Merckx, Hinault, Indurain on Armstrong's sixth

[Robert Chung]

From today's L'Equipe, my translation:

Merckx:
"I'm happy for Lance, but I don't think one can compare across
generations. The Tour has become more important than in my time, or
Hinault's. We had to race classics, criteriums, and Six Days; we had to
race from Milan-San Remo (in the Spring) to Lombardy (in the Fall) just to
earn a living. We also raced the Giro or the Vuelta. I wasn't thinking of
setting records, except for the Hour record. In 1973 I didn't even start
the Tour in order to make the Vuelta organizers happy. For myself, I think
maybe I could've ridden a little bit more. If I could have won a sixth
Tour, it wouldn't have been after the fifth one but before the first: it
was the 1968 Tour that I might have won. I wanted to race it but I
couldn't because my sponsor, Faema, was Italian and they wanted me to race
the Giro instead."

Hinault:
"[In breaking the five win record Hinault shared with Anquetil, Merckx,
and Indurain] Lance's sixth victory is the least of my worries. I give a
lot more importance to the fun of racing than setting records. When we
chase records, it takes the fun out of it. The sport ought to be a game.
Everyone wants to know if Armstrong was stronger this year. I don't think
so; I think the others were weaker. And, his team was so strong--his guys
could be leaders on other teams. It was good to see him win at
Grand-Bornand. His adversaries wanted to attack but it was he who took
them. Some people say that he hurt the Tour with his five stage victories.
Me, I find that normal. He's only doing his job. He's there to win, not to
hand out gifts to the others."

Indurain:
"Since Lance is the only one to have won six Tours, he's the best in the
history of this race! But maybe not the best racer in the history of
cycling because that's Merckx. I don't know if he was stronger this year
than ever or if the other guys were weaker. He seemed to win more easily
than before. It seemed unthinkable that he could win a sixth Tour, but he
did!"

 

[Callistus Valerius]

"Robert Chung" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> From today's L'Equipe, my translation:
>
> Merckx:
> "I'm happy for Lance, but I don't think one can compare across
> generations. The Tour has become more important than in my time, or
> Hinault's. We had to race classics, criteriums, and Six Days; we had to
> race from Milan-San Remo (in the Spring) to Lombardy (in the Fall) just to
> earn a living. We also raced the Giro or the Vuelta. I wasn't thinking of
> setting records, except for the Hour record. In 1973 I didn't even start
> the Tour in order to make the Vuelta organizers happy. For myself, I think
> maybe I could've ridden a little bit more. If I could have won a sixth
> Tour, it wouldn't have been after the fifth one but before the first: it
> was the 1968 Tour that I might have won. I wanted to race it but I
> couldn't because my sponsor, Faema, was Italian and they wanted me to race
> the Giro instead."
>
> Hinault:
> "[In breaking the five win record Hinault shared with Anquetil, Merckx,
> and Indurain] Lance's sixth victory is the least of my worries. I give a
> lot more importance to the fun of racing than setting records. When we
> chase records, it takes the fun out of it. The sport ought to be a game.
> Everyone wants to know if Armstrong was stronger this year. I don't think
> so; I think the others were weaker. And, his team was so strong--his guys
> could be leaders on other teams. It was good to see him win at
> Grand-Bornand. His adversaries wanted to attack but it was he who took
> them. Some people say that he hurt the Tour with his five stage victories.
> Me, I find that normal. He's only doing his job. He's there to win, not to
> hand out gifts to the others."
>
> Indurain:
> "Since Lance is the only one to have won six Tours, he's the best in the
> history of this race! But maybe not the best racer in the history of
> cycling because that's Merckx. I don't know if he was stronger this year
> than ever or if the other guys were weaker. He seemed to win more easily
> than before. It seemed unthinkable that he could win a sixth Tour, but he
> did!"
>
> Callistus Valerius:
All it means to me, is that when it's my turn, I'll have to win 7 to
break Lance's record.

 

[Tom Kunich]

The notable thing from these champions is that they all responded like
champions.

In my opinion Eddy Merckx is head and shoulders above all other bike racers
and I don't think there'll ever be anyone even close to him now. Merckx was
the complete cyclist and could train himself to near perfection though sheer
desire.

Bernard Hinault was perhaps the greatest natural talents. I don't think that
he trained nearly correct and yet could ride just about anyone off of his
wheel.

Miguel Indurain had the ability to TT far better than anyone else and seeing
someone that big on your wheel in the climbs had to break the morale of
anyone. Certainly Giani Bugno couldn't work up enough courage to really
paste Miguel.

I think that if all of these champions were put in the Tour together in
their primes it would be a toss-up but I'm pretty sure that Lance would win
because of all of these champions he put together the best of all of them to
become who he is.


"Robert Chung" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> From today's L'Equipe, my translation:
>
> Merckx:
> "I'm happy for Lance, but I don't think one can compare across
> generations. The Tour has become more important than in my time, or
> Hinault's. We had to race classics, criteriums, and Six Days; we had to
> race from Milan-San Remo (in the Spring) to Lombardy (in the Fall) just to
> earn a living. We also raced the Giro or the Vuelta. I wasn't thinking of
> setting records, except for the Hour record. In 1973 I didn't even start
> the Tour in order to make the Vuelta organizers happy. For myself, I think
> maybe I could've ridden a little bit more. If I could have won a sixth
> Tour, it wouldn't have been after the fifth one but before the first: it
> was the 1968 Tour that I might have won. I wanted to race it but I
> couldn't because my sponsor, Faema, was Italian and they wanted me to race
> the Giro instead."
>
> Hinault:
> "[In breaking the five win record Hinault shared with Anquetil, Merckx,
> and Indurain] Lance's sixth victory is the least of my worries. I give a
> lot more importance to the fun of racing than setting records. When we
> chase records, it takes the fun out of it. The sport ought to be a game.
> Everyone wants to know if Armstrong was stronger this year. I don't think
> so; I think the others were weaker. And, his team was so strong--his guys
> could be leaders on other teams. It was good to see him win at
> Grand-Bornand. His adversaries wanted to attack but it was he who took
> them. Some people say that he hurt the Tour with his five stage victories.
> Me, I find that normal. He's only doing his job. He's there to win, not to
> hand out gifts to the others."
>
> Indurain:
> "Since Lance is the only one to have won six Tours, he's the best in the
> history of this race! But maybe not the best racer in the history of
> cycling because that's Merckx. I don't know if he was stronger this year
> than ever or if the other guys were weaker. He seemed to win more easily
> than before. It seemed unthinkable that he could win a sixth Tour, but he
> did!"
>
>

 

[Guenveurx]

<< The notable thing from these champions is that they all responded like
champions. >>

Merckx and Hinault did not come across as champions. A champion is
self-assured. These guys don't want to give credit where its due, they just
want to explain why winning six isn't that big a deal, and that the sport isn't
as good, and that they could have done it. They sound like children.

 

[Roland2k]

[email protected] (Guenveurx) wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> << The notable thing from these champions is that they all responded like
> champions. >>
>
> Merckx and Hinault did not come across as champions. A champion is
> self-assured. These guys don't want to give credit where its due, they just
> want to explain why winning six isn't that big a deal, and that the sport isn't
> as good, and that they could have done it. They sound like children.

I don't agree. You have to remember that these questions are being
asked by people who are hung up on the idea of "breaking records." I'm
sure part of what motivated their responses was an effort to temper
the euphoria surrounding Lance's sixth win. Lance himself has said as
much as what Merckx and Hinault did.

Roland