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Map of the 1991 Tour de France

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Les Woodland's book Cycling's 50 Triumphs & Tragedies: The Rise and Fall of Bicycle Racing's Champions is available as an audiobook here.

1991 Tour de France quick facts

The 1991 Tour had 22 stages plus a prologue that totaled 3914.4 kilometers.

It was ridden at an average speed of 38.747 km/hr.

198 riders started and there were 158 classified finishers.

This was Miguel Indurain's first of five consecutive Tour victories.

While wearing yellow Rolf Sorensen crashed near the end of stage five, breaking his clavicle. He was forced to abandon.

Thierry Marie won the following stage and the lead by executing the longest post-war solo break (234 km).

Greg LeMond was expected to repeat his 1989 and 1990 Tour wins with a third consecutive victory. LeMond took the lead in the stage eight time trial and looked capable of holding it all the way to Paris.

In the final 500 meters of stage 13's ascent of the Tourmalet, LeMond couldn't stay with the leaders.

That moment signalled the transition from the LeMond era to the near total hegemony of Miguel Indurain.

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1. Miguel Indurain (Banesto) 101hr 1min 20sec
2. Gianni Bugno (Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax) @ 3min 36sec
3. Claudio Chiappucci (Carrera) @ 5min 56sec
4. Charly Mottet (RMO) @ 7min 37sec
5. Luc Leblanc (Castorama) @ 10min 10sec
6. Laurent Fignon (Castorama) @ 11min 27sec
7. Greg LeMond (Z) @ 13min 13sec
8. Andrew Hampsten (Motorola) @ 13min 40sec
9. Pedro Delgado (Banesto) @ 20min 10sec
10. Gerard Rué (Helvetia) @ 20min 13sec
11. Eduardo Chozas (ONCE) @ 21min 0sec
12. Abelardo Rondon (Banesto) @ 26min 47sec
13. Gert-Jan Theunisse (TVM) @ 27min 10sec
14. Jean-François Bernard (Banesto) @ 28min 57sec
15. Maurizio Fondriest (Panasonic) @ 30min 9sec
16. Denis Roux (Toshiba) @ 20min 40sec
17. Eric Caritoux (RMO) @ 32min 39sec
18. Alberto Luis Camargo (Ryalcao) @ 32min 54sec
19. Alvaro Mejia (Ryalcao) @ 33min 52sec
20. Frédéric Vichot (Castorama) @ 36min 43sec
21. Gilles Delion (Helvetia) @ 38min 43sec
22. Javier Murguialday (Amaya Seguros) @ 39min 11sec
23. Jérôme Simon (Z) @ 39min 14sec
24. Fabrice Philippot (Banesto) @ 41min 56sec
25. Thierry Bourguignon (Toshiba) @ 42min 32sec
26. Steven Rooks (Buckler) @ 44min 49sec
27. Thierry Claveyrolat (RMO) @ 44min 49sec
28. Patrice Esnault (Amaya Seguros) @ 46min 14sec
29. Roberto Conti (Ariostea) @ 46min 41sec
30. Marco Giovannetti (Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax) @ 47min 6sec
31. Luis Herrera (Ryalcao) @ 47min 58sec
32. Uwe Ampler (Histor) @ 49min 11sec
33. Pello Ruiz (Clas) @ 53min 21sec
34. Gerrit de Vries (Buckler) @ 54min 47sec
35. Johan Bruyneel (Lotto) @ 57min 28sec
36. Jean-Claude Bagot (Castorama) @ 58min 40sec
37. Anselmo Fuerte (ONCE) @ 59min 20sec
38. Eric Boyer (Z) @ 59min 51sec
39. Alberto Leanizbarrutia (Clas) @ 1hr 3min 9sec
40. Alessandro Gianelli (Carrera) @ 1hr 3min 52sec
41. Ronan Pensec (Amaya Seguros) @ 1hr 6min 4sec
42. Viatcheslav Ekimov (Panasonic) @ 1hr 6min 17sec
43. Henry Cardenas (Ryalcao) @ 1hr 7min 23sec
44. Philippe Louviot (Toshiba) @ 1hr 7min 31sec
45. Phil Anderson (Motorola) @ 1hr 8min 13sec
46. Gerardo Moncada (Ryalcao) @ 1hr 8min 45sec
47. Mauro Ribeiro (RMO) @ 1hr 9min 45sec
48. Oscar Vargas (Ryalcao) @ 1hr 11min 4sec
49. Pascal Richard (Helvetia) @ 1hr 11min 16sec
50. Didier Virvaleix (Histor) @ 1hr 12min 5sec
51. Laurent Pillon (Tonton Tapis-Corona) @ 1hr 12min 27sec
52. Dmitri Konyshev (TVM) @ 1hr 16min 56sec
53. Marino Lejaretta (ONCE) @ 1hr 18min 8sec
54. Bruno Cornillet (Z) @ 1hr 18min 59sec
55. Francisco Mauléon (Clas) @ 1hr 20min 28sec
56. Bruno Cenghialta (Ariostea) @ 1hr 20min 42sec
57. Pascal Simon (Castorama) @ 1hr 22min 17sec
58. Reynel Montoya (Ryalcao) @ 1hr 23min 15sec
59. Moreno Argentin (Ariostea) @ 1hr 23min 21sec
60. Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle (Z) @ 1hr 26min 57sec
61. Iñaki Gaston (Clas) @ 1hr 28min 43sec
62. Guy Nulens (Panasonic) @ 1hr 29min 10sec
63. Dominik Krieger (Helvetia) @ 1hr 29min 21sec
64. Melchior Mauri (ONCE) @ 1hr 29min 25sec
65. Andreas Kappes (Histor) @ 1hr 29min 25sec
66. Francisco Espinosa (Clas) @ 1hr 30min 55sec
67. Stephen Hodge (ONCE) @ 1hr 32min 52sec
68. Dominique Arnould (Castorama) @ 1hr 33min 20sec
69. Guido Winterberg (Helvetia) @ 1hr 34min 35sec
70. Pascal Lino (RMO) @ 1hr 34min 38sec
71. Laurent Jalabert (Toshiba) @ 1hr 36min 5sec
72. Robert Millar (Z) @ 1hr 36min 6sec
73. Olaf Lurvik (Toshiba) @ 1hr 39min 31sec
74. Jesus Montoya (Amaya Seguros) @ 1hr 41min 21sec
75. Heminio Diaz (ONCE) @ 1hr 42min 13sec
76. Miguel Angel Martinez (ONCE) @ 1hr 42min 14sec
77. Dominique Arnaud (Banesto) @ 1hr 42min 32sec
78. Marc van Orsouw (Panasonic) @ 1hr 43min 45sec
79. Rolf Gölz (Ariostea) @ 1hr 43min 45sec
80. Jean-Claude Colotti (Tonton Tapis-Corona) @ 1hr 44min 54sec
81. Marc Sergeant (Panasonic) @ 1hr 44min 59ec
82. Patrick Jacobs (Tonton Tapis-Corona) @ 1hr 45min 55sec
83. Rolf Järmann (Weinmannn) @ 1hr 46min 45sec
84. Eric Van Lancker (Panasonic) @ 1hr 47min 47sec
85. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Carrera) @ 1hr 49min 5sec
86. Dimitri Zhdanov (Panasonic) @ 1hr 49min 5sec
87. Philippe Casado (Z) @ 1hr 49min 32sec
88. Vladimir Poulnikov (Carrera) @ 1hr 50min 50sec
89. Valerio Tebaldi (Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax) @ 1hr 53min 1sec
90. Frank Van Den Abeele (Lotto) @ 1hr 53min 1sec
91. Alberto Elli (Ariostea) @ 1hr 55min 35sec
92. Christophe Lavainne (Castorama) @ 1hr 56min 16sec
93. Enrico Zaina (Carrera) @ 1hr 57min 38sec
94. Peter Stevenhaagen (Helvetia) @ 1hr 58min 3sec
95. Wilfried Peeters (Histor) @ 1hr 58min 52sec
96. Guido Bontempi (Carrera) @ 2hr 0min 29sec
97. Steve Bauer (Motorola) @ 2hr 0min 57sec
98. Mauro Gianetti (Helvetia) @ 2hr 2min 3sec
99. Pascal Lance (Toshiba) @ 2hr 3min 35sec
100. Jesús Rodríguez (Banesto) @ 2hr 4min 21sec
101. François Lemarchand (Z) @ 2hr 4min 30sec
102. Thierry Laurent (RMO) @ 2hr 6min 7sec
103. Edwig van Hooydonck (Buckler) @ 2hr 6min 43sec
104. Arsenio Chaparro (Ryalcao) @ 2hr 6min 48sec
105. Michel Dernies (Weinmann) @ 2hr 7min 3sec
106. Roland Le Clerc (Amaya Seguros) @ 2hr 7min 26sec
107. Bjarne Riis (Casotrama) @ 2hr 8min 1sec
108. Henrie Abadie (Toshiba) @ 2hr 8min 3sec
109. Rudy Verdonck (Weinmann) @ 2hr 9min54sec
110. Christian Chaubet (Toshiba) @ 2hr 11min 22sec
111. Thierry Marie (Castorama) @ 2hr 12min 37sec
112. Davide Cassani (Ariostea) @ 2hr 12min 38sec
113. Werner Stutz (Weinmann) @ 2hr 12min 48sec
114. Olaf Ludwig (Panasonic) @ 2hr 12min 54sec
115. Marc Madiot (RMO) @ 2hr 13min 22sec
116. Urs Zimmermann (Motorola) @ 2hr 13min 58sec
117. Jelle Nijdam (Buckler) @ 2hr 15min 5sec
118. Michel Vermote (RMO) @ 2hr 15min 32sec
119. Luis Javier Lukin (Banesto) @ 2hr 16min 23sec
120. Giancarlo Perini (Carrera) @ 2hr 16min 47sec
121. Vassili Jdanov (TVM) @ 2hr 16min 52sec
122. Javier Duch (Clas) @ 2hr 17min 4sec
123. Marino Alonso (Banesto) @ 2hr 19min 44sec
124. Brian Holm (Histor) @ 2hr 20min 16sec
125. Etienne De Wilde (Histor) @ 2hr 20min 21sec
126. Andy Bishop (Motorola) @ 2hr 20min 30sec
127. Eric Vanderaerden (Buckler) @ 2hr 20min 43sec
128. Erich Mächler (Carrera) @ 2hr 21min 5sec
129. Frans Massen (Buckler) @ 2hr 21min 31sec
130. Patrick Verschueren (Lotto) @ 2hr 23min 49sec
131. Roberto Gusmeroli (Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax) @ 2hr 25min 30sec
132. Francis Moreau (Tonton Tapis-Corona) @ 2hr 26min 6sec
133. Gerrit Solleveld (Buckler) @ 2hr 26min 47sec
134. Jure Pavlic (Carrera) @ 2hr 26min 56sec
135. Per Pedersen (Amaya Seguros) @ 2hr 28min 11sec
136. Sergei Uslamin (TVM) @ 2hr 29min 21sec
137. Peter De Clercq (Lotto) @ 2hr 29min 26sec
138. Ron Keifel (Motorola) @ 2hr 31min 24sec
139. Jan Schur (Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax) @ 2hr 31min 45sec
140. Hendrik Redant (Lotto) @ 2hr 32min 11sec
141. Stefano Zanatta (Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax) @ 2hr 32min 27sec
142. Rik van Slycke (Lotto) @ 2hr 38min 25sec
143. Enrique Guerrikagoitia (Amaya Seguros) @ 2hr 39min 48sec
144. Henri Manders (Helvetia) @ 2hr 43min 34sec
145. Alfred Achermann (Weinmann) @ 2hr 44min 38sec
146. Jan Siemons (TVM) @ 2hr 44min 38sec
147. Mauro-Antonio Santaromita (Gatorade-Chataeu d'Ax) @ 2hr 45min 4sec
148. José-Manuel Oliveira (Clas) @ 2hr 46min 27sec
149. Giuseppe Calcaterra (Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax) @ 2hr 48min 11sec
150. Ludwig Willems (Weinmann) @ 2hr 58min 10sec
151. Carlos Jamarillo (Ryalcao) @ 2hr 58min 47sec
152. Eddy Schurer (TVM) @ 2hr 58min 55sec
153. Lawrence Roche (Tonton Tapis-Crona) @ 2hr 59min 25sec
154. Twan Poels (Buckler) @ 3hr 0min 15sec
155. Thomas Wegmüller (Weinmann) @ 3hr 0min 26sec
156. Thomas Barth (TVM) @ 2hr 5min 33sec
157. Wiebren Veenstra (Buckler) @ 3hr 13min 58sec
158. Rob Harmeling (TVM) @ 3hr 25min 51sec

Climbers Competition:

1. Claudio Chiappucci (Carrera): 312 points
2. Thierry Claveyrolat (RMO): 277
3. Luc Leblanc (Castorama): 164
4. Gianni Bugno (Gatorade-Chateau d'Ax): 157
5. Miguel Indurain (Banesto): 141
6. Andrew Hampsten (Motorola): 128
7. Charly Mottet (RMO): 122
8. Pascal Richard (Helvetia): 118
9. Roberto Conti (Ariostea): 110
10. Peter De Clercq (Lotto): 88

Points Competition:

1. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Carrera): 316 points
2. Laurent Jalabert (Toshiba): 263
3. Olaf Ludwig (Panasonic): 175
4. Jean-Claude Colotti (Tonton Tapis-Corona): 159
5. Andreas Kappes (Histor): 151
6. Etienne De Wilde (Histor): 143
7. Greg LeMond (Z): 139
8. Maurizio Fondriest (Panasonic): 130
9. Phil Anderson (Motorola): 127
10. Dmitri Konychev (TVM): 107

Team Classification:

1. Banesto: 303hr 28min 50sec
2. Castorama @ 25min 44sec
3. RMO @ 50min 25sec
4. Z @ 57min 29sec
5. Postobón @ 1hr 9min 45sec
6. Helvestia @ 1hr 11min 19sec
7. Amaya Seguros @ 1hr 38min 24sec
8. Toshiba @ 1hr 40min 8sec
9. Carrera @ 1hr 51min 27sec

Best Young Rider:

1. Alvaro Mejia (Ryalcao)
2. Gerrit de Vries (Buckler)
3. Dominik Krieger (Helvetia)
4. Laurent Jalabert (Toshiba)
5. Dimitri Zhdanov (Panasonic)

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Prologue: Sunday, July 6, Lyon 5.4 km Individual Time Trial. Stage and GC places and times are the same.

1. Thierry Marie: 6min 11sec

2. Erik Breukink @ 2sec

3. Greg LeMond @ 3sec

4. Francis Moreau @ 7sec

5. Melchior Mauri @ 8sec

6. Jelle Nijdam s.t.

7. Miguel Indurain @ 9sec

8. Viatcheslav Ekimov s.t.

9. Jean François Bernard @ 10sec

10. Jesper Skibby s.t.

 

Stage 1: Sunday, July 7, Lyon - Lyon, 114.5 km.

1. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov: 2hr 28min 54sec

2. Sean Kelly s.t.

3. Greg LeMond s.t.

4. Rudy Dhaenens s.t.

5. Michel Vermote s.t.

6. Rolf Sorensen s.t.

7. Gilles Delion s.t.

8. Erik Breukink s.t.

9. Rolf Jaermann @ 5sec

10. Bruno Cornillet s.t.

 

GC after Stage 1:

1. Greg LeMond: 2hr 34min 54sec

2. Erik Breujink @ 11sec

3. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 23sec

4. Rolf Sorensen s.t.

5. Sean Kelly @ 25sec

 

Stage 2: Sunday, July 7, Bron - Chassieu 36.5 km Team Time Trial

1. Ariostea: 41min 23sec

2. Castorama @ 8sec

3. Panasonic @ 35sec

4. PDM @ 40sec

5. CLAS @ 45sec

6. Buckler @ 49sec

7. Z s.t.(?)

8. Motorola @ 59sec

9. Gatorade s.t.

10. Banesto @ 1min 5sec

 

GC after Stage 2:

1. Rolf Sorensen: 3hr 16min 56sec

2. Greg LeMond @ 10sec

3. Erik Breukink @ 12sec

4. Sean Kelly @ 26sec

5. Rudy Dhaenens @ 33sec

6. Bruno Cornillet @ 50sec

7. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 53sec

8. Raul Alcala @ 1min 2sec

9. Michel Vermote @ 1min 12sec

10. Rolf Jaermann @ 1min 18sec

 

Stage 3: Monday, July 8, Villeurbanne - Dijon, 210.5 km

1. Etienne De Wilde: 5hr 15min 11sec

2. Jean-Paul Van Poppel s.t.

3. Olaf Ludwig s.t.

4. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.

5. Johan Museeuw s.t.

6. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

7. Uwe Raab s.t.

8. Sean Kelly s.t.

9. Phil Anderson s.t.

10. Jan Schur s.t.

 

GC after stage 3:

1. Rolf Sorensen: 8hr 32min 7sec

2. Greg LeMond @ 10sec

3. Erik Breukink @ 12sec

4. Sean Kelly @ 22sec

5. Rudy Dhaenens @ 33sec

6. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 47sec

7. Bruno Cornillet @ 50sec

8. Raulm Alacala @ 1min 2sec

9. Michel Vermote @ 1min 12sec

10. Rolf Jaermann @ 1min 18sec

 

Stage 4: Tuesday, July 9, Dijon - Reims, 286 km

1. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov: 7hr 49min 14sec

2. Olaf Ludwig s.t.

3. Sean Kelly s.t.

4. Jan Schur s.t.

5. Uwe Raab s.t.

6. Johan Museeuw s.t.

7. Phil Anderson s.t.

8. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

9. Andréas Kappes s.t.

10. Remig Stumpf s.t.

 

GC after stage 4:

1. Rolf Sorensen: 16hr 21min 21sec

2. Greg LeMond @ 10sec

3. Erik Breukink @ 12sec

4. Sean Kelly @ 14sec

5. Djamolidine Abdoujaprov @ 23sec

6. Rudy Dhaenens @ 33sec

7. Bruno Cornillet @ 50sec

8. Raul Alcala @ 1min 2sec

9. Michel Vermote @ 1min 12sec

10. Rolf Jaerman @ 1min 18sec

 

Stage 5: Wednesday, July 10, Reims - Valenciennes, 149.5 km

1. Jelle Nijdam: 3hr 17min 38sec

2. Remig Stumpf @ 1sec

3. Olaf Ludwig s.t.

4. Andreas Kappes s.t.

5. Viatcheslav Ekimov s.t.

6. Johan Museeuw s.t.

7. Hendrik Redant s.t.

8. Sean Kelly s.t.

9. Uwe Raab s.t.

10. Eric Vanderaerden s.t.

 

GC after stage 5:

1. Rolf Sorensen: 19hr 39min 8sec

2. Greg LeMond @ 9sec

3. Sean Kelly @ 10sec

4. Erik Breukink @ 16sec

5. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 27sec

6. Rudy Dhaenens @ 37sec

7. Bruno Cornillet @ 49sec

8. Michel Vermote @ 58sec

9. Raul Alcala @ 1min 6sec

10. Rolf Jaermann @ 1min 22sec

 

Stage 6: Thursday, July 11, Arras - Le Havre, 259 km

1. Thierry Marie: 6hr 38min 27sec

2. Remig Stumpf @ 1min 54sec

3. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.

4. Sean Kelly s.t.

5. Etienne De Wilde s.t.

6. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

7. Johan Museeuw s.t.

8. Phil Anderson s.t.

9. Olaf Ludwig s.t.

10. Jan Schur s.t.

 

GC after Stage 6:

1. Thierry Marie: 26hr 18min 31sec

2. Sean Kelly @ 1min 4sec

3. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 1min 7sec

4. Greg LeMond s.t.

5. Erik Breukink @ 1min 14sec

6. Rudy Dhaenens @ 1min 35sec

7. Bruno Cornillet @ 1min 47sec

8. Michel Vermote @ 1min 56sec

9. Raul Alcala @ 2min 4sec

10. Olaf Ludwig @ 2min 17sec

 

Stage 7: Friday, July 12, Le Havre - Argentan, 167 km

1. Jean-Paul Van Poppel: 4hr 2min 18sec

2. Johan Museeuw s.t.

3. Jan Schur s.t.

4. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

5. Remig Stumpf s.t.

6. Uwe Raab s.t.

7. Sean Kelly s.t.

8. Andreas Kappes s.t.

9. Stefano Zanatta s.t.

10. Steve Bauer s.t.

 

GC after Stage 7:

1. Thierry Marie: 30hr 20min 49sec

2. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 59sec

3. Sean Kelly @ 1min 4sec

4. Greg LeMond @ 1min 7sec

5. Erik Breukink @ 1min 14sec

6. Rudy Dhaenens @ 1min 35sec

7. Bruno Cornillet @ 1min 47sec

8. Michel Vermote @ 1min 56sec

9. Raul Alcala @ 2min 4sec

10. Olaf Ludwig @ 2min 17sec

 

Stage 8: Saturday, July 13, Argentan - Alençon 73 km Individual Time Trial

1. Miguel Indurain: 1hr 35min 44sec

2. Greg LeMond @ 8sec

3. Jean-François Bernard @ 53sec

4. Erik Breukink @ 1min 14sec

5. Gianni Bugno @ 1min 31sec

6. Melchior Mauri @ 1min 33sec

7. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 1min 37sec

8. Pedro Delgado @ 2min 5sec

9. Pascal Lance @ 2min 16sec

10. Philippe Louviot @ 2min 18sec

 

GC after Stage 8:

1. Greg LeMond: 31hr 57min 48sec

2. Erik Breukink @ 1min 13sec

3. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 1min 21sec

4. Miguel Indurain @ 2min 17sec

5. Jean-François Bernard @ 3min 11sec

6. Sean Kelly @ 3min 51sec

7. Gianni Bugno s.t.

8. Thierry Marie @ 4min 10sec

9. Raul Alcala @ 4min 14sec

10. Luc Leblanc @ 4min 20sec

 

Stage 9: Sunday, July 14, Alençon - Rennes, 161 km

1. Mauro Ribeiro: 3hr 40min 51sec

2. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

3. Dimitri Konyshev s.t.

4. Giuseppe Calcaterra s.t.

5. Alberto Elli s.t.

6. Guido Bontempi s.t.

7. Edwig Van Hooydonck @ 2sec

8. Johan Bruyneel @ 4sec

9. Thierry Bourguignon s.t.

10. Henri Abadie @ 18sec

 

GC after Stage 9:

1. Greg LeMond: 35hr 39min 32sec

2. Erik Breukink @ 1min 13sec

3. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 1min 15sec

4. Miguel Indurain @ 2min 17sec

5. Jean-François Bernard @ 3min 11sec

6. Sean Kelly @ 3min 51sec

7. Gianni Bugno s.t.

8. Thierry Marie @ 4min 10sec

9. Raul Alcala @ 4min 14sec

10. Luc Leblanc @ 4min 20sec

 

Stage 10: Monday, July 15, Rennes - Quimper, 207.5 km

1. Phil Anderson: 5hr 23min 23sec

2. Nico Emonds s.t.

3. Brian Holm s.t.

4. Michel Dernies s.t.

5. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 6sec

6. Olaf Ludwig s.t.

7. Johan Museeuw s.t.

8. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

9. Rudy Verdonck s.t.

10. Jan Schur s.t.

 

GC after Stage 10:

1. Greg LeMond: 41hr 3min 1sec

2. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 1min 9sec

3. Erik Breukink @ 1min 13sec

4. Miguel Indurain @ 2min 17sec

5. Jean François Bernard @ 3min 11sec

6. Sean Kelly @ 3min 51sec

7. Gianni Bugno s.t.

8. Thierry Marie @ 4min 10sec

9. Raul Alcala @ 4min 14sec

10. Luc Leblanc @ 4min 20sec

 

Stage 11: Tuesday, July 16, Quimper - St. Herblain, 246 km

1. Charly Mottet: 5hr 12min 31sec

2. Johan Museeuw s.t.

3. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.

4. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

5. Olaf Ludwig s.t.

6. Maurizio Fondriest s.t.

7. Etienne De Wilde s.t.

8. Hendrik Redant s.t.

9. Andreas Kappes s.t.

10. Wilfried Peeters s.t.

 

GC after Stage 11:

1. Greg LeMond: 46hr 15min 32sec

2. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 51sec

3. Miguel Indurain @ 2min 17sec

4. Jean-François Bernard @ 3min 11sec

5. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 51sec

6. Luc Leblanc @ 4min 20sec

7. Thierry Marie @ 4min 22sec

8. Pedro Delgado @ 4min 30sec

9. Rolf Golz @ 4min 36sec

10. Melchior Mauri @ 4min 53sec

 

Stage 12: Thursday, July 18, Pau - Jaca, 192 km

Major Ascents: Soudet, Ichère, Somport

1. Charly Mottet: 5hr 15min 52sec

2. Pascal Richard s.t.

3. Luc Leblanc @ 2sec

4. Maurizio Fondriest @ 2min 6sec

5. Andy Hampsten s.t.

6. Eduardo Chozas @ 6min 21sec

7. Miguel Indurain @ 6min 49sec

8. Frederic Vichot @ 6min 55sec

9. Claudio Chiappucci s.t.

10. Jan Nevens s.t.

24. Greg LeMond @ 6min 57sec

 

GC after stage 12:

1. Luc Leblanc: 51hr 35min 46sec

2. Greg LeMond @ 2min 35sec

3. Charly Mottet @ 3min 52sec

4. Maurizio Fondriest @ 4min 22sec

5. Miguel Indurain @ 4min 44sec

6. Pascal Richard @ 5min 17sec

7. Jean François Bernard @ 5min 46sec

8. Andy Hampsten @ 6min 9sec

9. Gianni Bugno @ 6min 26sec

10. Pedro Delgado @ 7min 5sec

 

Stage 13: Friday, July 19, Jaca - Val Louron, 232 km

Major Ascents: Pourtalet, Aubisque, Tourmalet, Aspin, Val Louron

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 7hr 11min 16sec

2. Miguel Indurain @ 1sec

3. Gianni Bugno @ 1min 29sec

4. Laurent Fignon @ 2min 50sec

5. Charly Mottet @ 3min 53sec

6. Andy Hampsten @ 6min 1sec

7. Eduardo Chozas @ 6min 24sec

8. Eric Boyer @ 7min 17sec

9. Greg LeMond @ 7min 18sec

10. Jean-François Bernard @ 7min 38sec

 

GC after Stage 13:

1. Miguel Indurain: 58hr 51min 47sec

2. Charly Mottet @ 3min

3. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 10sec

4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 6sec

5. Greg LeMond @ 5min 8sec

6. Laurent Fignon @ 5min 52sec

7. Andy Hampsten @ 7min 25sec

8. Luc Leblanc @ 7min 51sec

9. Jean-François Bernard @ 8min 39sec

10. Eduardo Chozas @ 13min 11sec

 

Stage 14: Saturday, July 20, St. Gaudens - Castres, 172.5 km

1. Bruno Cenghialta: 4hr 15min 51sec

2. Jean-Claude Colotti @ 20sec

3. Marco Giovanetti @ 21sec

4. Andreas Kappes @ 37sec

5. Davide Cassani s.t.

6. Stephen Hodge s.t.

7. Luc Leblanc s.t.

8. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 56sec

9. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

10. Stefano Zanatta s.t.

 

GC after stage 14:

1. Miguel Indurain: 63hr 9min 14sec

2. Charly Mottet @ 3min

3. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 10sec

4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 6sec

5. Greg LeMond @ 5min 8sec

6. Laurent Fignon @ 5min 52sec

7. Luc Leblanc @ 6min 52sec

8. Andy Hampsten @ 7min 25sec

9. Jean-François Bernard @ 8min 2sec

10. Eduardo Chozas @ 13min 11sec

 

Stage 15: Sunday, July 21, Albi - Alès, 235 km

1. Moreno Argentin: 6hr 21min 22sec

2. Thomas Wegmuller @ 1min 7sec

3. Mauro Rebeiro @ 1min 12sec

4. Maurizio Fondriest @ 1min 14sec

5. Frans Maassen s.t.

6. Valerio Tebaldi s.t.

7. Rolf Golz s.t.

8. Philippe Louviot s.t.

9. Dominik Krieger s.t.

10. Eddy Schurer @ 1min 38sec

 

GC after Stage 15:

1. Miguel Indurain: 69hr 32min 29sec

2. Charly Mottet @ 3min

3. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 10sec

4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 6sec

5. Greg LeMond @ 5min 8sec

6. Laurent Fignon @ 5min 52sec

7. Luc Leblanc @ 6min 52sec

8. Andy Hamsten @ 7min 25sec

9. Jean-François Bernard @ 8min 2sec

10. Eduardo Chozas @ 13min 11sec

 

Stage 16: Monday, July 22, Alès - Gap, 215 km

1. Marco Lietti: 6hr 6min 39sec

2. Greg LeMond @ 2sec

3. Maurizio Fondriest @ 19sec

4. Jean-Claude Colotti @ 21sec

5. Davide Cassani s.t.

6. Phil Anderson s.t.

7. Frederic Vichot s.t.

8. Gerrit De Vries s.t.

9. Eduardo Chozas s.t.

10. Gérard Rué @ 28sec

 

GC after Stage 16:

1. Miguel Indurain: 75hr 39min 36sec

2. Charly Mottet @ 3min

3. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 10sec

4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 6sec

5. Greg LeMond @ 4min 42sec

6. Laurent Fignon @ 5min 52sec

7. Luc Leblanc @ 6min 52sec

8. Andy Hampsten @ 7min 25sec

9. Eduardo Chozas @ 13min 4sec

10. Maurizio Fondriest @ 14min 25sec

 

Stage 17: Tuesday, July 23, Gap - L'Alpe d'Huez, 125 km

Major Ascents: Bayard, Ornon, L'Alpe d'Huez

1. Gianni Bugno: 3hr 25min 48sec

2. Miguel Indurain @ 1sec

3. Luc Leblanc @ 2sec

4. Jean-François Bernard @ 35sec

5. Steven Rooks @ 43sec

6. Claudio Chiappucci s.t.

7. Thierry Claveyrolat s.t.

8. Pedro Delgado @ 45sec

9. Laurent Fignon @ 1min 12sec

10. Alvaro Mejia @ 1min 13sec

14. Greg LeMond @ 1min 58sec

 

GC after Stage 17:

1. Miguel Indurain: 79hr 5min 25sec

2. Gainni Bugno @ 3min 9sec

3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 48sec

4. Charly Mottet @ 4min 57sec

5. Greg LeMond @ 6min 39sec

6. Luc Leblanc @ 6min 53sec

7. Laurent Fignon @ 7min 3sec

8. Andy Hampten @ 9min 25sec

9. Eduardo Chozas @ 16min 22sec

10. Gérard Rué @ 16min 56sec

 

Stage 18: Wednesday, July 24, Bourg d'Oisans - Morzine, 255 km

Major Ascents: Aravis, Colombière, Joux-Plane

1. Thierry Claveyrolat: 7hr 26min 47sec

2. Thierry Bourguignon @ 6sec

3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 30sec

4. Uwe Ampler s.t.

5. Gert-Jan Theunisse s.t.

6. Eric Caritoux s.t.

7. Gianni Bugno s.t.

8. Steven Rooks s.t.

9. Didier Virvaleix s.t.

10. Gérard Rué s.t.

11. Miguel Indurain s.t.

12. Luc Leblanc s.t.

58. Robert Millar @ 7min 52sec

59. Greg LeMond s.t.

 

GC after Stage 18:

1. Miguel Indurain: 86hr 32min 42sec

2. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 9sec

3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 48sec

4. Charly Mottet @ 4min 57sec

5. Luc Leblanc @ 6min 53sec

6. Laurent Fignon @ 7min 15sec

7. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 43sec

8. Greg LeMond @ 14min 1sec

9. Gérard Rué @ 16min 56sec

10. Pedro Delgado @ 17min 14sec

 

Stage 19: Thursday, July 25, Morzine - Aix les Bains, 177 km

Major Ascent: Le Revard

1. Dimitri Konyshev: 4hr 18min 28sec

2. Pascal Richard s.t.

3. Eduardo Chozas @ 11sec

4. Greg LeMond @ 14sec

5. Steven Rooks s.t.

6. Gérard Rué s.t.

7. Vladimir Poulnikov @ 34sec

8. Francisco Espinosa @ 50sec

9. Eric Caritoux @ 1min 3sec

10. Alvaro Mejia s.t.

 

GC after Stage 19:

1. Miguel Indurain: 90hr 53min

2. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 9sec

3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 48sec

4. Charly Mottet @ 4min 57sec

5. Luc Leblanc @ 6min 53sec

6. Laurent Fignon @ 7min 15sec

7. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 43sec

8. Greg Lemond@ 12min 25sec

9. Gérard Rué @ 15min 20sec

10. Eduardo Chozas @ 16min 25sec

 

Stage 20: Friday, July 26, Aix les Bains - Mâcon, 160 km

Major Ascent: Berthiand

1. Viatcheslav Ekimov: 4hr 12min 52sec

2. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov @ 7sec

3. Olaf Ludwig s.t.

4. Jean-Claude Colotti s.t.

5. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

6. Jan Schur s.t.

7. Davide Cassani s.t.

8. Etienne De Wilde s.t.

9. Andreas Kappes s.t.

10. Rudy Verdonck s.t.

 

GC after Stage 20:

1. Miguel Indurain: 95hr 5min 59sec

2. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 9sec

3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 48sec

4. Charly Mottet @ 4min 57sec

5. Luc Leblanc @ 6min 53sec

6. Laurent Fignon @ 7min 15sec

7. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 43sec

8. Greg LeMond @ 12min 25sec

9. Gérard Rué @ 15min 20sec

10. Eduardo Chozas @ 16min 25sec

 

Stage 21: Saturday, July 27, Lugny - Mâcon 57 km Individual Time Trial

1. Miguel Indurain: 1hr 11min 45sec

2. Gianni Bugno @ 27sec

3. Greg LeMond @ 48sec

4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 8sec

5. Viatcheslav Ekimov @ 1min 49sec

6. Jean-François Bernard @ 2min 14sec

7. Melchior Mauri s.t.

8. Vladimir Poulnikov @ 2min 27sec

9. Dimitri Zdhanov @ 2min 32sec

10. Charly Mottet @ 2min 40sec

 

GC after Stage 21:

1. Miguel Indurain: 96hr 17min 44sec

2. Gianni Bugno @ 3min 36sec

3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 5min 56sec

4. Charly Mottet @ 7min 37sec

5. Luc Leblanc @ 10min 10sec

6. Laurent Fignon @ 11min 27sec

7. Greg LeMond @ 13min 13sec

8. Andy Hampsten @ 13min 40sec

9. Pedro Delgado @ 20min 10sec

10. Gérard Rué @ 20min 13sec

 

22nd and Final Stage: Sunday, July 28, Melun - Paris (Champs Elysées)

1. Dimitri Konyshev: 4hr 43min 36sec

2. Olaf Ludwig s.t.

3. Laurent Jalabert s.t.

4. Hendrik Redant s.t.

5. Phil Anderson s.t.

6. Rudy Verdonck s.t.

7. Etinne De Wilde s.t.

8. Eric Vanderaerden s.t.

9. Thierry Marie s.t.

10. Philippe Casado s.t.

Complete Final 1991 Tour de France General Classification

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The Story of the 1991 Tour de France

This excerpt is from "The Story of the Tour de France", Volume 2 If you enjoy it we hope you will consider purchasing the book, either print, eBook or audiobook. The Amazon link here will make the purchase easy.

Of course, after his 1989 and 1990 Tour victories, LeMond was expected to be the man to beat in the 1991 edition. His spring was less auspicious than ever. He abandoned the Giro and finished twelfth in the Tour of Switzerland. But a less than sparkling spring was never a sign that LeMond should be counted out of the Tour de France.

Thierry Marie started the 1991 Tour the same way he had the year before, by winning the Prologue time trial.

The real racing started with the first stage. A break of serious Tour men got away: LeMond, Erik Breukink, Sean Kelly and Rolf Sorensen among them. With the time bonuses and his good prologue, LeMond was back in Yellow. This was a 2-stage day. The afternoon was a team time trial: Sorensen's Ariostea squad won the stage and put Sorensen in the lead. Sorensen kept the Yellow Jersey until stage 5. 4 kilometers from the finish of that stage Sorensen hit a traffic island and broke his clavicle. His Tour was over.

	Sorensen's Ariostea sqaud wins the team time trial.

Prologue specialist Thierry Marie showed that he could do more than just a few kilometers at speed. He won the sixth stage with an astounding 234-kilometer solo break, the third-longest post-war escape by a single rider (Albert Bourlon's 253-kilometer ride in 1947 remains the postwar record). At the end of the stage the pack was breathing down his neck, but he had 1 minute, 54 seconds to spare. That was enough to put him back in Yellow for a couple of days.

Stage 8's long 73-kilometer individual time trial brought out the real Tour riders. Miguel Indurain won the stage.

Here are the times of the top finishers:

1. Miguel Indurain: 1 hour 35 minutes 44 seconds

2. Greg LeMond @ 8 seconds

3. Jean-François Bernard @ 53 seconds

4. Erik Breukink @ 1 minute 14 seconds

5. Gianni Bugno @ 1 minute 31 seconds

 

That put LeMond back in Yellow. In the Overall, Breukink was 1 minute, 13 seconds back and Indurain was at 2 minutes, 17 seconds.

A couple of days later, things got messy. Before the start of stage 10, 2 riders on the PDM team quit the Tour. Along the road to Quimper where the stage finished, a couple of other PDMs retired. That evening it was revealed that several PDM riders including Erik Breukink, Sean Kelly and Raul Alcala were very ill. Only the riders and none of the support staff of the team were sick, which ruled out food poisoning. Eventually Jonathan Boyer, spokesman for the team, said that it might have been a bad glucose drip (perfectly legal) that infected the riders. The team withdrew from the Tour amid speculation that a doping program gone wrong was involved. Nothing was ever proven to that effect and the PDM team always denied using banned substances.

The real action of the Tour began with the first Pyrenean stage, from Pau to Jaca with 2 category 1 climbs. A break got away on the first climb, the Soudet. By the second climb, the second category Ichère, the break was established and contained 3 riders of real class: Luc Leblanc, Pascal Richard and Charly Mottet. LeMond was unable to either get up to the break or enlist help from the other teams. By the end of the day, with a winning margin of almost 7 minutes over the LeMond group, Leblanc had gained the lead with LeMond 2 minutes, 35 seconds down.

It was the next stage, unlucky (for LeMond) number 13 that changed the face of the Tour and set the tone for the next 4 years as well. It was a 232-kilometer stage that crossed the Pourtalet (category 1), the Aubisque (hors category), the Tourmalet (hors category), the Aspin (category 2) and the final ascent to Val Louron (category 1). Only the well-prepared and truly competitive would survive the stage with their high classifications intact.

It was on the Tourmalet that fortunes were reversed. LeMond broke away near the bottom of the mountain. Indurain chased, bringing with him Leblanc, Hampsten, Chiappucci, Gianni Bugno, Charly Mottet and Gérard Rué. Near the top, with just 500 meters to go, LeMond slid off the back. He could do nothing as he watched the others slowly distance themselves from him. At the top of the Tourmalet LeMond, as he fought with every ounce of energy he could command to keep them in sight, was only 17 seconds behind the leading group. Never one to give up, LeMond descended with that terrific ability that had saved him so many times before. He rejoined the leaders, but Indurain had taken off. In a giant gear, LeMond bolted from the leading group, fully understanding the importance of what was happening. This was the Tour's pivotal moment. At the foot of the Aspin, he could see Indurain. Once the climbing began anew, LeMond lost ground again, unable to keep pace with the soaring Spaniard.

Meanwhile, Claudio Chiappucci had extracted himself from the leaders and was chasing Indurain. Getting word from his director that the Italian was on his way, Indurain slowed to allow Chiappucci to join him. The 2 then relayed each other to the finish with Chiappucci taking the stage and Indurain taking the overall lead. LeMond finished 7 minutes, 18 seconds later. The Yellow Jersey, Luc Leblanc, fared worse. As LeMond fought to get back on terms with Indurain and Chiappucci, Leblanc was jettisoned from the chasers. He came in sixteenth, 12 minutes, 36 seconds after Chiappucci.

Here is the General Classification after Indurain made his Tour abilities very clear:

1. Miguel Indurain

2. Charly Mottet @ 3 minutes

3. Gianni Bugno @ 3 minutes 10 seconds

4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4 minutes 6 seconds

5. Greg LeMond @ 5 minutes 8 seconds

6. Laurent Fignon @ 5 minutes 52 seconds

7. Andy Hampsten @ 7 minutes 25 seconds

8. Luc Leblanc @ 7 minutes 51 seconds

	Moreno Argentin wins stage 15 into Alès with a 1 minute gap on his chasers.

Stage 16 showed that LeMond had absolutely no intention of giving up. He had been down this much time before and had managed to win the Tour. On a day with no highly rated climbs, he fought to get into breaks and when caught, went again. He got second in the stage and pulled back 26 seconds. This was a hard but successful day's work.

There was no avoiding the fate that awaited him the next day with its finish at the top of L'Alpe d'Huez after the Bayard and Ornon, both second category climbs. Gianni Bugno took the stage with Indurain right on his wheel. Chiappucci and Rooks were 43 seconds back. LeMond, Theunisse and Hampsten were about 2 minutes behind.

Stage 17 atop L'Alpe d'Huez: Bugno wins with Indurain (in Yellow) and Leblanc following.

The final Alpine stage was the cruelest of all, 255 kilometers covering the Aravis, the Colombière (both first category) and then the Joux-Plane (hors category). Thierry Claveyrolat won the stage with most of the contenders, including Indurain, about 30 seconds behind. LeMond was fifty-ninth at 7 minutes, 52 seconds, accompanied to the finish by his teammate Robert Millar.

LeMond broke away again on stage 17 and snatched back a minute and a half. Because LeMond was no longer a threat to Indurain, Indurain was content to finish in the middle of the pack.

The twenty-first and penultimate stage was a 57-kilometer time trial. Indurain won it, Bugno was second and LeMond was third. The Tour was sealed.

On the final day with the criterium up and down the Champs Elysées Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, nicknamed the "Tashkent Express", was involved in a spectacular crash. With less than a kilometer to go, Abdoujaparov, the wearer of the Green Jersey, ran into a barrier and went flying. It took a quarter of an hour before he could get up and cross the line. Because it was in the last kilometer, Tour rules mandated that he get the same time as the pack and he was allowed to keep his Green Jersey.

The final 1991 Tour de France General Classification:

1. Miguel Indurain (Banesto): 101 hours 1 minute 20 seconds

2. Gianni Bugno (Gatorade-Chateau D'Ax) @ 3 minutes 36 seconds

3. Claudio Chiappucci (Carrera) @ 5 minutes 56 seconds

4. Charly Mottet (RMO) @ 7 minutes 37 seconds

5. Luc Leblanc (Castorama) @ 10 minutes 10 seconds

6. Laurent Fignon (Castorama) @ 11 minutes 27 seconds

7. Greg LeMond (Z) @ 13 minutes 13 seconds

8. Andrew Hampsten (Motorola) @ 13 minutes 40 seconds

9. Pedro Delgado (Banesto) @ 20 minutes 10 seconds

10. Gérard Rué (Helvetia) @ 20 minutes 13 seconds

 

Climbers' competition:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 312 points

2. Thierry Claveyrolat: 277 points

3. Luc Leblanc: 164 points

 

Points Competition:

1. Djamolidine Abdoujaporov: 316 pts

2. Laurent Jalabert: 263 points

3. Olaf Ludwig: 175 points

 

Miguel Indurain raced with the economical style of Jacques Anquetil. He did nothing more than necessary in the mountains. Only if an obvious or extraordinary opportunity presented itself did he attack. He was content to let his time trialing and watchful riding do the rest. It makes for a less exciting job for this chronicler of the Tour, especially after the tumultuous years of Hinault, Fignon, Delgado and LeMond. A look at the final General Classification shows a real generational shift. Delgado, LeMond and Fignon, who had been so dominant, were now well down in time while younger riders surfaced.

A sad coda to this and the previous Tour should be mentioned. In 2004, in an interview in the French newspaper Le Monde, Greg LeMond said, "In 1990 I won the Tour and my team [Z] won the top-team classification. One year later, not one of us could follow the pace in the pack. There had been a radical change." He went on to note that when he was winning, his VO2 Max—maximum oxygen consumption, the basic measurement of an athlete's aerobic capacity—was tops among professional racers. Today, LeMond said, he would be in the fifty-first percentile. In other words, the Greg LeMond of 1990 who won the Tour de France would be sent back for water bottles today.

Commenting on this interview in an open letter, Andy Hampsten wrote "Like Greg, I, too, saw what I believe were the effects of EPO when it entered pro cycling in the early '90s. In the first years it grew from a few individuals reaping obscene wins from exploiting its 'benefits', to entire teams relying on it, essentially forcing all but the most gifted racers to either use EPO to keep their place in cycling, quit, or become just another obscure rider in the group."

These athletes spoke out honestly with a real concern for the direction of the sport. They received almost nothing but opprobrium for their trouble. Their words are the results of experience and have wisdom in them.

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Video of the final stage where Djamolidine Abdoujaparov crashed horribly.

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