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Stages with running GC

Prologue: Saturday, June 30, Futuroscope 6.3 km Individual Time Trial. Stage and GC times and places are the same.

1. Thierry Marie: 7min 49sec
2. Greg LeMond @ 4sec
3. Raul Alcala s.t.
4. Francis Moreau @ 10sec
5. Eric Vanderaerden @ 12sec
6. Viatcheslav Ekimov @ 13sec
7. Pello Ruiz-Cabestany @ 17sec
8. Miguel Indurain s.t.
9. Jelle Nijdam @ 18sec
10. Stephen Roche s.t.

Stage 1: Monday, July 2, Furturoscope - Futuroscope, 138.5 km

1. Frans Maassen: 3hr 19min 1sec
2. Ronan Pensec s.t.
3. Claudio Chiappucci s.t.
4. Steve Bauer s.t.
5. John Carlsen @ 8min 36sec
6. Guido Winterberg @ 9min 24sec
7. Olaf Ludwig @ 10min 35sec
8. Jean-Paul Van Poppel s.t.
9. Giovanni Fidanza s.t.
10. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.

GC after Stage 1:

1. Steve Bauer: 3hr 27min 1sec
2. Frans Maassen @ 2sec
3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 9sec
4. Ronan Pensec @ 21sec
5. John Carlsen @ 9min 3sec
6. Guido Winterberg @ 9min 44sec
7. Thierry marie @ 10min 24sec
8. Greg LeMond @ 10min 28sec
9. Raul Alcala s.t.
10. Francis Moreau @ 10min 34sec

Stage 2: Monday, July 2, Futuroscope 44.5 km Team Time Trial. Rules limited a rider's time loss to 5 minutes.

1. Panasonic: 53min 24sec
2. PDM @ 7sec
3. ONCE @ 22sec
4. Histor-Sigma s.t.
5. Castorama @ 33sec
6. 7-Eleven @ 48sec
7. Z @ 53sec
8. Buckler @ 56sec
9. Helvetia @ 1min 15sec
10. Weinmann @ 1min 18sec

GC after stage 2:

1. Steve Bauer: 4hr 21min 13sec
2. Frans Maassen @ 10sec
3. Ronan Pensec @ 26sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 50sec
5. Raul Alcala @ 9min 47sec
6. Viatcheslav Ekimov @ 9min 49sec
7. Steven Rooks @ 10min 1sec
8. Sean Kelly s.t.
9. Eric Van Lancker @ 10min 3sec
10. Alan Peiper s.t.

Stage 3: Tuesday, July 3, Poitiers - Nantes, 233 km

1. Moreno Argentin: 5hr 46min 13sec
2. Christophe Lavainne @ 2min 29sec
3. Uwe Raab s.t.
4. Olaf Ludwig s.t.
5. Johan Capiot s.t.
6. Sean Kelly s.t.
7. Jelle Nijdam s.t.
8. Soren Lilholt s.t.
9. Asiate Saitov s.t.
10. Marc Sergeant s.t.

GC after Stage 3:

1. Steve Bauer: 10hr 9min 55sec
2. Frans Maassen @ 8sec
3. Ronan Pensec @ 26sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 50sec
5. Moreno Argentin @ 8min 23sec
6. Raul Alcala @ 9min 47sec
7. Viatcheslav Ekimov @ 9min 49sec
8. Steven Rooks @ 10min 1sec
9. Sean Kelly s.t.
10. Eric Van Lancker @ 10min 3sec

Stage 4: Wednesday, July 4, Nantes - Mont St. Michel, 203 km

1. Johan Museeuw: 5hr 23min 33sec
2. Guido Bontempi s.t.
3. Olaf Ludwig s.t.
4. Davis Phinney s.t.
5. Adriano Baffi s.t.
6. Johan Capiot s.t.
7. Sean Kelly s.t.
8. Jean-Paul Van Poppel s.t.
9. Etienne De Wilde s.t.
10. Martin Schalkers s.t.

GC after stage 4:

1. Steve Bauer: 15hr 33min 24sec
2. Ronan Pensec @ 30sec
3. Frans Maassen @ 33sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 1sec
5. Moreno Argentin @ 8min 27sec
6. Raul Alcala @ 9min 58sec
7. Steven Rooks @ 10min 5sec
8. Sean Kelly s.t.
9. Eric Van Lancker @ 10min 4sec
10. Alan Peiper s.t.

Stage 5: Thursday, July 5, Avranches - Rouen, 301 km

1. Gerrit Solleveld: 7hr 43min 7sec
2. Johan Museeuw @ 4min 27sec
3. Etienne De Wilde s.t.
4. Olaf Ludwig @ 4min 30sec
5. Eric Vanderaerden s.t.
6. Adriano Baffi s.t.
7. Davis Phinney s.t.
8. Sean Kelly s.t.
9. Soren Lilholt s.t.
10. Adri Van Der Poel s.t.

GC after stage 5:

1. Steve Bauer: 23hr 20min 57sec
2. Ronan Pensec @ 34sec
3. Frans Maassen @ 37sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 5sec
5. Gerrit Solleveld @ 7min 26sec
6. Raul Alcala @ 10min 2sec
7. Sean Kelly @ 10min 3sec
8. Steven Rooks @ 10min 9sec
9. Alan Peiper @ 10min 16sec
10. Guy Nulens @ 10min 18sec

Stage 6: Friday, July 6, Sarrebourg - Vittel, 202.5 km

1. Jelle Nijdam: 5hr 23min 56sec
2. Jesper Skibby s.t.
3. Johan Museeuw s.t.
4. Giovanni Fidanza s.t.
5. Viatcheslav Ekimov s.t.
6. Guy Nulens @ 3sec
7. Adriano Baffi @ 8sec
8. Olaf Ludwig s.t.
9. Adri Van Der Poel s.t.
10. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.

GC after Stage 6:

1. Steve Bauer: 28hr 45min 1sec
2. Ronan Pensec @ 34sec
3. Frans Maassen @ 37sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 5sec
5. Gerrit Solleveld @ 7min 26sec
6. Raul Alacala @ 10min 2sec
7. Sean Kelly @ 10min 3sec
8. Steven Rooks @ 10min 9sec
9. Guy Nulens @ 10min 11sec
10. Alan Peiper s.t.

Stage 7: Saturday, July 7, Vittel - Epinal 61.5 km Individual Time Trial

1. Raul Alcala: 1hr 17min 5sec
2. Miguel Indurain @ 1min 24sec
3. Gianni Bugno @ 1min 47sec
4. Pedro Delgado @ 2min 5sec
5. Greg LeMond @ 2min 11sec
6. Jean-François Bernard @ 2min 26sec
7. Ronan Pensec s.t.
8. Uwe Ampler @ 2min 30sec
9. Tony Rominger @ 2min 32sec
10. Gerrit Solleveld @ 2min 40sec

GC after Stage 7:

1. Steve Bauer: 30hr 4min 49sec
2. Ronan Pensec @ 17sec
3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 11sec
4. Frans Maassen @ 1min 16sec
5. Raul Alcala @ 7min 19sec
6. Gerrit Solleveld @ 7min 23sec
7. Greg LeMond @ 10min 9sec
8. Uwe Ampler @ 10min 14sec
9. Sean Kelly @ 10min 15sec
10. Viatcheslav Ekimov @ 10min 26sec

Stage 8, Sunday, July 8: Epinal - Besançon, 181.5 km.

1. Olaf Ludwig: 4hr 26min 53sec
2. Johan Museeuw s.t.
3. Ron Kiefel s.t.
4. Jean-Claude Colotti s.t.
5. Andréas Kappes s.t.
6. Christophe Lavainne s.t.
7. Guido Winterberg s.t.
8. Massimo Ghirotto s.t.
9. Pascal Lance s.t.
10. Patrick Jacobs s.t.

GC after Stage 8:

1. Steve Bauer: 34hr 32min 3sec
2. Ronen Pensec @ 17sec
3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 7sec
4. Frans Massen @ 1min 16sec
5. Raul Alcala @ 7min 19sec
6. Gerrit Solleveld @ 7min 23sec
7. Greg LeMond @ 10min 9sec
8. Uwe Ampler @ 10min 14sec
9. Sean Kelly @ 10min 15sec
10. Guido Winterberg @ 10min 26sec

Stage 9, Monday, July 9: Besançon - Geneva, 196 km

Major ascent: Rousses

1. Massimo Ghirotto: 4hr 46min 7sec
2. Eduardo Chozas s.t.
3. Christophe Lavainne @ 16sec
4. Brian Holm @ 19sec
5. Philippe Louviot s.t.
6. Jörg Muller s.t.
7. Gilles Delion @ 25sec
8. Giuseppe Calcaterra @ 27sec
9. Bjarne Riis s.t.
10. Andréas Kappes s.t.

GC after Stage 9:

1. Steve Bauer: 39hr 18min 47sec
2. Ronan Pensec @ 17sec
3. Frans Maassen @ 1min 6sec
4. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 7sec
5. Raul Alcala @ 7min 19sec
6. Greg LeMond @ 10min 9sec
7. Uwe Ampler @ 10min 14sec
8. Sean Kelly @ 10min 15sec
9. Guido Winterberg @ 10min 26sec
10. Viatcheslav Ekimov s.t.

Stage 10, Tuesday, July 10: Geneva - St. Gervaix (Mont Blanc). 118.5 km

Major ascents: Colombière, Aravis, hilltop finish at St. Gervais/ Mont Blanc

1. Thierry Claveyrolat: 3hr 24min 31sec
2. Uwe Ampler @ 1min 54sec
3. Charly Mottet s.t.
4. Reynel Montoya @ 2min 10sec
5. Marino Lejaretta s.t.
6. Eric Boyer s.t.
7. Pedro Delgado s.t.
8. Guido Winterberg @ 2min 11sec
9. Roberto Conti @ 2min 24sec
10. Greg LeMond @ 2min 29sec

GC after Stage 10:

1. Ronan Pensec: 42hr 46min 4sec
2. Claudio Chiappucci @ 50sec
3. Steve Bauer @ 1min 21sec
4. Frans Maassen @ 2min 27sec
5. Raul Alcala @ 7min 2sec
6. Uwe Ampler @ 9min 22sec
7. Guido Winterberg @ 9min 51sec
8. Greg LeMond @ 9min 52sec
9. Sean Kelly @ 9min 58sec
10. Erik Breukink @ 10min 15sec

Stage 11, Wednesday, July 11, St. Gervais - L'Alpe d'Huez. 182.5 km

Major ascents: Madeleine, Glandon and L'Alpe d'Huez.

1. Gianni Bugno: 5hr 37min 51sec
2. Greg LeMond s.t.
3. Erik Breukink @ 1sec
4. Thierry Claveyrolat @ 4sec
5. Fabio Parra @ 6sec
6. Abelardo Rondon @ 40sec
7. Andy Hampsten s.t.
8. Pedro Delgado s.t.
9. Claude Criquielion @ 47sec
10. Ronan Pensec @ 48sec

GC after Stage 11:

1. Ronan Pensec: 48hr 24min 43sec
2. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 28sec
3. Greg LeMond @ 9min 4sec
4. Erik Breukink @ 9min 28sec
5. Gianni Bugno @ 10min 39sec
6. Pedro Delgado @ 11min 5sec
7. Claude Criquielion @ 11min 29sec
8. Raul Alcala @ 11min 55sec
9. Andy Hampsten @ 13min 45sec
10. Fabrice Philipot @ 13min 49sec

Stage 12, Thursday, July 12: Fontaine to Villard de Lans. 33.5 km individual time trial

37.46 average speed for winner Breukink

Claudio Chiappucci took the yellow jersey from Ronan Pensec, freeing teammate Greg LeMond to ride his own race. Chiappucci was the first Italian to wear yellow since Moser, 15 years before.

1. Erik Breukink: 56min 52sec
2. Pedro Delgado @ 30sec
3. Miguel Indurain @ 43sec
4. Marino Lejaretta @ 54sec
5. Greg LeMond @ 56sec
6. Fabio Parra @ 58sec
7. William Palacio @ 59sec
8. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1min 5sec
9. Johan Bruyneel @ 1min 17sec
10. Reynel Montoya s.t.

GC after Stage 12:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 49hr 24min 8sec
2. Ronan Pensec @ 1min 17sec
3. Erik Breukink @ 6min 55sec
4. Greg LeMond @ 7min 27sec
5. Pedro Delgado @ 9min 2sec
6. Raul Alcala @ 10min 44sec
7. Gianni Bugno @ 10min 48sec
8. Claude Criquielion @ 11min 23sec
9. Marino Lejaretta @ 12min 46sec
10. Andy Hampsten @ 13min 58sec

Stage 13, Saturday, July 14: Villard-de-Lans - St. Etienne. 149 km.

Major ascent: Croix de Chabouret

LeMond sent teammate Ronan Pensac ahead. Chiappucci and the Carrera team chased. LeMond and Breukink counterattacked fiercely when Pensac was caught and left Chiappucci behind, who lost almost 5 minutes.

1. Eduardo Chozas: 3hr 20min 12sec
2. Erik Breukink s.t.
3. Andy Hampsten s.t.
4. Roberto Conti s.t.
5. Greg LeMond s.t.
6. Marino Lejaretta @ 30sec
7. Pedro Delgado s.t.
8. Gianni Bugno s.t.
9. Miguel Indurain @ 36sec
10. Dimitri Konyshev @ 3min 8sec

35. Claudio Chiappucci @ 4min 35sec

GC after Stage 13:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 52hr 49min 13sec
2. Erik Breukink @ 2min 2sec
3. Greg LeMond @ 2min 34sec
4. Ronan Pensec @ 4min 11sec
5. Pedro Delgado @ 4min 39sec
6. Gianni Bugno @ 6min 25sec
7. Marino Lejaretta @ 8min 23sec
8. Raul Alcala @ 9min
9. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 5sec
10. Claude Criquielion @ 9min 39sec

Stage 14, Sunday, July 15: Le Puy en Velay- Milau (Causse Noir). 205 km.

Major ascents: Choizal, Millau/Causse Noir

Marino Lejaretta broke clear 2 km from the top of the final hill-top finish at Millau.

1. Marino Lejaretta: 5hr 12min 3sec
2. Miguel Indurain @ 24sec
3. Gianni Bugno @ 25sec
4. Raul Alcala @ 33sec
5. Greg LeMond @ 34sec
6. Erik Breukink s.t.
7. Pedro Delgado s.t.
8. Claude Criquielion s.t.
9. William Palacio s.t.
10. Gilles Delion s.t.
11. Fabio Parra s.t.
12. Roberto Conti @ 42sec
13. Claudio Chiappucci @ 47sec

GC after Stage 14:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 58hr 2min 3sec
2. Erik Breukink @ 1min 49sec
3. Greg LeMond @ 2min 21sec
4. Pedro Delgado @ 4min 26sec
5. Ronan Pensec @ 4min 55sec
6. Gianni Bugno @ 6min 3sec
7. Marino Lejaretta @ 7min 36sec
8. Raul Alcala @ 8min 46sec
9. Claude Criquielion @ 9min 26sec
10. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 43sec

Stage 15: Monday, July 16, Milau - Revel, 170 km

Major ascent: Sie

Charly Mottet rode the final 31 km alone.

1. Charly Mottet: 4hr 13min 56sec
2. Giuseppe Calcaterra @ 2min 2sec
3. Viatscheslav Ekimov s.t.
4. Edwig Van Hooydonck s.t.
5. Thierry Claveyrolat s.t.
6. Davide Cassani s.t.
7. Atle Kvalsvoll s.t.
8. Luc Leblanc s.t.
9. Oscar de Jésus Vargas s.t.
10. Bruno Cornillet s.t.

GC after Stage 15:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 62hr 20min 47sec
2. Erik Breukink @ 1min 52sec
3. Greg LeMond @ 2min 24sec
4. Pedro Delgado @ 4min 29sec
5. Ronan Pensec @ 4min 58sec
6. Gianni Bugno @ 6min 6sec
7. Marino Lejaretta @ 7min 39sec
8. Eduardo Chozas @ 8min 14sec
9. Raul Alcala @ 8min 49sec
10. Claude Criquielion @ 9min 29sec

Stage 16: Tuesday, July 17, Blagnac- Luz-Ardiden. 215 km

Major ascents: Aspin, Tourmalet and hilltop finish at Luz Ardiden.

1. Miguel Indurain: 7hr 4min 38sec
2. Greg LeMond @ 6sec
3. Marino Lejaretta @ 15sec
4. Juan Martinez-Torres @ 59sec
5. Fabio Parra @ 1min 18sec
6. Roberto Conti @ 1min 24sec
7. Claude Criquielion @ 1min 36sec
8. Pedro Delgado @ 1min 38sec
9. Eric Boyer s.t.
10. Gilles Delion @ 2min

GC after Stage 16:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 69hr 27min 50sec
2. Greg LeMond @ 5sec
3. Pedro Delgado @ 3min 42sec
4. Erik Breukink @ 3min 49sec
5. Marino Lejaretta @ 5min 29sec
6. Gianni Bugno @ 7min 48sec
7. Eduardo Chozas @ 7min 49sec
8. Claude Criquielion @ 8min 40sec
9. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 34sec
10. Ronan Pensec @ 11min 21sec

Stage 17: Wednesday, July 18, Lourdes - Pau. 150 km.

Major ascents: Aubisque, Marie-Blanque.

1. Dimitri Konyshev: 4hr 8min 25sec
2. Johan Bruyneel @ 1sec
3. Steve Bauer @ 11sec
4. Jean-Claude Colotti @ 32sec
5. Davide Cassani s.t.
6. Reynel Montoya s.t.
7. Pascal Simon @ 34sec
8. Dominique Arnaud @ 53sec
9. Laurent Biondi @ 2min 59sec
10. Peter Declercq @ 3min 38sec

GC after Stage 17:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 73hr 41min 46sec
2. Greg LeMond @ 5sec
3. Pedro Delgado @ 3min 42sec
4. Erik Breukink @ 3min 49sec
5. Marino Lejaretta @ 5min 29sec
6. Gianni Bugno @ 7min 48sec
7. Eduardo Chozas @ 7min 49sec
8. Claude Criquielion @ 8min 40sec
9. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 34sec
10. Fabio Parra @ 11min 30sec

Stage 18: Thursday, July 19, Pau - Bordeaux. 202 km

1. Gianni Bugno: 5hr 41min 33sec
2. Erik Breukink @ 1sec
3. Roberto Gusmeroli @ 3sec
4. Giovanni Fidanza @ 19sec
5. Adriano Baffi s.t.
6. Johan Museeuw s.t.
7. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.
8. Olaf Ludwig s.t.
9. Adri Van Der Poel s.t.
10. Martin Schalkers s.t.

GC after Stage 18:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 79hr 23min 38sec
2. Greg LeMond @ 5sec
3. Erik Breukink @ 3min 31sec
4. Pedro Delgado @ 3min 42sec
5. Marino Lejaretta @ 5min 29sec
6. Gianni Bugno @ 7min 29sec
7. Eduardo Chozas @ 7min 49sec
8. Claude Criquielion @ 8min 40sec
9. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 34sec
10. Fabio Parra @ 11min 30sec

Stage 19: Friday, July 20, Castillon La Bataille - Limoges. 182.5 km

1. Guido Bontempi: 5hr 16min 4sec
2. Dag-Otto Lauritzen @ 1min 28sec
3. Peter Roes s.t.
4. Robert Gusmeroli @ 1min 32sec
5. Jelle Nijdam @ 2min 6sec
6. Adri Van Der Poel s.t.
7. Steve Bauer s.t.
8. Andréas Kappes s.t.
9. Maarten Ducrot @ 2min 15sec
10. Edwig Van Hooyndonck @ 2min 44sec

GC after stage 19:

1. Claudio Chiappucci: 84hr 45min 46sec
2. Greg LeMond @ 5sec
3. Erik Breukink @ 3min 31sec
4. Pedro Delgado @ 3min 42sec
5. Marino Lejaretta @ 5min 29sec
6. Gianni Bugno @ 7min 29sec
7. Eduardo Chozas @ 7min 49sec
8. Claude Criquielion @ 8min 40sec
9. Andy Hampsten @ 9min 34sec
10. Fabio Parra @ 11min 30sec

Stage 20: Saturday, July 21, Lac de Vassivère 45.5 km individual time trial.

1. Erik Breukink: 1hr 2min 40sec
2. Raul Alcala @ 28sec
3. Marino Lejaretta @ 38sec
4. Miguel Indurain @ 40sec
5. Greg LeMond @ 57sec
6. Pello Ruiz-Cabestany @ 1min 28sec
7. Dag-Otto Lauritzen @ 2min 1sec
8. Pedro Delgado @ 2min 21sec
9. Philippe Louviot @ 2min 26sec
10. Luc Leblanc @ 2min 27sec

GC after Stage 20:

1. Greg LeMond: 85hr 49min 28sec
2. Claudio Chiappucci @ 2min 16sec
3. Erik Breukink @ 2min 29sec
4. Pedro Delgado @ 5min 1sec
5. Marino Lejaretta @ 5min 5sec
6. Eduardo Chozas @ 9min 14sec
7. Gianni Bugno @ 9min 39sec
8. Raul Alcala @ 11min 14sec
9. Claude Criquielion @ 12min 4sec
10. Miguel Indurain @ 12min 47sec

Stage 21: Sunday, July 21, Bretigny sur Orge - Paris, 182.5 km

1. Johan Museeuw: 4hr 53min 52sec
2. Adriano Baffi s.t.
3. Olaf Ludwig s.t.
4. Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.
5. Davis Phinney s.t.
6. Sean Kelly s.t.
7. Phil Anderson s.t.
8. Jelle Nijdam s.t.
9. Adri Van Der Poel s.t.
10. Uwe Raab s.t.

1990 Tour de France complete final General Classification

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The Story of the 1990 Tour de France

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

LeMond had always made it clear that he did not think that the European professional cycling culture of year-round asceticism was right for him. He felt that a life was to be lived. In the off season this could manifest itself in a visible loss of form. At the start of the 1990 season LeMond was noticeably overweight. The situation was not improved when he had a bout of mononucleosis (Brits call it glandular fever).

On the plus side, for the first time in his career, LeMond had a strong team that was dedicated to him. There were no split loyalties of the sort both he and Stephen Roche had been forced to deal with in earlier years. And unlike his 1989 ADR team, his new team, sponsored by a children's clothing company "Z", had riders who could assist him during the entire Tour. His "Z" helpers included climber Robert Millar, and all-around strongmen Gilbert Duclos-Lassalle (a future 2-time Paris–Roubaix winner) and Ronan Pensec. These were good men to have on one's side.

While there may have been justifiable worries about LeMond's fitness to contest the Tour de France, these fears were almost immediately put to rest with the Prologue time trial. Thierry Marie, who made a habit of winning these mini-time trials, won this one. LeMond was second at only 4 seconds. Raul Alcala scored third with just about the same time. Fignon was fifteenth at 19 seconds.

Thierry Marie speeds to the Prologue victory.

The first stage was one of those dopey stages in which a break of good riders, generally thought to be General Classification non-threats, was allowed to get away. The pack must have had a day of non compos mentis because this was a group of good racers

Claudio Chiappucci, who never had any regard for conservative tactics, took off when the first stage was only 6 kilometers old. Steve Bauer, Ronan Pensec and Frans Maassen quickly joined him. For the first 30 kilometers the quartet was only able to squeeze out a 30-second lead. Then, as is often the case, the peloton relented in its chase, perhaps slowed by a crash that took Pedro Delgado down. The lead increased and by the end of the stage the pack was 10 minutes, 35 seconds behind the 4 speedy adventurers. All of these riders except Chiappucci were well known quantities. Bauer was fourth in the 1988 Tour. Pensec had a sixth and a seventh in his past Tours. They were tough riders who would probably surrender their time in the high mountains only after a tough fight. But Chiappucci?

So far, Chiappucci had shown himself to be a competent but unspectacular racer. The previous year he was forty-sixth in the Giro and eighty-first in the Tour. He did manage to win the Giro del Piemonte and score a second in the hilly Giro del Trentino. This year he had improved, with a seventh in Paris–Nice and a commendable twelfth in the Giro. This did not seem to be the stuff of a Tour contender on the level of Fignon or Delgado. But wait, Chiappucci was King of the Mountains in this year's Giro. Hmmm…

Bauer was in Yellow yet again. The General Classification now stood thus:

1. Steve Bauer

2. Frans Maassen @ 2 seconds

3. Claudio Chiappucci @ 9 seconds

4. Ronan Pensec @ 21 seconds

5. John Carlsen @ 9 minutes 3 seconds

6. Guido Winterberg @ 9 minutes 44 seconds

7. Thierry Marie @ 10 minutes 24 seconds

8. Greg LeMond @ 10 minutes 28 seconds

As the Tour went clockwise across northern France and then headed south for the Alps, the general situation remained unchanged, with the stage 1 breakaway quartet sitting on top of the leader board and Bauer in Yellow. A crash in stage 4 cost Robert Millar over 9 minutes and effectively eliminated this winner of the 1990 Dauphiné from contention.

Raul Alcala blistered the stage 7 time trial with Miguel Indurain second to him at a distant 1 minute, 24 seconds. LeMond picked up some time on the 4 breakaways, he was now 10 minutes, 9 seconds behind Bauer. Fignon, again unable to ride well, abandoned. The important news of the time trial was that the 4 stage-1 breakaways had ridden credible time trials. The closest rider to the top 4 was Raul Alcala and he was still over 7 minutes behind Bauer.

Stage 10, with its finish at the Le Bettex ski station, saw the first casualty of the Gang of Four. Bauer finished fiftieth, 4 minutes, 7 seconds behind stage winner Thierry Claveyrolat who had taken off early in search of Hot Spot sprint points and then stayed away to the finish. Behind, on the final climb, an aggressive Delgado blew up the chasing group but wasn't able to gain more than 19 seconds on the other contenders. More importantly for the moment, Bauer had come in behind Pensec and Chiappucci. The pair finished in the LeMond group which included Rooks, Alcala, Gianni Bugno, Miguel Indurain and Andy Hampsten. The Yellow Jersey was now the property of LeMond's teammate Ronan Pensec.

LeMond continued to chew away at the deficit in little bites. Stage 11 crossed the Glandon, the Madeleine and finished atop L'Alpe d'Huez. Gianni Bugno and LeMond finished with the same time, with Erik Breukink just off their wheels. Pensec lost 48 seconds and Chiappucci lost 1 minute, 48 seconds. Pensec was still in Yellow with an increased lead over Chiappucci.

Stage 11: Bugno (on right) throws his bike and just beats LeMond.

The standings after the major Alpine climbing was finished:

1. Ronan Pensec

2. Claudio Chiappucci @ 1 minute 28 seconds

3. Greg LeMond @ 9 minutes 4 seconds

Stage 12 is where it starts to get really interesting. The 33.5-kilometer individual time trial included a second category climb and ended Ronan Pensec's hopes of taking the Yellow Jersey to Paris. Erik Breukink continued to display his fine form by winning the stage with Delgado only 30 seconds back. LeMond was fifth at 56 seconds. Chiappucci showed he was made of stern stuff with an eighth place, 1 minute, 5 seconds behind Breukink and only 9 seconds slower then LeMond. Pensec was forty-ninth at 3 minutes, 50 seconds. That at least ended any split ambitions in the team. Pensec was now riding for LeMond.

The General Classification at this point:

1. Claudio Chiappucci

2. Ronan Pensec @ 1 minute 17 seconds

3. Erik Breukink @ 6 minutes 55 seconds

4. Greg LeMond @ 7 minutes 27 seconds

5. Pedro Delgado @ 9 minutes 2 seconds

Chiappucci had the Yellow Jersey and the Tour had a day of rest. Keeping the Yellow Jersey would be a real challenge as Breukink, Delgado, LeMond, Hampsten and the others with high General Classification ambitions continued their bellicosity when the race resumed. The very next day into the Massif Central, stage 13, Chiappucci missed the crucial break that included LeMond, Breukink, and Delgado, and lost almost 5 minutes. Doing a lot of the chasing himself, Chiappucci had at one point closed to within 33 seconds. But getting almost no help from the other teams, making contact with the talented riders ahead of him was an almost impossible task. Well, he was the Yellow Jersey and it wasn't the job of the other teams to defend it for him.

Breukink, who was having the Tour of his life, had pulled within 2 minutes, 2 seconds of Chiappucci, and LeMond was just a tad further back at 2 minutes, 34 seconds. If LeMond wanted the win, he had to get by both Chiappucci and a beautifully riding Erik Breukink.

In stage 14 Breukink and LeMond took a small bite out of Chiappucci, about 10 seconds. If they could keep up the pressure, the small Italian would just bleed little dabs of time all over France. Would Chiappucci run out of Tour before he ran out of time?

Stage 16 to Luz Ardiden with the Aspin and the Tourmalet in the middle decided the Tour and showed that both LeMond and Chiappucci were athletes worthy of admiration.

Chiappucci decided on a gigantic roll of the dice. He couldn't let LeMond and Breukink continue to ride their race, forcing him to give up time each stage. He attacked as soon as the race hit the first major climb, the Aspin, taking 6 others with him. Again Chiappucci was stuck, being forced to do all the work. He took off and was first over the summit, 34 seconds ahead of the first group. Chiappucci pressed on and by the time he was halfway up the Tourmalet he had extended his lead to 3 minutes, 20 seconds. LeMond grew alarmed. If Chiappucci held this much lead by the end of the day he would probably be able to withstand any assault LeMond could mount with only 1 mountain stage and 1 time trial left.

LeMond dropped all but Delgado and Indurain as he attacked to get back on terms with the small, tough Italian. By distancing himself from Breukink at this point, he potentially eliminated his only other real threat.

LeMond did a kamikaze descent, making up a whole minute, and closed the gap to Chiappucci. There was now a small group in the lead that included Indurain, Fabio Parra and Marino Lejarreta. On the final climb to Luz Ardiden, after riding hard at the front as long as he could, Chiappucci had to surrender when Fabio Parra attacked. LeMond and Indurain were among the small group who went with Parra. Near the finish Indurain attacked and LeMond had to let him go.

Indurain won the stage with LeMond only 6 seconds back. Chiappucci came in fourteenth, 2 minutes, 25 seconds behind Indurain. That left Chiappucci with only a 5-second lead, a very slim hold on the Yellow Jersey with a time trial coming up.

The last stage in the mountains with the Aubisque and the Marie-Blanque changed nothing at the top of the standings. Breukink, LeMond and Chiappucci finished with the same time. LeMond had a scare, however. On the Marie-Blanque Chiappucci and Delgado attacked. Seconds later LeMond flatted. He got a slow wheel change and then had to change his bike. With the 2 challengers up the road, LeMond chased with a surprising fury. His descent down the mountain was frighteningly fast. LeMond was a truly skilled descender and this time he put those abilities to use. The race marshal on the motor bike said that he had never seen a descent like LeMond's that day. Up ahead Chiappucci had 4 Carrera teammates helping him while further back the 4 "Z" riders who were with LeMond could mostly just hang on while the World Champion blasted down the road. Eventually contact was made and LeMond made known his displeasure with the others that their forcing an attack while he was getting a repair was not sportsmanlike. Later LeMond said that he truly feared at that moment that the race was lost.

Stage 17: Dimitri Konishev wins in Pau, just 1 second ahead of Johan Bruyneel.

With some good fortune and some smart riding, LeMond had things where he wanted them. He was to face a man with a 5-second lead who never shown any special flair for riding against the clock.

The stage 20 45.5-kilometer individual time trial played out exactly as LeMond had hoped and Chiappucci had dreaded.

1. Eric Breukink: 1 hour 2 minutes 40 seconds

2. Raul Alcala @ 28 seconds

3. Marino Lejarreta @ 38 seconds

4. Miguel Indurain @ 40 seconds

5. Greg LeMond @ 57 seconds

17. Claudio Chiappucci @ 3 minutes 18 seconds

LeMond had won his third Tour, this time without ever winning a stage.

The final 1990 Tour de France General Classification:

1. Greg LeMond (Z): 90 hours 43 minutes 20 seconds

2. Claudio Chiappucci (Carrera) @ 2 minutes 16 seconds

3. Erik Breukink (PDM) @ 2 minutes 29 seconds

4. Pedro Delgado (Banesto) @ 5 minutes 1 second

5. Marino Lejarreta (ONCE) @ 5 minutes 5 seconds

 

Climbers' Competition:

1. Thierry Claveyrolat: 321 points

2. Claudio Chiappucci: 179 points

3. Roberto Conti: 160 points

 

Points Competition:

1. Olaf Ludwig: 256 points

2. Johan Museeuw: 221 points

3. Erik Breukink: 118 points

 

There was an interesting addition to this Tour. A team of Soviet riders sponsored by Alfa-Lum came and did very well. Dmitri Konyshev won stage 17. Two other riders on this team would make a serious impression on the European pro circuit over time: Piotr Ugrumov and Djamolodine Abdoujaparov. East German Olaf Ludwig, riding for Panasonic, won the Green Jersey. Alcala's stage 7 time trial victory was the first Tour stage win by a Mexican. Times were changing.

More than one writer at the time speculated that if Miguel Indurain had ridden for himself instead of for Delgado, he probably would have won the Tour. Who knows?

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