Bernard Hinault

Verified Timeline

Lore & Background

Hinault came to cycling through his cousin René, who rode weekend races. He received his own bike at age 15 as a reward for passing school exams, and used it to travel to college. After getting his racing licence in late April 1971, he won his first race on 2 May in Planguenoual, and went on to win his first five races, amassing twelve wins from twenty races by year's end. His father initially opposed his cycling career, relenting only after Hinault ran away from home for three days to stay with cousins, sleeping on straw in a barn. In 1972, Hinault won nineteen races as an amateur, including the national junior championship. After military service in 1973, he returned to win his first race of 1974 and also won the national pursuit championship on the track. He turned professional in 1975 with Gitane–Campagnolo. His breakthrough came in 1977 with victories at Gent–Wevelgem (a solo effort after attacking 30 km from the finish) and Liège–Bastogne–Liège (beating André Dierickx in a two-man sprint). At the 1977 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, while leading, Hinault crashed down a mountainside on the descent of the Col de Porte, was saved by a tree, climbed back up, took a new bike, and continued without hesitation.

In Their Own Story

The 1977 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré: Hinault, wearing the leader's jersey on the penultimate stage to Grenoble, attacked up the Col de Porte, leading Van Impe and Bernard Thévenet by 1:30 at the summit. On the descent, he misjudged a hairpin corner and crashed down the mountainside. A tree saved him from falling far down, while his bike was lost. Hinault climbed back onto the road, took a new bike, and without showing any hesitation, continued on. Up the finishing climb in Grenoble, he briefly dismounted, still shocked from the near-death experience.

Reader's Guide

Hinault's Tour de France career began with his first victory in 1978, followed by another in 1979. A knee injury forced him to quit the 1980 Tour while in the lead, but he returned to win the World Championship road race later that year. He added another Tour victory in 1981, then completed his first Giro-Tour double in 1982. After winning the 1983 Vuelta a España, knee problems forced him to miss that year's Tour. He joined La Vie Claire for 1984, losing to teammate Laurent Fignon by over ten minutes. The 1986 Tour saw an intra-team rivalry with LeMond, who won his first of three Tours. Hinault retired at the end of that season. Throughout his career, he was known as Le Blaireau, associating himself with the badger due to its aggressive nature, and he assumed the role of patron within the peloton.

Did You Know?

• Hinault won his first five races after getting his racing licence in April 1971, amassing twelve wins from twenty races by year's end.
• At the 1977 Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré, Hinault crashed down a mountainside on the descent of the Col de Porte, was saved by a tree, climbed back up, and continued without hesitation.
• Hinault's father opposed his cycling career until he ran away from home for three days, sleeping on straw in a barn.
• He won the national pursuit championship on the track in 1974, his last amateur season.
• Hinault is not related to the younger cyclist Sébastien Hinault, despite sharing the same birthplace and surname.