1991 Tour de France
The 1991 Tour de France was the 78th edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 6 to 28 July. The total race distance was 22 stages over 3,914 km (2,432 mi). The race was won by Miguel Indurain, whose Banesto team also won the team classification. The points classification was won by Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, although he almost crashed out in the final stage. The mountains classification was won by Claudio Chiappucci, and the young rider classification by Álvaro Mejía.
 Route of the 1991 Tour de France | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 6–28 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 22 + Prologue | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,914 km (2,432 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 101h 01' 20" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Teams
The 1991 Tour had a starting field of 22 teams of 9 cyclists.[1] Sixteen teams qualified by being ranked in the top 16 of the FICP ranking for teams in May 1991:[2] After the 1991 Giro d'Italia and the Dauphiné Libéré, the Tour organiser gave six additional wildcards.[3]
Of the 198 cyclists starting the race, 38 were riding the Tour de France for the first time.[4] The average age of riders in the race was 28.30 years,[5] ranging from the 21-year-old Dimitri Zhdanov (Panasonic–Sportlife) to the 36-year-old Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle (Z).[6] The Chateau d'Ax–Gatorade cyclists had the youngest average age while the riders on Motorola had the oldest.[7]
The teams entering the race were:[1]
Qualified teams
Invited teams
Pre-race favourites
Greg LeMond, the winner of the last two editions, was still considered a favourite going into the race,[8] although not by the French media, as his early season had been unsuccessful.[9]
Route and stages
The highest point of elevation in the race was 2,115 m (6,939 ft) at the summit of the Col du Tourmalet mountain pass on stage 13.[10][11]
| Stage | Date | Course | Distance | Type | Winner | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 6 July | Lyon | 5.4 km (3.4 mi) |  | Individual time trial |  |
| 1 | 7 July | Lyon to Lyon | 114.5 km (71.1 mi) |  | Plain stage |  |
| 2 | 7 July | Bron to Chassieu | 36.5 km (22.7 mi) | | Team time trial | Ariostea |
| 3 | 8 July | Villeurbanne to Dijon | 210.5 km (130.8 mi) | | Plain stage | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| 4 | 9 July | Dijon to Reims | 286.0 km (177.7 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 5 | 10 July | Reims to Valenciennes | 149.5 km (92.9 mi) | | Plain stage |  |
| 6 | 11 July | Arras to Le Havre | 259.0 km (160.9 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 7 | 12 July | Le Havre to Argentan | 167.0 km (103.8 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 8 | 13 July | Argentan to Alençon | 73.0 km (45.4 mi) | | Individual time trial |  |
| 9 | 14 July | Alençon to Rennes | 161.0 km (100.0 mi) | | Plain stage |  |
| 10 | 15 July | Rennes to Quimper | 207.5 km (128.9 mi) | | Plain stage | .svg.png){kind=small} |
| 11 | 16 July | Quimper to Saint-Herblain | 246.0 km (152.9 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 17 July | Pau | Rest day | ||||
| 12 | 18 July | Pau to Jaca (Spain) | 192.0 km (119.3 mi) |  | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 13 | 19 July | Jaca (Spain) to Val-Louron | 232.0 km (144.2 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) |  |
| 14 | 20 July | St Gaudens to Castres | 172.5 km (107.2 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 15 | 21 July | Albi to Ales | 235.0 km (146.0 mi) |  | Hilly stage | |
| 16 | 22 July | Alès to Gap | 215.0 km (133.6 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| 17 | 23 July | Gap to Alpe d'Huez | 125.0 km (77.7 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 18 | 24 July | Le Bourg-d'Oisans to Morzine | 255.0 km (158.4 mi) | | Stage with mountain(s) | |
| 19 | 25 July | Morzine to Aix-les-Bains | 177.0 km (110.0 mi) | | Hilly stage | |
| 20 | 26 July | Aix-les-Bains to Mâcon | 160.0 km (99.4 mi) | | Hilly stage | |
| 21 | 27 July | Lugny to Mâcon | 57.0 km (35.4 mi) | | Individual time trial | |
| 22 | 28 July | Melun to Paris (Champs-Élysées) | 178.0 km (110.6 mi) | | Plain stage | |
| Total | 3,914 km (2,432 mi)[16] | |||||
Race overview
The prologue was won by specialist Thierry Marie, who also had won the prologue in the previous race. LeMond finished with the third-best time.[8] In the first stage, a group of eleven cyclists escaped, including some cyclists aiming for the overall win: LeMond, Breukink, Rolf Sørensen and Kelly. Marie was not in this group, and thanks to time bonuses LeMond became the race leader. Later that day, the team time trial (stage 2) was run, won by Sørensen's team, and Sørensen became the new leader of the general classification.[8]
Sørensen kept the lead for a few stages, but in the fifth stage he fell (crashing into a traffic island)[17] and broke his clavicle. He managed to finish the stage, but was unable to start the next stage, so the sixth stage started without a yellow jersey.[18] In that sixth stage, Thierry Marie escaped early in the stage, and reached the finish alone, with a solo of 234 kilometres (145 mi), the third-longest post-war solo escape in the Tour de France. His margin to the rest was big enough to put him back in the top position of the general classification.[8] The time trial in stage eight was won by Miguel Indurain, with LeMond in second place, only eight seconds slower. This was enough to make LeMond the new leader, with Breukink in second place.[8] Stage 9 saw the first Brazilian, Mauro Ribeiro, to win a stage at the Tour de France.[17]
Before the tenth stage, two cyclists from PDM gave up. During that stage, two more gave up, and one came in late. The team revealed that the remaining four cyclists (including Breukink, Kelly and Alcala, ranked in the top ten of the general classification) were also sick, and the next morning the entire team abandoned. There were rumours that a doping program had gone wrong, but no official penalties were given.[8] After the eleventh stage, there was a rest day, on which the cyclists were transferred from Nantes to Pau, by airplane. Urs Zimmermann had a fear of flying, so he refused to use the airplane. The jury then disqualified him, but after the other cyclists protested, he was allowed to use other means of transportation.[9]
The Tour entered the Pyrenees in the twelfth stage. A group escaped with some strong outsiders: Luc Leblanc, Charly Mottet and Pascal Richard. LeMond was unable to organise the chase, so the group stayed away until the finish. Mottet won the stage, and Leblanc became the new leader in the general classification, with LeMond now in second place.[8]
The thirteenth stage included even more climbs than the twelfth stage. LeMond escaped on the bottom of the Tourmalet, but Indurain chased him and reached him, taking other cyclists with him. Near the top of the Tourmalet, LeMond was unable to follow, and lost contact with the others. After the top, LeMond was able to get back on the descent, but in the meantime Indurain had escaped. LeMond tried to get back to Indurain, but was unable to do so. When they reached the start of the climb of the Col d'Aspin, LeMond was within sight of Indurain, but on the climb Indurain increased the distance.
Claudio Chiappucci had escaped from the chasing group, and was getting close to Indurain. When Indurain heard this, he waited for Chiappucci; they then worked together to get away from LeMond. Chiappucci and Indurain stayed away until the finish; Chiappucci won the stage and Indurain became the new leader. LeMond finished that stage in ninth place, losing more than seven minutes.[8]
The next three stages were relatively flat, and normally no important changes in the general classification are expected. But LeMond did everything he could to win back time, and escaped on the sixteenth stage; finishing in second place, he won back almost half a minute.[8]
The seventeenth stage was in the Alps, with an uphill finish on l'Alpe d'Huez. Gianni Bugno won, closely followed by Indurain. LeMond lost two more minutes this stage.[8] The eighteenth stage was the last mountainous stage, and in this stage LeMond lost almost seven minutes. Indurain was leading the race, three minutes before Gianni Bugno. Because a time trial, Indurain's specialty, was the last serious obstacle in the race, Indurain was almost sure of the victory. And indeed, Indurain won that time trial, so he won the Tour de France of 1991.[8]
In the last stage, there was a crash on the Champs-Elysées, just before the finish, after Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, sprinting for the stage victory, hit a barrier. Abdoujaparov was leading the points classification, but had to finish the stage to win this classification. After fifteen minutes, he was able to get up and walk his bicycle across the finish line.[8]
Classification leadership and minor prizes
There were several classifications in the 1991 Tour de France.[19] The most important was the general classification, calculated by adding each cyclist's finishing times on each stage. The cyclist with the least accumulated time was the race leader, identified by the yellow jersey; the winner of this classification is considered the winner of the Tour.[20]
Additionally, there was a points classification, which awarded a green jersey. In the points classification, cyclists got points for finishing among the best in a stage finish, or in intermediate sprints. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and was identified with a green jersey.[21]
There was also a mountains classification. The organisation had categorised some climbs as either hors catégorie, first, second, third, or fourth-category; points for this classification were won by the first cyclists that reached the top of these climbs first, with more points available for the higher-categorised climbs. The cyclist with the most points lead the classification, and wore a white jersey with red polka dots.[22]
The fourth individual classification was the young rider classification, which was not marked by a jersey in 1991. This was decided the same way as the general classification, but only riders under 26 years were eligible.[23]
For the team classification, the times of the best three cyclists per team on each stage were added; the leading team was the team with the lowest total time. The leaders of the team classification had previously worn yellow caps, but this was abandoned after the 1990 Tour.[24]
In addition, there was a combativity award given after each mass-start stage to the cyclist considered most combative. The decision was made by a jury composed of journalists who gave points. The cyclist with the most points from votes in all stages led the combativity classification.[25] Claudio Chiappucci won this classification, and was given overall the super-combativity award.[13] The Souvenir Henri Desgrange was given in honour of Tour founder Henri Desgrange to the first rider to pass the summit of the Col du Tourmalet on stage 13. This prize was won by Chiappucci.[26][10][27]
Final standings
| Legend | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
Denotes the winner of the general classification |  |
Denotes the winner of the points classification | |
 |
Denotes the winner of the mountains classification | |||
General classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Banesto | 101h 01' 20" |
| 2 | | Chateau d'Ax–Gatorade | + 3' 36" |
| 3 | | Carrera Jeans–Tassoni | + 5' 56" |
| 4 | | RMO | + 7' 37" |
| 5 | | Castorama–Raleigh | + 10' 10" |
| 6 | | Castorama–Raleigh | + 11' 27" |
| 7 |  | Z | + 13' 13" |
| 8 | | Motorola | + 13' 40" |
| 9 | | Banesto | + 20' 10" |
| 10 | | Helvetia–La Suisse | + 20' 13" |
.svg.png){kind=small}
.svg.png){kind=small}
Points classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Carrera Jeans–Tassoni | 316 |
| 2 | | Toshiba | 263 |
| 3 |  | Panasonic–Sportlife | 175 |
| 4 | | Tonton Tapis–GB | 159 |
| 5 | | Histor–Sigma | 151 |
| 6 | | Histor–Sigma | 143 |
| 7 | | Z | 139 |
| 8 | | Panasonic–Sportlife | 130 |
| 9 | | Motorola | 127 |
| 10 | | TVM–Sanyo | 107 |
Mountains classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | Carrera Jeans–Tassoni | 312 |
| 2 | | RMO | 277 |
| 3 | | Castorama–Raleigh | 164 |
| 4 | | Chateau d'Ax–Gatorade | 157 |
| 5 | | Banesto | 141 |
| 6 | | Motorola | 128 |
| 7 | | RMO | 122 |
| 8 |  | Helvetia–La Suisse | 118 |
| 9 | | Ariostea | 110 |
| 10 | | Lotto | 88 |
Young rider classification
| Rank | Rider | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Postobón–Manzana–Ryalcao | 101h 35' 12" |
| 2 | | Buckler–Colnago–Decca | + 20' 55" |
| 3 | | Helvetia–La Suisse | + 55' 29" |
| 4 | | RMO | + 1h 02' 13" |
| 5 | | ONCE | + 1h 08' 22" |
| 6 | | Panasonic–Sportlife | + 1h 15' 40" |
| 7 | | Carrera Jeans–Tassoni | + 1h 23' 46" |
| 8 | | Amaya Seguros | + 2h 05' 56" |
| 9 | | CLAS–Cajastur | + 2h 11' 12" |
| 10 |  | Tonton Tapis–GB | + 2h 25' 33" |
Team classification
| Rank | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banesto | 303h 28' 50" |
| 2 | Castorama–Raleigh | + 25' 44" |
| 3 | RMO | + 50' 25" |
| 4 | Z | + 57' 29" |
| 5 | Postobón–Manzana–Ryalcao | + 1h 09' 45" |
| 6 | Helvetia–La Suisse | + 1h 11' 19" |
| 7 | ONCE | + 1h 27' 50" |
| 8 | Amaya Seguros | + 1h 38' 24" |
| 9 | Toshiba | + 1h 40' 08" |
| 10 | Carrera Jeans–Tassoni | + 1h 51' 27" |
Notes
References
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1991 – The starters". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "Ploegen Post en Priem in wachtkamer voor Tour". Nieuwsblad voor het Noorden (in Dutch). Koninklijke Bibliotheek. 23 May 1991. p. 11. Retrieved 28 December 2013.
- "Dhaenens,Theunisse,Roche et Fignon seront au départ de Lyon le 6 Juillet : Le TOur de France a choisi ses équipes" (in French). Le Soir. 19 June 1991. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- "Tour de France 1991 – Debutants". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- "Tour de France 1991 – Peloton averages". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- "Tour de France 1991 – Youngest competitors". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- "Tour de France 1991 – Average team age". ProCyclingStats. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
- McGann & McGann 2008, pp. 198–203.
- Boyce, Barry (2012). "The Arrival of the Indurain Era". Cycling revealed. Retrieved 5 April 2013.
- Augendre 2016, p. 188.
- "Bergetappes" [Mountain stages]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 6 July 1991. p. 43 – via Delpher.
- "78ème Tour de France 1991" [78th Tour de France 1991]. Mémoire du cyclisme (in French). Retrieved 6 April 2020.
- Augendre 2016, p. 82.
- Zwegers, Arian. "Tour de France GC top ten". CVCC. Archived from the original on 16 May 2008. Retrieved 15 August 2011.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1991 – The stage winners". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- Augendre 2016, p. 110.
- Cossins et al. 2013, pp. 180–181.
- "Sörensen stapt af". Leidsche Courant (in Dutch). Regionaal archief Leiden. 11 July 1991. p. 1.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 452–455.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 452–453.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 453–454.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, p. 454.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, pp. 454–455.
- Nauright & Parrish 2012, p. 455.
- van den Akker 2018, pp. 211–216.
- "De winnaar kan bijna iedereen zijn" [The winner can be almost anyone]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). 6 July 1991. p. 43 – via Delpher.
- "Tour de France". Le Soir (in French). 5 July 1991.
- "Tour de France 1991 – Leaders overview". ProCyclingStats. Archived from the original on 16 February 2019. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
- van den Akker, Pieter. "Informatie over de Tour de France van 1991" [Information about the Tour de France from 1991]. TourDeFranceStatistieken.nl (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2 March 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2019.
- "The history of the Tour de France – Year 1991 – Stage 22 Melun > Paris". Tour de France. Amaury Sport Organisation. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- "De Tour in cijfers". Leidsch Dagblad (in Dutch). Regionaal Archief Leiden. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- "Championnats de Belgique des Jeunes a Seraing". Le Soir (in French). 29 July 1991. p. 23. Retrieved 12 April 2012.
- "Tour de France 1991 – Youth classification". ProCyclingStats. Archived from the original on 18 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
- "Tour 1991 classificaciones" (PDF). Mundo Deportivo (in Spanish). 29 July 1991. p. 17. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 October 2019.
Bibliography
- Augendre, Jacques (2016). Guide historique [Historical guide] (PDF). Tour de France (in French). Paris: Amaury Sport Organisation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 August 2016. Retrieved 27 October 2016.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Cossins, Peter; Best, Isabel; Sidwells, Chris; Griffith, Clare (2013). Le Tour 100: The Definitive History of the World's Greatest Race. London: Hachette UK. ISBN 978-1-84403-759-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- McGann, Bill; McGann, Carol (2008). The Story of the Tour de France: 1965–2007. 2. Indianapolis, IN: Dog Ear Publishing. ISBN 978-1-59858-608-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Nauright, John; Parrish, Charles (2012). Sports Around the World: History, Culture, and Practice. 2. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. ISBN 978-1-59884-300-2.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- van den Akker, Pieter (2018). Tour de France Rules and Statistics: 1903–2018. Self-published. ISBN 978-1-79398-080-9.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
Further reading
- Liggett, Phil; Wilcockson, John; Guinness, Rupert (1991). The Cycling Year: A Record of the 1991 Cycle Racing Season. 2. London: Springfield Books. ISBN 978-1-85688-020-6.
External links
