CONTENTS

Foreword

by Sean Kelly viiiA Commentator’s View by David Harmon xMap of Spain – the cities and the puertos xiiPrologue 11935–1936 The Vuelta of the Republic 61941–1942 The Negro with the Blue Eyes 181945–1950 The Years of Hunger 281955–1958 Two Roosters in the Farmyard 451959–1961 ‘The Race is over. May God forgive it!’ 681962–1965 Stars and Water-carriers 811966–1969 Waiting for a Champion 1021970–1975 Cycles of Pain 1181976–1982 The Transition 1501983 A Vintage Year 1791984–1989 Becoming European 1871990–1994 Swiss on a Roll 2151995–1997 Last Chance Saloon 2361998–2001 The Angliru – the Climbers’ Revenge 2552002–2004 ‘The crazy rhythm of the Spanish.’ 2752005 Viva la Vuelta! 294Appendix: La Vuelta, 1935–2005: Facts and Figures 301Bibliography 323Index 325

1983A Vintage Year

After seven years of mediocrity and foreign domination, culminating in theArroyo scandal, just as it was most needed, the Vuelta returned with one of its best editions ever. There was a vibrant atmosphere in prologue town Almusafes,with all the trappings of a modern cycling race: a television crew for daily livestage transmissions, a helicopter, a publicity caravan, not to mention the stars.The best cyclist in the world, Bernard Hinault, was there, and the Italian WorldChampion Giuseppe Saronni. A small miracle had taken place.The route was much harder than it had been for a long time, outdoing the

Giro this year with 38 puertos, 12 of them rst-category. The organisers had prepared a special surprise with a stage in Asturias nishing high in the Picos

de Europa by the Lake of Enol, which the cyclists immediately nicknamed theLake of Hinault.For, of course, there were fears that Hinault was going to do a Freddy Maertensand take the yellow jersey in the prologue, and keep it till Madrid. Hinault’s palmarés was terrifying: four Tours, two Giros and a Vuelta. He fully expectedto bag another Vuelta without undue stress, as in 1978, and then concentrate on

joining the ranks of Anquetil and Merckx by winning a fth Tour. As on his rst

visit to Spain, he was riding for Renault under the guidance of Cyrille Guimard, but their long and fruitful relationship was showing signs of strain.Unexpectedly, the prologue was won by Hinault’s young teammate,Dominique Gaigne, a 21-year-old neo-professional, who’d gone straight back

to the hotel after his turn, job done for the day, and was ned for not showing

up for the podium ceremony. The route had some dangerous curves – Saronni

fell, a bad omen – and Hinault explained with crushing self-condence why he

wasn’t in a hurry: ‘With 3,000 kilometres left to dispute, it was absurd to risk

everything in the rst six. I know when I’ll put on the yellow jersey, and as long

as I don’t have an accident, no one will take it off me.’The Press echoed Hinault’s conviction; after so many lacklustre years andthe debacle of ’82, there was an entrenched pessimism about the homegrown

riders, who seemed as complacent as ever when, at the end of the rst stage,

Hinault provoked a cut in the peloton just outside Cuenca. Most of the pelotonwaited for Saronni to take the initiative, which he failed to do, allowing theBreton to gain a few seconds. One who did respond was Juan Fernández of

Reynolds, whose familiarity with the steep cobbled rise leading to Cuenca’smain square gave him the winning edge.Those hoping to see a battle between Hinault and Saronni were angered bythe Italian’s lack of ambition, although he’d been perfectly honest about hisintentions: ‘I’m coming to the Vuelta to prepare for the Giro, my main goal of this season.’ This won him few friends, but clearly the preparation was ideal – hewon the Giro the following month. His idea in Spain had been to win the yellow jersey in the prologue and pick up some stages, but events weren’t turning out as planned. In Teruel, at the end of an uncomfortably cold and wet stage, Saronni’steam, Del Tongo, prepared the ground perfectly. Rudy Pevenage and GermanChampion Dietrich Thurau took turns at the front, stretching out the pelotonwith their diabolical pace. As he began his sprint, Saronni failed to notice theyoung Belgian of Aernodout, Eric Vanderaerden, powering from behind toovertake him on the line. Not a gracious loser, Saronni blamed a motorbike for obstruction, rather than his own lack of form. With stories already circulating of the Italian getting towed up hills, he was carvingout a niche for himself as thevillain of the race.As the peloton made their way north through Catalunya, José AntonioCabrero of Hueso, one of Spain’s most modest teams, attacked eight kilometres

from the nish in Sant Quirze de Vallès, and Hinault’s top domestique, 22-year-

old Laurent Fignon didn’t hesitate to jump on his wheel. This inspired AntonioColl of Teka and Marino Lejarreta – who’d taken the unusual decision to goabroad and ride for an Italian team, Alfa Lum – to do likewise. The Huesorider found himself outclassed and was soon dropped, and with Lejarreta doingmost of the work, Fignon took the stage, although the Basque was rewarded by

moving from 29th to 10th on general classication. Fignon had to listen to harsh

words from his leader that evening for having lured Lejarreta out of the peloton,inadvertently cutting Hinault’s lead on Marino to only 20 seconds on the eve

of the rst tough mountain stage. Hinault could never have suspected he was

admonishing the winner of the next two Tours de France, and the usurper of his position in the team.‘The Vuelta begins today’, proclaimed

El País

before the fth stage, whichnished in a tiny Catalan village, Castellar de N’Hug, high up in the folds of

the Pyrenean foothills. With Renault in command, the peloton arrived intact

at the base of the nal 30kilometre climb, where Vicente Belda of Kelme

launched the hostilities. A group of the strongest formed up front: Lejarreta,Hinault, Fignon and Alberto Fernández of Zor, his morale high after winningthe Setmana Catalana. When Alberto jumped, he kept clear of his pursuers tothe end, Hinault and Lejarreta coming in three seconds behind. The Breton was