Race Details
After Bernard Hinault, the winner of the previous Tour and main favourite, won the prologue, seven seconds ahead of Gerrie Knetemann, 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 took the lead. Anderson had worn the yellow jersey in the previous year also, the first time in history that the yellow jersey was in non-European hands, but this year he would keep it longer. In the fifth stage, a team time trial was scheduled. Employees of the Usinor 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 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.
Read more about this topic: 1982 Tour De France
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