Throwback to Stage 14 of the 1992 Tour de France, starting from Sestriere in Italy and finishing atop the famed Alpe d’Huez. The climb up Alpe d’Huez, with its 21 hairpin turns, makes legends out of professional cyclists. Stage 14 in ’92 included four climbs: Col de Montgenevre (Cat 2), Col de Galibier (HC), Col de la Croix de Fer (HC), and Alpe d’Huez (HC). One of the toughest stages of the Tour that year, it would see Greg LeMond in difficulty for a second day, trailing the leaders by some 26 minutes just 60 miles into the race. LeMond would abandon the race before the start of the third climb. The other American, Andy Hampsten, was having a great ride for the second day in a row. Hampsten attacked on Alpe d’Huez and went on to become the first American to win there. His efforts also moved him up to third place overall.
Transferred from a VHS recording of the 1992 Tour de France coverage on ESPN. The recording was made on July 19, 1992.
Today Barry, I’m standing high above the little commune of Al Dues. And over the years, this village has become synonymous with any stage of the tour to France that has come to the Alps. It is the one where the many thousands of spectators come, not just yesterday, but for a week. They’re waiting now for the big showdown. This little village behind me somehow manages to entertain upwards of half a million people. The vast majority, I’m afraid, have to sleep in the cars over the last couple of miles of the route. Now, the way up here is very, very steep. They climb onto the plateau of the Alp from the village of Borg Guazon. By the time they get here, they’ll be at 5,000 ft. It is a climb of some 7 and 1 half miles. The route here from Italy is equally as hard. The riders coming out over the giant called the Gibby. I think there they’ll ride with a little bit of common sense. They won’t push the pace too hard. Then they go on to the Caquadair. That is a very narrow and twisting climb. It’ll be even narrower today by the thousands of people packing the slopes. Then they come down to Borg Bazison and then they face the Alp. Yesterday was a severe day in the tour to France. He gave us a great winner and today will be equally as cruel and should do just the same. All right, thanks very much Paul. That’s Phil Liot in Al Dez. I don’t know what it is. I expected him to break into singing The Sound of Music. This is the day that everybody waits for. Not only the racers, but as Phil pointed out, also the fans. It starts out in Cesriier, Italy, and it comes back into France. This is the last time that we will come out of France and back into it before the race ends here in Paris on the 26th of July. So, this is really the one that everybody waits for. Without question, the toughest stage on the tour and the crowd already assembled at Alz and there will be hundreds of thousands literally. We’ll be this number 14, but there is simply no time for sightseeing. This is serious business made more serious by the problems that have beset America’s brightest hope in the tour and the threetime winner. Yesterday in stage 12, it seemed that Greg Lamont had hit the wall on the first climb. Despite his teammates attempts to help him and the omnipresent fan support that he always does get in this race, there simply didn’t seem to be anything left in Greg’s tank. It did seem that it began in San Sebastian. He was tired before the race ever really rolled off the start line. A 36-hour trip from Paris because of a trucker’s roadblock seemed to set the tone. Leavon showed snippets of his old self from time to time, but they were temporary. They were usually done in desperation moments. It just seemed that he was playing catchup the whole race. This morning’s sign-in sheet was missing a very important name. The name was Greg Lamont. For all intent, he had an unlisted number today. Paul Sherwin has more on just what motivates these racers. When Clauddio Kapuchi launched that heroic attack yesterday, it changed the whole face of the stage. It forced Yiani Buno to react early, but he was easily marked by Miguel Indrain. When they came to the final climb up to Cestriè, Bunyo faltered. This allowed Miguel Indire to force home an attack and put time between himself and Buno, the man he regards as his nearest challenger. But the severity of the chase behind Kapuchi left many riders trailing behind. And one of those was Greg Leond. And when it was heard he was over 30 minutes back, rumor was rife on the finish line that Le Man would abandon and leave the tour to France. But he didn’t. Why? Because it’s not a question of money. It’s not a question of team pressure. It’s a personal thing. When you come to the tour to France, it’s like trying to climb Mount Everest. You don’t want to get halfway and turn back. That’s what forces riders on. They don’t want the Tour to France to defeat them. Well, there’s no question but that if any stage of the tour to France is going to defeat these riders, it is going to be this stage. Stage number 14. Without question, this is the most difficult mountain stage. Really not as many climbs as there have been in some other stages, but the three climbs that there are are all of the or category stage. That means simply the toughest climb that there is. And it ends in Albz, which many feel is not only the toughest climb in this particular race, but rather the toughest climb anywhere. They are now out on the first climb approaching the cold Dalvier. As you take a look at Lauron Finan, he has won this race on a couple of occasions. There was an early breakaway of six including Giani Buno and Lauron Finan, the two-time winner of the race who you see right here, as well as Franco Kioli. Kyoli was a guy who was out there with Buno and meanwhile backed in the pack which was not too far behind at this juncture. The Benesto team really trying to protect Miguel Ind. One of the reasons that they are is that Giani Buno was in that lead pack and Indire if he is worried about anyone now with Greg Lamont having his problems is certainly worried about Giani Buno but coach only took the opportunity for a breakaway and you could see the crowds lining this course from beginning to end. Let’s get to the call now with Phil Li and Paul Shirley. I think more or less Paul if it hadn’t been for this rather cheeky attack by Buno the main field are doing exactly what we would have expected after that hard day yesterday definitely I thought they would have stayed much closer together but Buno realizes today’s probably his last chance to try and get any time back on uh on Miguel in so he had to do something had to do something extraordinary which is why he’s attacked on one of the earlier climbs he needs to really to take five or six minutes back on Miguel Injurain to be in with a chance of winning the tour to France and as you see as we get to the top here with Franco cut. It’s so much steeper at the top. He’s really fighting with his bike. He’s got about 500 m to go before he gets over the summit. Then he can have a little bit of a breather on the fast descent down into the valley below. Well, this is actually extremely steep just before the summit. We came over the cold of Gibby just before midnight last night as we made a run out of Crier to get to Alz and avoid the crowds. Well, we didn’t really avoid the crowds because they were already on the climb, settling down with the stoves going, their tents were pitched and they were having a marvelous party which seemed in a totally different world. It was a wonderful atmosphere. Now the well timed to welcome the tour to France towards the top of the Kibier and again it’s an Italian who’s making his way to the summit first. Four victories this year to his name with all of those in Italy. Now he’s looking for what would be a superb victory if he can survive of course all the way to Alu. He set himself an awfully big target. What’s this? Miller is down. This has been a crash. Well, we don’t know how this has happened. They’ve gone around the corner there. There must have been a touch of wheels. Giani Buno went down. Robert Miller’s gone down. And I will think we’ll see Lauren Fon waiting for him. I don’t know how that happened, but it could well have been just a touch of wheels or a spectator who was too enthusiastic coming around the corner and they touched them. Well, we’re seeing Josi go over the summit of the colder Gibby. There’s a lot of exciting talk on radio tour at the moment, but I don’t think anybody quite saw what happened there, but it was either a touch of wheel between the two of them because the angle of the Mirage, the bent there, the corner is so steep, they may well have touched wheels. So, Coioli coming over the crest of the Ku Garbier. That is the first of the three climbs today. Let’s take a look back and see what happened in a crash with Giani Buno and Robert Miller. Now watch the gentleman up on the left of your screen wearing the pink. He wants to take a picture of Buno. He’s saying promaggio. Over his foot goes Buno and down. And Miller right behind him also going down. Giani Buno to say the least. Not too happy. In your face as they say here on ESPN. We’ll be back. You look at Lauren Finan pulling Giani Buno back into things after that crash. Lets us get back to the call now with Phil Ligot and Paul Sherwin, gentlemen. And that is the most unlikely crash I’ve ever seen in the tour of France. There the world champion on the floor as in fact his teammate Vineyard takes him over the top in second place. 46 seconds down. Muno goes over in third. Miller goes over in fourth. In fact, Paul, I haven’t seen Stevens. There is a chance of course he has gone over the head of that little group and the cameas haven’t taken him. Very unfortunate. I’m trying to get some information. And the radar is not telling me what’s going on at the moment, but it may well be just an innocent little accident. Somebody touching wheels and falling off. And now we see the field coming up towards the summit. There’s Pedro Delgado just going through our picture. The yellow jersey dictating the pace here at the front with Cladio Punchy again dancing his way to the top of the big climb making a few more points as he comes up over the top of the callier. Beautiful day in the Alps today. One of the finest I think as the riders now begin their long descent of this co and head off towards their next rendevu. The coair and the time gap is counting remember on Francoi. We now start the descent. The first few kilometers of this descent are very very technical. You see how twisty it is. You have to relance. You have to reacelerate after every corner. Once we get past the first two or three kilometers, it’s a very straight road and a lot quicker. The riders coming up the climb, but a long way down the climb, I’m afraid. We have to confirm that Greg Lemon has been given a time gap of almost 15 minutes. A similar gap as that of the giant called De Leon yesterday. And Lemon refusing to give up at the moment. If he does have to go out of this tour, it looks like Greg is going to be kicked out and he certainly won’t abandon his seventh tour of France. And you can’t do more than that. On the climb up here, the news leads that Miller has got back into that group. In fact, Miller has rejoined Buno and Levaldo on the left of our picture. The team man who helped Greg Leon to his victory in the toy pond in the United States this year now struggling with the rest of them. Well, in fact, the radio tour has confirmed that Neil Steven went over the top of the Golibier in second place, 37 seconds behind Kyoli and Finan came over in third place. With him, Buno Miller was with them, too. He’s back. So, it does seem as though they’ve recovered from that nasty little tumble. Meanwhile, while Greg Lamont continues to struggle some 16 minutes back, reportedly this stage shaping up well for another American, Andy Hamston still recovering from bronchitis. He did very well yesterday and looks for more. I was worried about the distance, but I knew it was better to be be in front because it it would be a steady pace. Uh so it worked out pretty well. You know, I I did blow up in the last 10ks, but limited my losses, and I’m pleased. You know, usually that’s it’s not where I’m good. But after a hard stage like today, how can you think about tomorrow? Because you’ve got to try and do the same thing again. Any thoughts for Aldz? I’m not thinking about tomorrow. But he wasn’t thinking about tomorrow yesterday, but this is tomorrow. And Andy Hamstead, I’m sure, is thinking about it seriously and doing pretty well. Onethird through the big climbs in boy time. Welcome back. Andy Hamston has now joined the lead group of five as they start the second climb up the Kuadair. Francoona, Jensen Nevin, Jesus Mononttoya, and Eric Boyet are there as well. But that is Andy Hamston. And that is good news for American hopes. Let’s pick up the call now with Phil and Paul. Jani Buno the winner at Aldurz the past two years and the way he’s riding right now he may not see Alders because he looks to me as though he is in terrible difficulty here on the climb of the world champion Jani Buno apparently cracking in the tour of France and this was not expected he was the man who set off by launching the attacks today as indeed he was yesterday but he hasn’t had the strength Paul to continue well he hasn’t he may well have used too much force in early attack trying to surprise Miguel Indrain. In fact, what they were saying earlier this morning was his team manager told him to attack early in the stage today to try and get rid of Indrain because he thought that Indra had cracked towards the end of the stage yesterday and it may well be Indrain’s weakness. But I think that was totally wrong and he may well have spent too much force trying to get rid of indrain and now he’s paying the cost and still with the strengths of some of his finest riders around him here setting the tempo on the climb. 2 minutes and 20 seconds is the time check. There it is. Of the small group up front on the yellow jersey group, the Mayojour. But uh Induain just sits here and taps out the pedals. I don’t think he is even aware that Buno is hanging off the back of this group. I don’t think he’s even thinking about it. All he’s thinking about is just keeping at the front, keeping out of danger. And looks like Risha Viron on the left hand side of the picture there who’s actually really changed riders since the start of this tour to France. He’s got his jersey ripped open at the moment. They all have full zips for when they ride in the mountains because it is so hot climbing up here that the riders just tried to get as much air as possible onto themselves to try and keep cool and then they’ll zip it up for the descent when they’re shooting down at something like 50 mph. Injur sits in the middle exercising his power over this chase group now as the new leader of the sword of France. And this is indeed a sad sight. Giani Buno just about keeping those pedals going round wearing the rainbow jersey of the world champion. His whole seemingly in ruings now. So Giani Buno working very hard and probably harder than he should be at this juncture. One of the favorites. Here’s another one of the favorites. And if this picture looks familiar, well, it probably should. Greg Lamman playing catch-up almost immediately today. He was a minute behind the Pelaton, and it simply got worse. Lamanda talked of being tired from day one. Today, it just got the better of him once and for all. When he reached the feeding station today at Sanj Moria that came at the 103 kmter mark, he trailed the leader by a full 26 minutes. Yesterday, remember, he finished 50 minutes behind the leader. It simply was enough. And for the first time since racing in this tour def France, Greg Lemon had abandoned. There was no one thing. It was cumulative and it started even before the event itself. Greg Leman out of the tour to France. So the riders heading up towards the top of the coldair now high in the Alps. Little bit of a surprise that Yan Naven is here, but the rest are recognized men of the mountains. And the hamster here dropping back, but I think only to speak to his team car, which is trying to get a word in his ear. They are building a lead of just on 2 minutes, so they’re losing a little bit of ground to the chase group of Miguel Injurain. But the big new Yiani Buno is riding almost 90 seconds behind Miguel Injurain on this climb. That really is devastating for the Italian because he thought he could challenge Miguel indrain all the way to Paris and yesterday I think he must have been very upset to lose so much time today. He came out of the block straight away on the second climb and tried to attack him and he cracked now today and he’s way off the marker. He’s about 1 and a half minutes down and I think the way he was going the last time we saw him he’ll be a lot further back. We too will be back in just a moment. The climb up the cold quadair continues. Don’t go away. 20 miles of climbing. It takes the riders just on an hour to climb the coat of fair and it was Eric Ber who’s setting the pace at the minute who created this little split. He’s chosen the good move. It’s a little bit sad for Robert Miller who went on the earlier attack on the climb of the cold Gibier because the riders who went with him were the wanted men of the tour to France. Jani Buno was not going to be let to get too far ahead. And as a result of that, that breakaway was wiped out on the descent of the Galibier, but these riders have a better chance of success today because Ingerain will just restrict their movements. But he’s got no real reason Paul to bring them back. None at all really. Amson is a long lot further back down the marker board. He’s 11 minutes behind although he’s in eighth place. So Miguel Injur won’t be too worried about that as they come up to the 1 kilome to go marker. Strange how cycling works. Eric Boyet just a few days ago was regarded as a domestique. He was a a climber there in the tour to France to help Greg Lemon, but it could change so quickly in the stage of a the stage of a race. And now Eric Boyer will tonight be the leader of the Z team. It has been a very tough day indeed and in fact a tough tour to France in general for Greg Lamont who dropped out today. We will have an update a little bit later. Meanwhile, the second major climb continues with strain on man and on two- wheeled machine. You know, to the public, the riders are the heroes. But as Paul Sherwin points out, the riders have heroes of their own. As far as I’m concerned, the worst job in the whole of the Tour to France has to be that of the team mechanics. They’re the first to rise every morning, readying the 40 bikes, which each team may be required to use in a day. Once the riders finish their days racing, the mechanics are at work again, sometimes late into the night. It’s a tough job at the best of times, but as the race approaches the mountains, they have an added load. The gear ratios have to be changed on a daily basis depending on the mountain passes that have to be tackled. It’s tough on the riders when they crash, but for the mechanics, it’s just more work, which is why sometimes along the race route, you can surprise one of them taking a catnap in what would normally be regarded as the best seat in the house. Amongst the riders, there are no holds barred along the route to win the race, but the mechanics often have to work in the most dismal conditions, setting up shop wherever they can, usually in cramped quarters. Not exactly the glamour job that you would think. All of this breeds an incredible camaraderie, and mechanics from opposing teams will often help each other just to finish off business. All right, thanks very much, Paul. Meanwhile, let’s get back to the race. The leaders now approaching the summit of the cold quad defair and the cloud almost as deep here. In fact, as it was assessed there yesterday when the Italian police had a little bit of trouble in guiding Kiauchi to the line, but look at this. The Carrera banners are out again. That’s Kiauchi’s team, but he’s not in this group. They’ve managed to tame him for at least for the moment in the tour to France. He’s back in the injur group riding alongside him. He’s now of course second in the tour to France. He’s got more responsibility to think of and perhaps going for a stage win. But as the riders now hod up the page, Eric Byer is leading them up to the summit of the cold fair. And this is a nasty climb. Behind them now, well, as they come up to the top, they’ll go over the top with a good lead. They’ve got a race down the other side. Go along the valley and then in front of them is the climb of Aldo. As we come up to the top here, you see people handing out the newspapers. The riders will put that through their underneath their jersey. Foyer going up in first place. Second was Hampton. Third was Franco Vona. All the lead is over the top. Fourth of fifth is Jan. And here see that average speed is still very high for the day. 21 mph 32.6 km. Uh 4 hours so far. I must surprise that there are riders in terrible difficulty behind the race today. Amongst the retirements, King Yalda from the Aliosia team and Dante Oti from the RMO squad. But the big name of course that of Greg Lamont added to the list of retirement today. So there are now only 143 riders left in the tour to France from the 198 that set away from Spain over two weeks ago. Absolutely incredible piece of work here being done by Julian Grosby. He’s ridden nearly the whole of this climb at the front without looking to anybody else to help him. He won’t even be thinking about the Aldu today. All he can think about is keeping the tempo high enough for Miguel Indire to stay there in comfort and try and nullify any attacks. And the pace that he’s setting, nobody really wants to attack because it’s going to be very uncomfortable. the steep slopes of one of the toughest climbs in this year’s tour to France. And the crowd balanced precariously on the edge of the cold today as they watch the top riders now come up led by Selen Gospe, the teammate of Miguel Inerain. The select group of about 25 riders chasing a leading group of five. The clock counting down. It’s just on 2 minutes now since that fiveman group went over the top and bay brings up the main cage group in the quarterf today. Five men are over. Gasp will go over in sixth place. Gosp of the mountains points. He’s taken a few more there just to make sure of that lead, but uh it’ll be a a big surprise now if he loses his lead in the King of the Mountain. He has such a good overall margin. So, Clauddio Kapuchi keeping the Polka Dot jersey and he will keep himself near the top of the overall leadership as well. We’re about to start the final climb. The Pelaton chasing the lead pack, which incidentally includes Andy Hamstead. Look at Bento protect the yellow jersey of Miguel indrain by keeping the pace up. But the news is Jani Buno is back in this group after a long chase over the valley. But we’ve had no news on Steven Roach. So Buno is back and now he’s going to have go have to go through all that pain again. Paul as we start the climb of Alz we’re really going to have to see if he has recuperated here. He had a very hard chase to get back. It’s 2 and 1/2 minutes behind at the top of the quadair. But there hadn’t been that much of a chase in this group here because the five riders in the front are actually increasing their lead at the bottom of the alduz. They had 3 minutes and 50 seconds lead. But now the battle is going to start. Andy in the center of our picture on his left in the white jersey is Franco Broner. He’s on the right as you look at these pictures now. Hampton in the middle. Eric Voyer once finishing fifth in the tour of France. Hampton himself has finished fourth. At the back on the left is Jesus Montoya. And the rider just to our right behind Hampton is Yan N. They are the men today trying to take advantage of the other battle for the yellow jersey. And Andy Hamson could be moving himself right up the overall classification with this ride today. If he can finish it off now with a great ride on the Alps, Hampton could be in the top four or five riders by the end of the day. On top of that, this has got to be a stage really tailor made for Hampton. The stage that he won earlier this year, which actually helped him to win the tour of Ramdy was the finish at the top of one of the big mountains there in the Ramdy area of Switzerland. He really has been in his past a magnificent climber, but today he’s done a lot of work in this group to try and make sure they pull back as much time as possible. Let’s hope he’s got enough left in those legs to try and do something later on, but the attacks will certainly come as we get onto the steeper part of the climb there. The gap has come down a little bit. 3 minutes and 57 seconds. Well, it’s probably more or less the same as they come onto the base. But you have ridden up alduz on a number of times. Perhaps you can remember the pain. Well, I can remember the pain. It’s something you never actually forget. The riders here on the first part of the climb, which really is hard. You’ve used the big gear all the way down the valley and then when you get to the alz that first corner you have to climb up to it. It’s just changing from the biggest gear on your bicycle to the smallest gear on your bicycle and it really is painful especially for a rider like I was. There was never a climate and these riders they must be going through torture. Third in line now of the start of outdoor themselves is with a deficit of nearly 4 minutes and they’ve noticed in fact being very active in this fun day. Gian Turn it up a winner on the AL in the past and over the years the Dub cyclist has won on here eight times on the 16 occasions we’ve climbed the AL. So it’s the big man to rode a similar great ride up the alpha a year ago for Miguel Inj positioning himself again on the front. Definitely the one one Vanesto rider there who’s done his job. He went to Miguel and said Miguel that’s it. I can’t do anymore. Good luck my man. We’re going off the first part of the climb here. It’s very very steep. You climb up to the first corner which comes back on yourself. It would say 21 corners to the summit there. Indirect rain sliding back down the group a little bit as John Front Bernard remains at the front setting the pace on his right shoulder. Clauddio Kapuchi the hero of yesterday’s stage. There’s Robert Miller moving to the front on the inside here. Robert who is on the attack on the Gibier but the formation of the group at the front end wasn’t the right one unfortunately for him. Now Miller still has a chance for a minute you know is not a lot on a climb as steep as the Alan. Certainly closable on this climb. Kuchi is moving to the front on the left of our picture. They’ll be happy to let Bernard set the early pace on this climb. It starts very very steeply indeed. It zigzags every 150 200 yd or so on a hairpin bend back on itself. And after about seven or eight minutes of climbing, the houses in the village of War Plazon simply look like anvil. And to those who are 30 minutes or so behind the Pelaton, they are ants hills. We’ll do that 7:00 Eastern time. Meanwhile, on their way up the Alps, Frank Oono, who had a great day yesterday, Eric Boyo of Team Zed, and Andy Hamstead, who could have his greatest day ever. Let’s get back to the call now as this race winds down. The American flag flying proudly on the slopes of Alu as Andy Hampton brings this race towards the last 2 km today. This would go down as a magnificent victory if he could pull it off. His tempo has slowly reduced that leading group from five to just three. Now Yan has gone, but these are the danger riders coming up behind him. They are catching up and it’s all because of the pacemaking of Cladio Kapuchi having his second great day in the Alps. This time not on Italian soil, but back on French soil in the tour of France. Well, it isn’t. It might not be Italian soils today, but really apart from the Dutch people who come here every year in their crowds. I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many Italians on the slopes of the Aldz. They all came across I think last night during the night from Cetriè to set up camp here. And Boyer looks like he’s cracked. Hampton setting the pace on. He knew that Boyer was the danger man and he’s lost 15 or 20 m here and the two riders at the front who’ve been setting the pace since the bottom. Andy Hampton and Franco Vona are moving clear. Boyer rocking his head a little bit now. Well, this is absolutely amazing. But Boer has gone now. He was the man that started this move. He was the man that launched the attack. Hampton spotted it, went to him, and now Andy has only to lose one man, Franco Bono. But I don’t think he’ll find Bono to easily take off. Definitely not Voner riding exceptionally in this year’s tour of France. But now Vona realizes that Hampton has got a lot of force left in his legs and he’s dropped back a little bit. He’s probably going to try and shelter from the American for the next few kilometers. But Ham really to be sure of victory will have to try and go alone because Vona really is a good finisher. Now you see he’s done exactly what I thought. He’s slipping into the slipstream of Hampton. Letting Ham setting the pace. Well, Hampton isn’t getting a baseball. Hampton is driving away. Andy Hampton is riding superbly today. the rider who came in the 1985 tour to France 1986 tour of to France rather when he finished fourth and best rookie. I remember the following year he didn’t do quite so well but I remember David Finny a former US champion saying to me then one day Hampton will win the tour. Well, we’ve waited for that day and we are still waiting and it won’t be this year either. But Andy Hampton is riding as well now as I’ve ever seen him race in his life before. Well, definitely this is the man who we saw help Greg Lemon on his way to Super Vanier when he was told to hold back and wait for the Americans to pace him on the slopes there so he could go away and take the yellow jersey. This is the man we saw helping them in in the puadon. I’ve seen him climb so exceptionally but not for five or six years, but this year he really seems to have returned to the form that he had in his youth and he really is climbing away from everybody else here. And once he gets a bit between the teeth, it’s going to be very difficult for them to come back and help him. alone on the slopes without due as all of the great winners of this stage have always been. They come to the top by themselves. Hampton now can look to no one. Not that he’s looked to anybody on this climb anyway because he set the pace from the bottom and destroyed this breakaway one by one. This is the only group now who can spoil his great day. And in it the two great riders of this year saw the bario gi and of course Miguel Injurain. Well there he is moving away from Francoona quite easily. It’s now a good 100 m which doesn’t seem very much but on a climb like the aluette it is an eternity to try and bring back that kind of distance. Another another nice little anecdote I think at this time is to mention that the team manager who’s following right behind Andy Hampton is in fact Henny Kyper, the second team manager of the Motorola team and he himself has won twice at the top of Alz and I’m sure he spoke to Andy Hampton this morning a great depth to explain to him how the how the race can be won here. And now we’re beginning to see the crowds a sure sign to the riders too. They are climbing now towards the final climb in the Alps. Very close to the finish. About 7 kilometers maybe from the top for this group. And this crowd haven’t just been here for overnight. They’ve been here perhaps for two or three days waiting to see the tour come to them. Ki the champion he is setting the pace. The champion of Spain sitting on his right shoulder. Miguel Injurerane aiming to become the first Spanish rider to do the double by winning the tour of Italy and Spain in the same year. Quite amazing. Kuji’s team manager came up to him before and said, “Look, take it easy.” Indan is a man with the yellow jersey. But as far as Kuji was concerned, it wasn’t going fast enough. So, he’s gone to the front. He wants to try and get the stage victory. He got one yesterday. This man really wants to race. He doesn’t care about tactics. And all the time all Miguel Indire has to do is just be careful or watch what he’s doing. If you see at the back suffering a bit, but way up the mountain here, Andy Hansen is riding away from them all. Time is coming down a little bit, but Hamson has got his rhythm now. He knows he doesn’t have to worry about any of the other competitors who are with him in that breakaway. He’s just going to try and time travel to the finish. And when we come back, Andy Hamstead in the midst of his proudest moment. Back in Paris, you were watching the end of the climb up the Alp. This is Cladio Kiapuchi and Miguel Indorin, the wearer of the yellow jersey. And they are chasing Andy Hamstead who will win this stage and win it in most impressive fashion. Hamston heading for a pretty terrific personal moment just ahead. You can now see the top of the Alp and so too could Andy Hamston for the last half of this climb. He has ridden alone. His face is sold, but there looks now to be a little bit of pain. Now that was the last rider to be dropped. Here he is, Franco Bona. He’s about half a minute behind and I don’t think even he will spoil the day for the United States on the Alps today. 2 km to go for Andy Hamson. The crowd are now safely locked behind the barriers all of a sudden. There’s space to breathe up here. Well, Hans getting to the Eg now looking over his shoulders to see how far behind him Franco Vona is. He’s just got to get over the top there through the tunnel and he’ll get a little bit of wrist bite. He’ll be able to get a bigger gear in and head for the line. He’ll be looking now for the last kilometer banner. Voner at 35 seconds at the moment. One other man in front of Miguel Injur is Eric Buoyet but he’s 2 and 1/2 minutes behind Andy Hampton and these two riders are still round about 3 minutes as Injur tries to find a way through the crowd. He fights his way to the top of the Alz and almost certainly now I think Miguel Injurain will be the top man when we go to Paris. I don’t think there’s much doubt about that now. He has proved himself by elimination of everybody around him that he is the best rider in this year’s tour of class. Well, Hamster doing an incredible performance. I’ve just got another time check. He’s actually 3 minutes and 55 seconds in front of Miguel in range. And Franco Vona here looks to me like a man who is really exploding. He can’t get those gears over at all. He really is suffering. And Hamson is on the flat part of the course picking up speed and he’s really flying towards a most incredible victory. Andy Hamson has kept us waiting a long time for this great day. Ever since he promis promised us big things back in 1986 when he won the tour of Switzerland and he went on to win the white jersey the best rookie in the tour of France but he also finished fourth. On that occasion, Greg Lemon was winning the tour of France for America. In Jerain, the man the crowd has come to see along the sea cla balance as Italians and Spanish supporters and a little bit more regimented and orderly than the crowd we had on yesterday. They have much more space to ride at their own pace, but they’re not going to pick up. Indeed, they’re going to lose more time, I think, to Andy Hamson. And Hampton is going to is going to find tonight. He will have closed the gap considerably. He started the day in eighth place. 11 minutes and 16 seconds down, a 4-minute game today. We’re moving on probably to fifth and maybe even higher. Well, he’s going to be very pleased with his day. But look at this man, Miguel Hinder. He doesn’t seem to show any emotion at all. He just sits there and pokes away at that bicycle. Cladio Kia. Well, he’s an incredible rider. He’s fought all the way through the mountains. He’s still fought today. But here is the red flag for Andy Hampton. He’s got 1 kilometer to go to take that final stage victory. And I think he really will savor that because for a climber, I think one of the best places in the world to win into the top of the alter because it really is the king of climbs. And the top two guys rid of France. Also coming up here side by side the polter jersey of the king of the mountains this year. He’ll win that for sure now. And alongside in the yellow jersey of the tour worn by its defending champion Miguel in Jerine. I think it’s fair to say he’ll win that for sure now as well. Francoa the man who’s been the big intruder in the Alpha this weekend. He finished second yesterday and he should hang on in there now and finish second again today. That’s a magnificent performance by him. He finished sixth in the tour of Italy. And the final two events now as they head up towards the main part of Alz where an American is set to win for the first time ever on the Alp. Back in 1952 it was the Italian FTO Coffee and we’ve been up here 15 times since. This is the 16th time at 52. 17 occasions in all and the French had only one appear on one occasion and that was Ben Arino when he was riding home side by side with Greg Lemon in 1986. Well, Hampton made an incredible ascent of this mountain here. The time gap on these two rides at the moment is 3 minutes and 30 seconds. He turns into the final straight. You’ll see the finish line in front of him. He’s got about 500 m to go up to the top and Andy Hampton looks to me as if he’s going to take the most incredible stage victory of his life. There is no doubt about that now. He’s smiling already. Andy Hampton for the United States is coming home in the tour of France. This will be a remarkable victory. He did it like a champion. He took the group over the cultural part of a fair. He took them to the bottom of that. Then he blew them away one by one down the mountain. And the team Motorola had their station as well. So what a terrific moment for Andy Hamson and his Motorola team. And as usual at the finish of almost every stage, absolute pandemonium from the press, from the hangers on, from the fans, from just about everybody. We’ll be back. Fourth place down the Oz. Frank Oona for the second day in a row finished second. And Eric Boyet finishes in third place. And here are the two who everyone has been talking about all day. Kiauchi and Indere. Here is the arrival now of the yellow jersey of Miguel Indrain. And he’s going to take on Kapuchi. Kuchi I don’t believe will relax. He’ll try and beat him in a bit as they come up towards the line. Kuchi goes. This man never stops trying. He’ll never concede any more than he has to. Kutton comes home now and he’ll be in sixth place today I think ahead of Miguel in terrain at what stage of a sort of frog this has been madness once again but the man of the day no question was Andy Hamston one of the sweetest moments of his life the first American to ever win on Alz that’s all I’ve ever wanted in my whole career is just really good form and a good mountain show it on and can’t asked more than half a million people to cheer me on. To win at the the top of the Aldoz for a climber must be absolutely extraordinary. How did you feel with 500 meters to go? I felt pretty good. It was downhill. But what was a high for Andy Hamstead on this day was a low for another American, Greg Lamont, who had to abandon the tour for the first time ever. He simply never got it going right from the start. Is it the last time that we will see him around? Not if you ask his biggest supporter. Let it hang. Well, I worry about that a little bit because he isn’t getting any younger, but I think I don’t know what to say exactly. I think that he’s not the type that’s going to give up on himself. Is he’s if he’s there in the early season next year, he’ll be here during the tour. Well, a family portrait amidst the maddening crowd of the tour to France. Greg Lamont would really have rather seen this scene in Paris, but at this time it is merely a question of being just a little bit philosophic. I mixed mixed emotions, but it’s the worst part was yesterday. Uh, I’m just there’s not much you can It’s hard to be uh disappointed when you’ve already I’ve already felt bad for about four or five days and I just kept having hope that I’d turn around and feel better. But in tour to France, once you’re a little bad, you stay bad. And it’s just I don’t know. I wish it’s just one tour to France. It’s just another year, you know, can’t be on every time. just I’ve done everything I could. I have no regrets for my preparation. I’ve trained extremely hard, extremely well, and I was in good shape. My results spoke for themselves before the tour, France. Um, just when it came down to the tour, I I started off bad intensive, made some big mistakes the week before and I paid for it all the way through the tour. So, it has been a very tough couple of weeks for Greg Lamont, for Miguel in the rain. continues to wear the yellow. Claudio Kiapuchi is still in second place, but Andy Hamson has moved all the way up to third place. He is 8 minutes and 1 second behind the leader, but what a performance for him. And Pascalino remains in fourth place. This clearly is the man of the day, the American Andy Hamstead. And he is a happy man. He is so with a very good reason. It brings our show to a close though. We’ll be with you once again for a half hour tomorrow, stage 15. to fulfill Paul Sherwin. I’m Barry Tomkins. We’ll see you tomorrow.