1982 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1982 Tour de France was the 69th 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...

, taking place July 2 to July 25, 1982. The total race distance was 22 stages over 2179 miles (3507 km), with riders averaging 23.649 mph (38.059 km/h). It was won by 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...

, his fourth victory so far.

Changes from the 1981 Tour

In the 1981 Tour de France
1981 Tour de France
The 1981 Tour de France was the 68th Tour de France, taking place June 25 to July 19, 1981. The total race distance was 24 stages over 3753 km, with riders averaging 38.96 km/h....

, Urs Freuler
Urs Freuler
Urs Freuler is a Swiss cyclist, who raced professionally between 1980 and 1997, during which he won 71 victories. He was named Swiss Sports Personality of the Year in 1982 and 1983.He was born in Bilten...

, Eddy Planckaert
Eddy Planckaert
Eddy Planckaert is a former professional road racing cyclist from Belgium. In 1988, Planckaert enjoyed perhaps his best year by capturing the green jersey at the 1988 Tour de France and winning the Ronde van Vlaanderen...

 and Walter Planckaert
Walter Planckaert
Walter Planckaert is a former professional road racing cyclist. He was born on 8 April 1948 in Nevele, Belgium. He is the younger brother of Willy Planckaert and the older brother of Eddy Planckaert...

 had left the race before the Alps. The Tour organisers did not want this to happen again, so in 1982, cyclists were not allowed to leave the Tour without a good reason. A cyclist that left the Tour unauthorized would lose all the prize money that he won so far, receive a fine, and would not be allowed to join the next year.

Participants

In response to the finish of the 1981 Tour de France
1981 Tour de France
The 1981 Tour de France was the 68th Tour de France, taking place June 25 to July 19, 1981. The total race distance was 24 stages over 3753 km, with riders averaging 38.96 km/h....

, French minister of sports Edwige Avice objected to the amount of advertising in the race, and suggested the Tour to return to the national team format. The Tour organisation needed the money brought in by the sponsors, and no changes were made to the team structure.

The Tour organisation decided to start with 17 teams, each with 10 cyclists, for a total of 170, a new record. Tour director Félix Lévitan
Félix Lévitan
Félix Lévitan was the third organiser of the Tour de France, a role he shared for much of the time with Jacques Goddet...

 suggested to reduce the number of cyclists by starting with teams of 9 cyclists, but this was rejected.
Teams could submit a request to join until 15 May 1982. To promote cycling in the United States of America, the American national cycling team would automatically be accepted.

The following 17 teams each sent 10 cyclists, for a total of 170:
  • Renault-Elf-Gitane
  • La Redoute-Motobecane
  • Ti Raleigh-Campagnolo-Merckx
  • Capri Sonne-Campagnolo-Merckx
  • Peugeot-Shell-Michelin
  • Wickes-Bouwmarkt-Splendor
  • Vermeer-Thijs-Gios
  • SEM-France Loire-Campagnolo
  • Sunair-Colnago-Campagnolo
  • DAF Trucks-Tévé Blad-Rossin
  • Coop-Mercier-Mavic
  • Teka
  • Wolber-Spidel
  • Puch-Eurotex-Campagnolo
  • Inoxpran-Pentole Posate
  • Cilo-Aufina
  • Hoonved-Botecchia


Hinault, who had won the Tour in 1978, 1979 and 1981, and left the 1980 Tour in leading position, was the clear favourite for the victory. In those other years, Hinault had won several races before the Tour, but in 1982 he had only won one major race, the 1982 Giro d'Italia
1982 Giro d'Italia
The 1982 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 13 May to 6 June 1982, consisting of 22 stages. It was won by Bernard Hinault.- General classification :- Maglia rosa holders :- Other jerseys:*Maglia ciclamino: Francesco Moser...

. Hinault tried to be the fourth cyclist, after Fausto Coppi
Fausto Coppi
Angelo Fausto Coppi, , was the dominant international cyclist of the years each side of the Second World War. His successes earned him the title Il Campionissimo, or champion of champions...

, 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...

 and Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard 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...

, to win the Giro-Tour double.

Notable absent was Lucien Van Impe
Lucien Van Impe
Lucien van Impe was a Belgian cyclist from 1969 to 1987. He excelled mainly as a climber in multiple-day races such as the Tour de France...

, who was second in the 1981 Tour de France
1981 Tour de France
The 1981 Tour de France was the 68th Tour de France, taking place June 25 to July 19, 1981. The total race distance was 24 stages over 3753 km, with riders averaging 38.96 km/h....

, winning the mountains classification. Since the 1969 Tour de France
1969 Tour de France
The 1969 Tour de France was the 56th Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 20, 1969. It consisted of 22 stages over 4110 km , ridden at an average speed of 35.409 km/h...

, Van Impe had started each edition, winning the general classification in the 1976 Tour and the mountains classification five times. Van Impe wanted to join, but his team Metauro was not invited, as the organisation considered it not strong enough to ride both the Giro and the Tour. Van Impe tried to find a team to hire him only for the 1982 Tour, but was not successful.

Race details

After Bernard Hinault, the winner of the previous Tour
1981 Tour de France
The 1981 Tour de France was the 68th Tour de France, taking place June 25 to July 19, 1981. The total race distance was 24 stages over 3753 km, with riders averaging 38.96 km/h....

 and main favourite, won the prologue, seven seconds ahead of Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann
Gerrie Knetemann was a Dutch road bicycle racer who won the 1978 World Championship....

, Belgian Ludo Peeters took the lead in the first stage, by finishing 38 seconds ahead of the peloton. On the second stage however, Phil Anderson
Phil Anderson
Philip Grant Anderson OAM is an Australian former professional racing cyclist who was the first non-European to wear the yellow jersey of the Tour de France.-Origins:...

 took the lead. Anderson had worn the yellow jersey in the previous year also, the first time in history that the yellow jersey
Yellow jersey
The general classification in the Tour de France is the most important classification, the one by which the winner of the Tour de France is determined. Since 1919, the leader of the general classification wears the yellow jersey .-History:...

 was in non-European hands, but this year he would keep it longer.
In the fifth stage, a team time trial
Team time trial
A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...

 was scheduled. Employees of the Usinor
Usinor
Usinor was a French steel making group formed in 1948. The group was merged with Sacilor in 1986, becoming Usinor-Sacilor and was privatised in 1995, and renamed Usinor in 1997....

 stale factory in Denain were blocking the road, and the race had to be canceled, while some teams were already racing. The tour organisers quickly decided to replace it by an extra stage, in the morning before stage nine.

In the eighth stage, Régis Clère
Régis Clère
Régis Clère was a French professional road bicycle racer. Clère won three stages in the Tour de France. He won one of these stages, in the 1987 Tour de France, after he was almost eliminated after finishing outside the time limit in the previous stage, but the Tour de France jury allowed him to...

 had escaped, and created a margin of almost thirteen minutes. The stage ended on a circuit of 6 km, where 15 laps were planned. Clère was unable to lap the rest of the field because of a flat tire, and was caught by the rest.

Phil Anderson remained the leader until the individual time trial in stage ten. Then, as expected, Bernard Hinault took the lead, even though Gerrie Knetemann beat him in the time trial.

Then the race got to the Pyrenées. Hinault kept his rivals in sight, and allowed other cyclists to escape. Then, in stage 14, Hinault won the time trial, and had created a margin of more than five minutes.
In the alps, Hinault used the same tactics, and lost no time to his rivals. In stage sixteen, protesting farmers delayed the start of the race, but this time the race could continue, after the farmers allowed the riders to start.
Then, in the time trial in stage 19, Hinault won again.

Hinault was accused of riding a boring race. He responded by winning the final stage in Paris.

Stages

The 1982 Tour de France started on 2 July, and had two rest days, in Lille and Martigues.
Stage results
Stage Date Route Terrain Length Winner
P 2 July Basel
Basel
Basel or Basle In the national languages of Switzerland the city is also known as Bâle , Basilea and Basilea is Switzerland's third most populous city with about 166,000 inhabitants. Located where the Swiss, French and German borders meet, Basel also has suburbs in France and Germany...

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...

 
7 km (4.3 mi)
1 3 July Basel – Mohlin
Möhlin
Möhlin |Rheinfelden]] in the canton of Aargau in Switzerland.-History:The area around Möhlin was prehistorically settled. A neolithic settlement has been discovered at Chleizelgli, while scattered Bronze Age items were discovered around the municipality. There was a Roman era estate as well as...

Hilly stage
207 km (128.6 mi)
2 4 July Basel – Nancy
Plain stage
250 km (155.3 mi)
3 5 July Nancy – Longwy
Longwy
Longwy is a commune in the Meurthe-et-Moselle department in north-eastern France.The inhabitants are known as Longoviciens.-Economy:Longwy has historically been an industrial center of the Lorraine iron mining district. The town is known for its artistic glazed pottery.-History:Longwy initially...

Plain stage
134 km (83.3 mi)
4 6 July Beauraing
Beauraing
Beauraing is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Namur. On January 1, 2006 Beauraing had a total population of 8,344. The total area is 174.55 km², giving a population density of 48 inhabitants per km²....

 – Moeskroen
Plain stage
219 km (136.1 mi)
5 7 July Orchies
Orchies
-References:* -External links:*...

 – Fontaine au Pire
Team time trial
Team time trial
A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...

 
73 km (45.4 mi) Cancelled and replaced by stage 9A
6 8 July Lille
Lille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...

Plain stage
233 km (144.8 mi)
7 10 July Cancale
Cancale
Cancale is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France. It is known as the birthplace of Saint Jeanne Jugan.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Cancale are called Cancalais....

 – Concarneau
Concarneau
Concarneau is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in north-western France.The town has two distinct areas: the modern town on the mainland and the medieval Ville Close, a walled town on a long island in the centre of the harbour. Historically, the old town was a centre of shipbuilding...

Plain stage
235 km (146 mi)
8 11 July Concarneau – Chateaulin
Châteaulin
Châteaulin is a commune in the Finistère department in the region of Brittany in north-western France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.-Geography:...

Plain stage
201 km (124.9 mi)
9A 12 July Lorient
Lorient
Lorient, or L'Orient, is a commune and a seaport in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France.-History:At the beginning of the 17th century, merchants who were trading with India had established warehouses in Port-Louis...

 – Plumelec
Plumelec
Plumelec is a commune in the Morbihan department of Brittany in north-western France.-References:* * -External links:* * *...

Team time trial
Team time trial
A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart...

 
69 km (42.9 mi) Raleigh
9B Plumelec – Nantes
Nantes
Nantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....

Plain stage
138 km (85.7 mi)
10 13 July Saintes
Saintes
Saintes is a French commune located in Poitou-Charentes, in the southwestern Charente-Maritime department of which it is a sub-prefecture. Its inhabitants are called Saintaises and Saintais....

 – Bordeaux
Bordeaux
Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture...

Plain stage
147 km (91.3 mi)
11 14 July Valence d'Agen
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...

 
57 km (35.4 mi)
12 15 July Fleurance
Fleurance
Fleurance is a commune in the Gers department in southwestern France.-Population:-References:*...

 – Pau
Stage with mountain(s)
249 km (154.7 mi)
13 16 July Pau – St Lary Soulan
Stage with mountain(s)
122 km (75.8 mi)
14 18 July Martigues
Martigues
Martigues is a commune northwest of Marseille. It is part of the Bouches-du-Rhône department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region on the eastern end of the Canal de Caronte....

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...

 
33 km (20.5 mi)
15 19 July Manosque
Manosque
Manosque is the largest town and commune in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence department in southeastern France. However, it is not the préfecture of the département, which resides in the smaller town of Digne-les-Bains...

 – Orcieres Merlette
Stage with mountain(s)
208 km (129.2 mi)
16 20 July Orcieres Merlette – L'Alpe d'Huez
Stage with mountain(s)
123 km (76.4 mi)
17 21 July Bourg d'Oisans – Morzine
Morzine
Morzine is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France with panoramic mountain views, modern ski facilities and hotels and restaurants. The ski resort of Avoriaz is located on the territory of the commune...

Stage with mountain(s)
251 km (156 mi)
18 22 July Morzine – St Priest
Plain stage
233 km (144.8 mi)
19 23 July St Priest
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...

 
48 km (29.8 mi)
20 24 July Sens
Sens
Sens is a commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.Sens is a sub-prefecture of the department. It is crossed by the Yonne and the Vanne, which empties into the Yonne here.-History:...

 – Aulnay sous Bois
Plain stage
161 km (100 mi)
21 25 July Fontenay sous Bois – Parijs
Plain stage
187 km (116.2 mi)

General classification

Final general classification (1–10)
Rank Name Team Time
1 Renault 92h 08' 46"
2 Mercier +6' 21"
3 Raleigh +8' 59"
4 Capri Sonne-Campagnolo-Merckx +9' 24"
5 Peugeot +12' 16"
6 Cilo +13' 21"
7 Sunair-Colnago-Campagnolo +15' 33"
8 Mercier +15' 35"
9 DAF Trucks-Teve Blad-Rossin +17' 01"
10 Teka +17' 19"

Aftermath

Hinault's victory in 1982 is considered as the most effortless Tour victory in his career.

During the 1982 Tour de France, the Tour organisation was impressed by the global audience that the 1982 FIFA World Cup
1982 FIFA World Cup
The 1982 FIFA World Cup, the 12th FIFA World Cup, was held in Spain from 13 June to 11 July. The tournament was won by Italy, after defeating West Germany 3–1 in the final.-Host selection:...

 reached, and they made plans to develop the Tour into a World Cup format, run every four years, where teams from all over the earth would compete against each other. The main part of the race would be in France, but more other countries would be visited; it was discussed to start the Tour in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

.
The 1983 Tour de France was still run in the familiar format in France, but it was open to amateur teams, although only one Colombian accepted the invitation.
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