As the 1985 Tour de France was drawing to a close…..USA Greg Lemond had a very real chance of winning the Tour…..while riding for Team La Vie Claire….whose leader was four time Tour winner FRA Benard Hinault….when in 1984 Hinault had finished second to Laurent Fignon…..and was threatened by LeMond…..who ended up in third position on the final…
After winning the 1983 Vuelta a España, a return of his knee problems forced him to miss that year’s Tour de France….which was won by his teammate Laurent Fignon…..when tensions within the Renault team led to his leaving and joining La Vie Claire….when with his new team, he raced the 1984 Tour de France, being comprehensively beaten by Fignon…..then he recovered the following…
The 1985 Tour de France was the 72nd Tour de France….which took place between June 28th and July 21st….and covered a 4,109 km (2,553 mi) course in 22 stages and a prologue…..as France’s Bernard Hinault would attempt to equal the records of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx….who had each won the Tour de France five times. Hinault was unable to compete due to tendinitis in 1983….and in 1984 had…