Throwback to Stage 19 of the 1992 Tour de France, the 39.8-mile individual time trial from Tours to Blois. With only two stages remaining, this is the last battle of the favorites. Gianni Bugno needed put forth a strong effort to make the top three overall. More importantly, he needs to prove that he is still a favorite in time trials despite losing 3:41 to Indurain in stage 9. Bugno finished in second, 40 seconds down this time. Claudio Chiappucci is not known for time trials but finished ahead of both Erik Breukink and Stephen Roche. Andy Hampston started strong but faded later in the stage and finished in 27th place, 5:33 down and dropped to 4th overall. Miguel Indurain has virtually clinched overall victory after winning this stage.
Transferred from a VHS recording of the 1992 Tour de France coverage on ESPN. The recording was made on July 24, 1992.
begin today where the Lavoir Valley begins in tour. And today’s stage 19 may be the tour’s last pivotal segment, the second and last individual time trial. Hello everybody, I’m Barry Tomkins and welcome to ESPN’s unprecedented dayby-day coverage of the tour to France. You know they say to win the tour to France, you have to be great in the individual time trials. Miguel Indrain without question is great in the individual time trials and that’s why he’s very likely to win his second tour to France in a row. But I think one of the most compelling stories of this year’s tour is that of the other American, Andy Hamston, not Greg Lamond, who had to drop out. Andy went back home to Boulder, Colorado every year to work on his high altitude training. He’s a great climber, and that’s how he’s made his reputation. In fact, this year, he won the most prestigious climb on the tour, the climb up the Al DZ. But he wanted to improve as a time trier. So instead of going to Boulder this year, he went to Lake Ko, Italy, and he rode. and it helped his cycling in general, but it helped his time triing in particular. Yet, in the first time trial this year, Andy could finish no better than 56th. He was not a happy guy. He gets a second chance in stage 19 today, the final individual time trial of this year’s tour to France. And I know for certain that when these racers stand on the victory platform this Sunday right here in Paris, Andy Hamstead would be very happy to stand up there with Clauddio Kipuchi and with Miguel Indrain and say, “I’m number three.” Once again, it’s a case of nobody pausing to admire the scenery, which is ample. This is a race against the clock and Miguel Enderin’s got the biggest watch. Here’s Phil L. In modern times, Barry, the tour to France has always been won by the man who can ride the individual time trial best. Look at Bernardino, Eddie Merks, and Jacon Catil. They each won the tour five times. They always did it by setting the seal in the time trial. Last year, Miguel Inerain won both long-distance individual time trials. And this year, he also started on the road to victory by winning in Luxembourg. Now, today’s time trial is only approximately half a mile shorter than that one in Luxembourg. And if injur repeats the form, he’ll win today by 3 minutes and go on to win this tour to France by almost five. The battle really now is for the lesser place riders. The riders from second down to sixth. They are much closer together and they will try harder today to improve their final position in Paris. Well, when the racers sign in on this day, they do so with a little more of a case of nerves than usual. Awful lot of waiting around, a lot of contemplating, and then all of a sudden you’re on your own like Andy Hamston for an hour and a half or so. Nobody to help you, just you and your own thoughts. And Miguel Enderin usually has thoughts that seem to get him there faster than anybody else. We’ll be back. Who really does want to make a big impression today and in fact has to is Clauddio Kapuchi. even nipping at Indrain’s heels like a titi fly. But whenever he thought he was rid of the yellowtailed rascal, indrain ran him down like a dober pincher. Which brings us to yesterday’s stage number 18. Clauddio Kapuchi has made a career out of sudden breakaways and that’s endeared him to the crowds worldwide. But every time he tried it yesterday, well, don’t look in your rear view mirror, Claudio. Colonel Mustard is right behind you. Johnny Buno is down to his last to ride today and he has the unenviable task of doing battle with a man who does this kind of thing better than anyone. According to our own Paul Sherwin, Miguel Endurain has virtually won the tour to France. But today he faces his final test in an event which has made him known as the best man in the world, the individual time trial. If he wanted to build a time trialist, I think he’d look something like Miguel Injurain with that superb riding position that he has. But the biggest advantage, I’m sure, is the psychological one he has over all his adversaries. When the pain gets too much, he doesn’t throttle back because he knows he can win not only the stage, but the whole tour to France. But the two climbers, Cladio Kipuchi and Andy Hamson, they’re terrified by what faces them on the road to Bois. In fact, Andy Hamson has tried to improve his timeting performance because he knows he’s so weak. Yesterday, he was so terrified by their event that he wouldn’t even talk to us after the finish. and he escaped to his hotel bedroom for some security to try and psych himself up for what faces him along the road today. One thing’s for certain along the road to Bois, we’ll find out whether all the hard work put in by Andy Hamson has paid off. Well, 131 racers start 3 minutes apart over a 64 km course. Racing not against each other, but only against time, which could be the biggest enemy of all. Giani Buno needs this race. He’s been in something of a malaise since things started and he struggled in the mountains more than before. He trails Indrain by more than 10 minutes. Indrain for all intent has won this tour to France in the first individual time trial. If Claudio Kiapuchi, for instance, had not dropped 5 minutes and change in that time trial. He’d be leading the race today. As far as Buno is concerned, he just dropped 3 minutes and 41 seconds to win in the first trial. He stands to gain the most today. Andy Hamston lost 8 minutes and 29 seconds in the first trial. He would also be ahead of Indrain at this juncture if he were just able to ride him even in the stage 9 trial. The list goes on. The race is won or lost in the time trial. It seems as Andy Hamstead pushes off with high hopes today. Steven Roach meanwhile he got out pretty well and he has been going pretty well. He seems to be over a back problem that has plagued him for the last couple of years. He even won a stage and he is a confident rider coming into this time trial. Let’s pick up the call with Phil and Paul and Andy Hamston now trying to find a nice rhythm here. He’s diving in and out of the saddle as he tries to settle in at this course. In fact, the riders tell us only have four right hand bend right angle bends on the course. By and large, it’s a straight race and a flatout race. It’s not really Andy Hamson’s type of course. He would prefer something with a little bit of resistance in it. As we look now at the first sight we’ve seen of the 29 km check about 19 mi. Roach has got through there at the best time. But there’s still big boys to follow him. But that’s a good sign for Steven Roach. And here he is now having passed through that in 34 minutes 47 seconds. The best time at the finish has been done by the former Soviet rider Dmitrianov. 1 hour 15 minutes and 49. Roach is set to beat that. Back at the start mean Kio is a man who knows he must do well today appears to have any chance. Meanwhile up ahead a known name heads for home. And so the winner of the tour to France in 1983 and 1984 and he won those races by being completely dominant in the time trial. Those days have gone by for long. He comes home now and he’s even gone behind Sha Yates here. Well, he’ll just about pip Sha’s time on the line. Yates lying in 10th place at the moment. A lot of Finan coming on a part of that. So, the former winner of the tour to France, Finan crosses the line. No chance of that this year. Loses two minutes already to the leader on the board. 11750. So, while one former winner crosses with his chances gone, another former winner prepares to start an event at which he has no peer. Meanwhile, out on the raceourse, the pretenders continue to do what they can do. Let’s get back to the call with Bill and Paul. And we now come down alongside Cladio Kiauchi. A year ago in the final time trial, Kuchi shocked everybody by setting the best time at the first time check. He is yet to arrive at the first check today at 15 1/2 km. Jeani Buno is heading the charge there with 17 minutes and 9 seconds, 32 seconds better than Andy Hamston who has surprisingly gone through there 8 seconds faster than Eric Biking. And that is a good indication that Hamston is on a good ride at the moment. Let’s just hope he hasn’t started too quickly today. Cladio Kupuchi has to have it today. It is that simple. Finally, he is last and his times in this event have been historically least bode well for everybody else. Miguel Induran is underway. Well, Miguel Induran out on the course and he is a Rolls-Royce past the 15 km split. 3 seconds to the good of Giani Buno’s time and riding just effortlessly. Meanwhile, Steven Roach moving through the third checkpoint. It is a tactical race and right now I’m sure Steven is checking his own tactics. Here’s the call. Steven Roach flashing through the 55 kilometer check here and he slipped away a little bit. As you can see the computer counting him down through the leaderboard at this point. Philip Lugio in fourth place and Roach should go through just a bit better than Philip Lugio but he’s dropped away from first position and other riders behind him are also going quicker now. So a great start by Steven Roach, but during the middle section of the course, he’s losing time. This is the situation of 46 km. Now Giani Buno has gone through 53 minutes and 22 seconds. Hamston is still to arrive at this point. But the moment, Paul, calculations are showing that Buno needs only 44 more seconds to go over Handy Hamster in the overall classification. That’s right. The last time check he was 1 minute and 18 seconds up on Andy Hamson which means that and Hamson hasn’t got very much time left. He needs to come through the next checkpoint with a time less than 55 minutes and 24 seconds just to keep in with a chance of keeping his third place. He’s not going to be d he’s not going to be worried by Pascalina who seems to be falling away from the leaderboard at the moment. So we’re looking now at Giani Buno who seems to have found his oldtime trailing form. He’s recovered from the shock and the hits he took in Luxembourg when he lost almost four minutes to Miguel Injurain. Here’s the arrival of Eric Voyer, the team leader now of the Zed team. But as you can see, he’s slipping away, way, way down the result with all of the top men still to finish. The lonely figure of Miguel Injurine closing down the time trial in today’s stage of the tour to France last start as the leader of the tour to France and knowing at every time check his one adversary is again the man who finished second to him last year Giani Buno for this particular stage. Buno in fact is putting up a real fight today. He’s conceding only a matter of seconds at the checks to Miguel Injurain. In fact, at the 29 km check, he was just 2 seconds behind. So, it may well be that Bunyo wants to try and get a revenge over Miguel Injurain for the the slaughtering he got almost in the first time trial in Luxembourg. 3 minutes and 41 seconds he conceded then, but he really does seem to be getting back into his rhythm. And I’m not sure whether he started to use that new bicycle. I heard a rumor that he was going to try a new bicycle today with a slightly larger back wheel than normal. We’ll have to see if I can’t really tell from this camera angle whether he’s using it or not. So Buno knowing now he’s back into his old form. He’s matching Miguel Injurain but his main adversary strangely enough at this stage of the tour to France. He’s not to satisfy his great ambition as to winning the race and beating Miguel Injerane. But in fact now his target is Andy Hamston of the United States. He needs just about 40 seconds now and he’s halfway through the time trial today. If he can find 40 seconds, then he will move up to third place overall. Now, it’ll be sad for Hamson because he rode exceptionally well in the mountains this year. And I think one thing that Hamster may well regret is that first time trial he rode in Luxembourg when he lost 8 minutes and 29 seconds. 5 minutes of those he lost to Giani Buno. Those five minutes could cost him very, very dearly today. They may may well even cost him a place in the top three in Paris. These two riders well separated on the road this year. They had hoped or at least Buno had hoped he would be starting very close to Injurine which have indicated to him he was a real challenger for the tour to France this year. But he referred to Miguel Injerane as being on a different planet after his fantastic ride at Luxembourg. But he seems to have found the same spaceship now because he is matching him wheel for wheel in this time trial today. And it does seem as though Buno, if he’s going to lose this tour, as he surely is, he’s going to prove to the world that he has the ability of injuring in the time trial and could well come back next year and give us a different result. Definitely Buno changing up a little gear here at the moment. But I’ve noticed over the last two or three days that Buno has got a lot more nervous. He’s riding at the front of the field. I think before he goes out of the tour to France, he wants to go out with a bang. I’m not sure that he’s over worried about the third place, but I’m sure he would like to try and win a stage. Imra Miguel Indire as always unique even to the extent of his riding style according to a guy who knows Paul Sherwin Miguel Indire is the world’s best cyclist. He’s 6’3 and 175 lbs. Normally a cyclist of his size would be too big and heavy to get over the mountains of the Tour to France. But his success stems directly from his superb riding position that allows him to combine both his strength and his exceptional flexibility. The two combined together allow him to use all his power efficiently when climbing. But at the same time, if you look at his position in the time trial, you can see just how far behind the saddle he sits. Not only is this position comfortable, but it allows him to push forwards and downwards at the same time, thus employing all of his force. Another advantage of this position well over the back wheel is that it also helps his stability when it comes to descending. He keeps his weight at the back of the bicycle and therefore steers easily around the corners. But I think that his biggest asset is the exceptional flexibility which allows him to pedal using much smaller gears on the climbs than many of his rivals. This prevents him having to dig deep into his reserves in order to climb on force as the French say. All right, thanks very much Paul. No question about it. You are looking at an artist Miguel Indrain and he is on his way to winning his second consecutive tour to France. Meanwhile, further up the course, let’s get back to the travailes of Steven Roach. And Steven Roach approaching the finish. And it looks like it could be the best time as he comes to line. But the time checks has been indicating that Steven has been tiring over the last half of this course. Yet one or two riders have gone better over the last few kilometers. Roach now down to fourth though and he’s slipping away from the leaderboard here. It’s more a point of how his time stands up with the men who finish behind him. But this at the moment will certainly be good enough for Steven Rose to stay in ninth position overall. fourth best at the finish at the moment. Well, we talked about the tactics of Steven Roach. What about the tactics of Andy Hamstead? He started out very quickly. Right now, he is struggling a little bit. We’ll be back with more on the Andy Hamson story after this. And not a driver as his rivals head home. And so, the arrival here of Pedro Delgado who started 3 minutes ahead of Buno. And the rider in the distance is Yiani Buno. He’s almost caught the 1988 tour winner of the 3 minutes. It’s no good looking at watch Pedro because look behind you as Yiani Buno inspired today for sure. He’s chasing the time of Dmitri Jadalov. He’s going to annihilate it. The world champion hits the line 1401. So now the gauntlet is down and only inane can match that. And back out to the 55 kilometer point now. This is Andy Hamson and Paul. He’s looking very, very tired indeed. Looks like he’s suffering a little bit on the climb there. You see he’s way off the leaderboard at the moment. There’s the time of Lauron Finan at the bottom. 10838. And Hamson is going to really go outside that time. So, he’s about 3 minutes off the time of Giani Buno at this time check. He had 2 minutes to spare this morning. So, he really is disappearing, but he’s doing an excellent ride. All the same. He’s staying in front of Pascalino and we should see Hamson stay in fourth slot in the tour to France this year out on the road. The yellow jersey still on the shoulders of Miguel Indurrain in amongst the crowds. The visions here at Cestria when this man came through the crowd to win that marvelous stage we’ll always talk about in the Alps. Clauddio puts as the crowd steps back now to see this great little man of world cycling carrying the polka dot jersey for the second year as winner of the king of the mountains. But still the yellow one eludes him. He’s riding though very very close to the second time on the leaderboard at 55 km that of Dmitri Xanov. Now down to second place at the finish beaten by Giani Buno safely in but even so still a great ride here by Cladio Kapuchi. He’s a good time trialist. If he could be a great one there’s no doubt one day he would win a tour to France. Kuchi coming up to the 55 km check. He’s going to be through here in fourth or fifth best time. And as he comes up towards the line slowly, the times are ticking away. It just shows you how well Bungo has gone today. And Dimmitri Jagalof, the Soviet man, sixth best at 55 km. And look at this. The face of the animal Miguel Inerin as he hunts down every one of the 129 riders left in this year’s tour to France. He’s on his way through now to the 55 km point. Well, Jean Buna went through here with a time of 1 hour 5 minutes and 8 seconds. Well, they confirmed it in fact is 9 seconds. That is the time that Miguel Inane is looking for. At the last check, they were 1 second apart. Now, can he get it? It looks to me as if he goes over the top, he’s going to get it by about 15 seconds or so. In fact, more than 15 seconds. There it is. 1 minute 04 and 39. He goes through with the best time. I think he’s waited till the very end here before he puts the hammer down. And so, Injurain has done a tremendous middle of the road ride there. He’s recovered well and quite clearly he must have been told of that second difference and it’s inspired him. Let’s go on though to Andy Hamson. He’s a few minutes up the road ahead of Jani Buno. He’s still finding the strength here because he may have lost his third place, but he’s still in with fourth. He’s going to have to be very careful. I think Hampton has actually started much too quickly and blown because now he just has a 13-second advantage on Pascalino, who before was over a minute behind him. Well, Andy Hampton, a little bit of the tortoise in the hair, and the tortoises are starting to catch up. We’ll be back up ahead, but it is Claudio Kapuchi right now who is making the race and trying to pick up the time on Miguel Indrain. Indrain meanwhile just being the Cadillac of the field as he always seems to be. Let’s go to the call with Phil and John. Two days to go. Yes, but all over flat roads. Kuchi will lose his tour here for sure now. But I think you know he will deny the ultimate killing for this rider in the yellow jersey as injur tries to find that little bit of extra speed. But surely it can’t be still in his legs as he chases gear puts you to the line. Well, there’s not very much between them and Andy Hamson has still got to come across the line. We’ve got the time ticking over. It’s 1 minute 18 and4. Hamson has to come over in 11951 to try and keep at least in fourth place in the tour to France at the moment. And look at Kiauchi here fighting. He’s got a point to prove. He’s just got to make sure he knows he’s not a good time trialist. He’s just got to make sure that he doesn’t get caught by Miguel in so he’ll fight all he’s got in the last kilometer just to stay in front there. Well, the consoling thoughts for Cladio Kuchi is whatever happens today now, he will finish second in this year’s tour to France. The same position he finished two years ago to Greg Leond. He paid the price in full to Greg in the time trial as well. And now he’s paying a similar price to Miguel Injur. What a shame though that this rider hasn’t won a tour of France in these last three years because for everybody’s money, he is the life and soul of this event. So for Andy Hamstead, he started out very well, but tactics not the order of the day for him and he finished slowly. It just simply was not to be his day. as the man who can ride the time trial better than anybody else comes under the Spanish flag at the line just ahead of him. Kuchi has denied the ultimate killing to Miguel in Jerane. Kia putsi gets the cheers but before he even steps off his bicycle over the line will come the yellow jersey of the tour to France. And what a way to finish this tour in the time trial almost taking him for 3 minutes is the best time as well. 1 hour 13 minutes 21 seconds for Miguel Inrain. The tour to France today is his. And the moment is his too. Miguel indrain wins stage 19. Giani Buno with a great stage but it wasn’t enough. Dmitri Jadino finishes in third place overall. Indrain for all intent has won the whole thing. Clauddio Kupuchi now 435 behind. Buno is 1049 behind and Hamston is behind