs and victory of Luc Leblanc.
the Dane Bjarne Riis is the first victorious yellow jersey of a stage on line since 1989 (Laurent Fignon). Riis is the first Dane to gain the Grande Boucle. This edition makes it possible to discover a young German runner: Jan Ullrich, which finishes second in Paris.
At the end of May 2007, the consents follow one another as for the doping organized in the team Telekom. Udo Bölts, Rolf Aldag, Erik Zabel and even Bjarne Riis acknowledges to have taken EPO. The June 7th 2007, Bjarne Riis is deposed of its title by ASO and the Turn 1996 is considered without winner. It is a first in the history of the Turn. However, UCI always regards Bjarne Riis as winner because of the time higher than 10 years between the facts and the consents of doping.
Average of the winner: 39,235 km/h.

Course of the race

At the beginning of the Tour de France 1996, Miguel Indurain has the obviously appearance of a big favorite. Vis-a-vis him, an immense challenge: to become the first runner to gain six Turns of France. To prevent it from reaching that point, its adversaries are of number there. Alex Zülle and Laurent Jalabert of the team OUNCE, Tony Rominger and Abraham Olano of the team Mapei or the Dane Bjarne Riis comes to gain.

If Zülle gains the prolog, the first week does not offer traditional the against-the-watch individual and by team. It is thus in the unknown that the Alps are profiled at the horizon.

The first stage leads the runners to the Arcs, after the rise of the Col of the Madeleine and the Cormet de Roselend. As of the first difficulty, Laurent Jalabert is released, it is a large surprise. Into the difficult descent of the Madeleine, Zülle slips into the ravine, just like Johan Bruyneel a little further, but the two runners are left there without gravity. In the final rise, the French Luc Leblanc attacks and asserts himself on the top in front of Switzerland Tony Rominger, but the great feeling is caused by the failure of Miguel Indurain which yields two minutes. The following day, a against-the-watch in altitude is proposed with the runners with the rise of a good part of the Col of Iseran: it is the Russian Evgueni Berzin who asserts himself, thus consolidating its yellow jersey. The second of the stage, Bjarne Riis makes strong impression, the more so as its young team-member Jan Ullrich takes the sixth place. Tony Rominger and Abraham Olano also resists. Miguel Indurain as for him gives up one minute additional. A third stage of alpine mountain is with the program, but the bad weather obliges the organizers to cut down it by the rises of the collars of Iseran and Galibier. On the 50 remaining km, it is Bjarne Riis which makes display of its superiority. Attacking very early, it resists until Sestrières where it is essential. Behind, Indurain and Rominger carry out hunting, while the Berzin yellow jersey is released. Riis takes the head of general classification at the exit of the Alps, but Tony Rominger point behind him.

After the difficult one finely of the Alps, the group decompresses during its descent towards the Pyrenees. Only the 14th stage arriving at Super Besse is the occasion of an attack of the French Richard Virenque and Luc Leblanc. Riis and Indurain resist, but Tony Rominger spends 50 seconds.

At the time of the 17th stage leading to the top of the Hautacam, Bjarne Riis consolidates its yellow jersey by gaining the victory. Behind him, Miguel Indurain cracks and yields two minutes additional just like, while Richard Virenque carries out a beautiful operation with general classification, Tony Rominger. The following day, in a titanic stage of 250 km in high mountain, the race will explode. Following an offensive of the team Feasted in difficult the Col of Soudet, Indurain and Rominger is released. In the Port of Larrau, terrible rise carrying out in Spain, a group of eight runners is formed race at the head: the yellow jersey Bjarne Riis, its young team-member Jan Ullrich, both Feasted Richard Virenque and Laurent Dufaux, the former world champion Luc Leblanc, as well as the outsiders Piotr Ugrumov, Peter Luttenberger and Fernando Escartin. These eight runners will occupy the first eight places with final general classification. Finally, Laurent Dufaux is essential on Pampelune in front of Riis. Indurain, Rominger and Olano spend nearly ten minutes. Riis succeeded in ensuring its yellow jersey, while its Ullrich team-member is from now on in the second place of general classification.

Jan Ullrich reveals its formidable talent by gaining to it against-the-watch final in front of Miguel Indurain. Bjarne Riis gains the Tour de France 1996 in front of the young German and the French Richard Virenque. Riis is the first victorious Dane of the Turn. Its team Telekom truste all victories: in addition to Riis and Ullrich, Erik Zabel gains for the first time the green shirt Miguel Indurain finishes as for him in the 11th place for its last Tour de France.

Polemics

During the course even of the race, the Dane Bjarne Riis was aimed by rumors of doping. Its past of runner in the sulfurous team Gewiss, framed by the famous doctor Michele Ferrari (who introduced EPO into the cyclist medium at the beginning of the Années 1990), and her facility in mountain raised many interrogations. In the group, Riis was seen affublé of the nickname of “Mister 60%”, in reference to its Taux of hématocrite of 60% (today, a runner whose rate is higher than 50% is condemnable for doping).

Moreover, one welfare man of the team Telekom of Bjarne Riis, Jeff d' Hont, recently affirmed in 2007 that Jan Ullrich would have undergone several injections of EPO during the Turn 1996, a method which could explain well the superiority insolente of the team Telekom in this test. Following this declaration, other runners of the team like Erik Zabel victorious of the green shirt, Rolf Aldag or Udo Bölts acknowledged to be doped. The May 25th 2007, it is finally Bjarne Riis itself which acknowledges to be doped at the time of the Turn 1996. It is not estimated besides more worthy of this victory.

The June 7th 2007, ASO, company organizing of the Tour de France, declares that Bjarne Riis “cannot be any more regarded as the winner of the Turn”. For ASO, Bjarne Riis is not thus any more the winner of the Tour de France 1996 and this edition will in the future be regarded as being without winner. A white will thus follow the year 1996 in the official prize lists of the Grande Boucle.

Stages

Additional classifications

List runners

NP: Non-starter; A: Abandonment; HD: Except Time; E: Eliminated.

External bonds

memory of cycling/Turn 1996
the dictionary of the Turn/the Tour de France 1996

References

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