1985 Coors International Bicycle Classic

[Music] today on sports world the best in the world from 12 nations [Applause] over 950 miles a test lasting 16 days climbs above 11 300 feet descents up to 65 miles per hour heat in the 90s cold near freezing the movie american flyers tells the story of a race called the hell of the west today you'll see the real hell of the west the international bicycle classic on nbc sports world [Music] the landscape was quiet until they came tranquil as a summer flower suddenly tossed in a windy stampede a headlong charge by a cavalry of cyclists galloping across the american west over the slopes of the majestic rocky mountains [Music] across the expansive ranch land of a cowboys dreams through historic towns built on gold rush riches on the trail of adventure in a search for glory risking everything as they crossed the frontier they are the riders cowboys on horseback cyclists on wheels the spurs and shafts are missing but the spirit is there always ride standing proud in the saddle aware of the dangers but fearless as gunslingers at high noon the new riders of the western trails have come from all corners of experience they are the elite of eastern europe top american amateurs and new american pros like andy hamston king of the mountains and doug shapiro champion of the open road and the world's premier sprinter davis finney expatriate american greg lamont 1983 world champion and tour de france runner-up and his pro teammate the incomparable frenchman bernard eno at home on the range while riding in his u.s debut a five-time winner of the tour de france ino says cycling is the hardest sport in the world and i am the best at it and he is at least when racing in europe but this is america and the international bicycle classic 84 riders from a dozen nations in a race of individual resolve and team tactics across the american west this event began 11 years ago in boulder colorado a two-day race with a time trial criterium and road race and a handful of spectators but oh how this race has changed a half a million fans have watched since we began two weeks ago and here for the final stage in north boulder park colorado there are 50 000 on hand despite threatening skies hello everyone i'm greg lewis welcome to america's premier cycling event 950 miles across three states 16 stages that's 16 races over 15 days they're calling it the most unique cycling event in the world connie carpenter gold medalist tell us why it's got that title well this really is a rare mix we've got east meeting west we have the professionals against the amateurs we've got fresh new faces who have never raced a race like this coming up against seasoned veterans who have won the toughest races in the world and within it within the battleground of each individual stage we can really see how teamwork helps to get their rider on top so the field of racers is terrific the course how challenging is it alexi greywall enroute to your gold medal you wrote it many times this year it was a really tough race between the intense heat in california the extreme altitude in colorado and really fast speeds and danger in the criteriums day after day for 15 days it made it a really tough event greg and this is where we began san francisco a beautiful city by the bay a metropolis of abrupt hills a melting pot of culture where singers may leave their hearts but cyclists have come to find glory the first race a prologue time trial 1.1 miles from fisherman's wharf on an uphill grind with a vertical gain of 280 feet to coit tower the prologue determined a race leader american ron people won in three minutes 5.3 seconds a brilliant performance also surprising was andy hamston a proven road climber but really showed his strength here finishing second only five seconds behind the leader pre-race favorite greg lamont in his first start in america in four years finished third six seconds behind ron keefel one second behind andy hamster and bernardino time trial specialist seemed unable to find his rhythm and finished a distance 64. you know and lemon had come at the bequest of mo siegel entrepreneur founder of this race and an ardent supporter of american cycling who had one driving goal i really don't want the soviet union to win this bike race but siegel should have been more worried about the powerful 7-eleven american team masters of strategy especially in criteriums they were prepared for stage number one a criterium around fisherman's wharf a criterium is a short course usually a mile around which the riders travel many times in this particular race the riders will do 60 laps for a total of 42 miles this course is unique taking the cyclist in and out of a building around a hairpin turning along the pier it made some of the riders very anxious i hope everybody rides real careful because you miss one corner and you're out there swimming in the ocean it's a tight course you know there's going to be it's the first day of the race people are going to be going for it you know and boy i just can't wait for it to be over with a tight hairpin just after the start finish it really strung out the field in the early going with the crowd flashing by at 40 miles an hour high speed through the turns and the transition from light to dark into the building greg lamond and canadian sensation alex dieter broke away from the field with two laps to go the strain of the race the danger of the course showed in the faces of the athletes as they came down to the final corner and alex tita coming from behind le mans for a tremendous victory steeda played it perfectly riding on le mans wheel letting him break the wind then slipping off to the side and sprinting in for the victory even though he won he lamond and the rest of the pack shared the same time in criterium racing when there's a big group of racers finishing close together they all get the same time thus the general classification the overall standings remained the same ron keefel was still number one momentarily safe and first as the classic move to its next stage a road race across the wine country [Music] the move from san francisco to sonoma brought a change in the character of the race from city streets to country roads stage number two meaning race number two sonoma to sacramento once the last frontier of mexico sonoma is the beginning of the frontier of agony on the open road and the open road extends for 87 miles from sonoma up over trinity road summit down into the napa valley and on to sacramento total vertical climbing of 3 700 feet greg the real difficulty in this course is that early climbs it's difficult for the riders to warm up and as they go over the climbs they drop into the napa valley and sacramento valley and it gets very hot as the race began the cyclists pulled out of town easily alexi it seemed like they were on a sunday stroll at the beginning of the races it's often real easy real slow as riders are feeling each other out getting used to their bikes again it can be real easy in the first few miles but at the town of glen ellen and the turn onto trinity road the tempo the pace and the philosophy of the race began to change it was time for the first ascent here you see chris carmichael and roy nickman already struggling on the first hill others struggled even more severely oleg lagman of the soviet union crashed it's really easy to fall skip a gear on a climb like this you're going so hard you're almost blinded just look at his teammate really struggling for another perspective connie carpenter finney watched the race from a helicopter they come around the turn you can see that some of the fans have come out paint some some road signs out we've got some signs for gavin chilpat who's a local boy from santa rosa signs for ernie that's the nickname of andy hamston and of course it's a sign for greg lamont it's a very difficult very steep climb it's not a very long slide but it's very steep and the pack's starting to split up already we have several riders off the back the steep climb was not the only problem for olaf inch of the east german team a flat tire slowed him down up ahead andy hamston made a break followed by three other racers only canadian steve bauer greg lamont and doug shapiro could stay with hamston and on the descent four riders go into the trees and only three riders come out andy hampson crashed in one of the tight turns of the steep descent but shaking off his injuries he rides strongly and comes back to the group crashes are a part of racing and you just have to accept after 25 miles into the race the hills were no longer a problem the athletes had reached a flat but the cyclists faced a new barrier and intense searing heat riders carry two water bottles and must drink constantly throughout the race to prevent dehydration 70 miles into the race at davis california the critical moment came steve bauer shoots off to win a town sprint then looks back to find the other three racers are not coming with him the decision does he go on or let the others catch him with no reaction from doug shapiro and andrew hamston steve bauer pushes on alone but alexi why would they let him go everyone knows bauer is tough it seemed apparent greg that andrew hamson was really fatigued from his crash and uh it also seems apparent that doug shapiro just made a real tactical blunder and steve's going to come in for a real comfortable solo victory steve bauer the olympic silver medalist always a factor in the international bicycle classic picks up his first stage win his time three hours and 23 minutes followed by greg lamont and doug shapiro bauer lamont and shapiro first second and third got their respective bonus reductions of time 30 seconds 20 seconds and 10 seconds and the overall standings bauer's win moved him into the lead 80 miles of racing but the day isn't over behind the capitol building that stands over sacramento another race site old sacramento a town where the past is preserved and the flavor of the turn of the century rolls on to the present day this statue commemorates the pony express whose western roots ended here in old sacramento they were fearless riders cowboys on a galloping horse in a mad dash that's what a criterium is cowboys in a mad dash only the horses are bicycles this is a european style criterium course european because it includes a long stretch of very bumpy cobbles this short 28 mile race combined with a longer road race earlier today make this day particularly exhausting kabul a road surface that can last for hundreds of years can destroy a two thousand dollar nineteen pound bike in minutes i rode the cobbles it's a special brand of torture hanging onto your bars is like hanging onto a jackhammer and your hands get blistered even get a headache from pounding along all the time if you lose your speed if you lose your rhythm it's really difficult to get your speed up again so you have to hold your speed throughout the entire stretch unlike a running race where each competitor is on his own in bicycle racing and especially in criteriums it's a team effort that makes the difference it's a good point greg team tactics play a critical role in winning a race like this the sprinter moves up to the front but it's his teammates who help to set the pace and protect him so he has enough energy for the final 200 meter sprint ron keefel and doug shapiro have done an excellent job of this and davis finney's coming through for the win and it's a team's victory as well the top group all received the same time 55 minutes 27 seconds but the victor finney followed by second leman and third stephon gay received their respective time reduction bonuses of 30 20 and 10 seconds the overall standings remained the same with 760 miles to go but for davis finney first jubilation and an interview by his wife i bet this is the first time you get to get a kiss first when you're being interviewed how did it feel tell me about the cobbles those were so tough i mean it was just terrible you could it was every man for himself out there it was unbelievable you were just so battered my hands are going to be so arthritic tomorrow i'm going to be dead have you ever had a race like this before no way no way this whole race is incredible every day is a new experience well congratulations where are we going for dinner hey anywhere you want baby davis finney had struck it rich the other racers would get their chance when the classic moved on to gold country for stage number four stage number four a road race to the gold country of california but the talk here was not of the fortunes of the past but of the problems of bernard he know in the present my role in the sonoma sacramento road race was to help greg and steve and as for the sacramento criterium it was much too dangerous and i didn't want to take any risks the race is not over and i think my time will come but would it come this day a day of oppressive heat unfamiliar to europeans at the start the east germans had the fatigue rates but the finish wouldn't come but would it come this day a day of oppressive heat unfamiliar to europeans at the start the east germans had the fatigue look of riders who'd already finished the race but the finish wouldn't come for 102 miles stage five was the longest race of the classic and one of the most difficult 8 100 feet of climbing up over yuba pass and down into the valley of truckee california this profile map graphically illustrates the rolling terrain at the start and a long climb up yuba pass on a cool day this race would be difficult but on a hot day it's miserable despite the heat bernard you know leads the pace up the climb and then a mechanical problem he summons his team's support vehicle bernard has a flat these tires are pressurized to 110 pounds and the tire itself is made out of silk and only weighs 8 ounces or less with a good team vehicle a good mechanic he'll be back in the race on the pace quickly and indeed he know is back soon pushing to gain on the leaders and there is a new man out in front that's right french national team writer felix urban has escaped from the pack and is two minutes ahead as he heads into downeyville the race is on and so is the unique adventure of this route below the road a modern day miner sluices for gold unaware of the cyclists above whose treasure is still 78 miles away back in the pack bernardino signals for food here's the feed zone and riders can take up nourishment they start out the race with a few water bottles and some food in their jersey pockets but have to take up food along the way to supplement that and get them to the finish line riders usually eat cookies and fruit and sometimes an electrolyte drink to keep them going but this irishman paul mccormick just might be hiding a pint of ale for the tiny town of downeyville this is the day of days the entire symphony has turned out to greet the racers [Music] and first in felix urban still out in front of the pack [Music] this is the gallows in downeyville california they haven't hung anyone here in a hundred years but it is symbolic for the bicycle racers up ahead a 4 000 foot vertical climb over 20 miles for some it could be a long slow death the pack sweeps into town some two minutes behind felix urban and confident that they'll catch him on the road to yuba pass one two three the field leaves downeyville to the melody of an american anthem but for bernardino the tune of his attack is le marcier and glory for france over the top of the pass the leader has been reabsorbed and the pack is relatively intact it's a new race from here i said to davis i said why don't you attack i bet no one goes with you and he attacked him he went with him and i think it's a good situation now that steve speaks is up there there's two riders working and even if he knows it's on i'm sure davis will beat him in the sprint so we're hoping that he know is just holding on to the wheels here in one attack and then davis and steve can stay in the lead with them it's hard to say if he's strong or not because he hasn't been pulling at this break to conserve energy bernardino had laid back and let the others do the work then as they came into truckee davis finney made his move but it was ill-timed he mistook a rodeo banner over main street for the finish line 200 yards later he'd lost the power of his unbeatable sprint he knows slipped by on the inside to take a controversial victory [Applause] though some thought he knows refusal to pull in the three-man break diminished the integrity of his first u.s triumph the frenchman was ecstatic after 102 miles he now won the race with this move staying right in davis draft all the way into the last moment and then using his tremendous power to slingshot buy-in davis you did all the work coming into the finish how do you feel about finishing second well you know you know i guess you got to win that way you got to win that way uh it's about the least honorable way i can think of to win a race why didn't you want to pull i didn't want to pull right away because i'm not stupid i had the two other guys right there so i waited towards the end dishonorable or not bernardi no one in four hours 36 minutes and 49 seconds in the overall standings the general classification steve bauer held on to the lead davis finney moved into second in the team standings bernardino and greg lamont's red zinger team held the lead davis finney's 7-eleven team attacked in second next a stage race billed as a downhill event from tahoe to reno stage number five starts at the splendor of lake tahoe and ends in reno town of greg lamont before the race a planning session with coach paula from tahoe to reno is 67 miles and an interesting course a downhill descent from the forest of lake tahoe into the deserts of nevada up through carson city virginia city and a sprint into reno yes it's a short climb out of lake tahoe and a fast descent down to carson city another deceptive climb and it's downhill into reno and the danger of cycling is immediately apparent in this steep descent alexi graylon this downhill stretch we're going 60 miles an hour what's that like on a bicycle it's really scary when you're with 60 70 riders because one mistake and you can go down and if you go down at 60 miles an hour you get hurt into carson city greg lamont feels the pressure of a homecoming he's lived in europe since 1981. this race marks his return we're on a road that greg lamont has trained on many many times to climb to virginia city alexi does it make a difference if you know the route especially on the climb it makes a big difference because you know where the top are you know where the steepest sections are and you can time your efforts according to the road the pack was shattered early on it was a difficult climb and hamston wrote aggressively attacking at the base lamonde went with him knowing that this climb would be his then lamont took the lead wearing the yellow sprint leader's jersey the fastest sprinter in the field hampstead followed in the purple mountain jersey the best climber in the field but who would win here the sprinter or the climber connie went back on a motorcycle to take a look i just came from the break greg lamont and andrew hampson are a minute up on the on the taste group and they're looking very fresh greg knows this course and he's riding it for all it's worth when i'm racing it's uh you know time passes we'll be on the six or seven hour race but it goes by so quick it's such a technical sport and it's it's like car racing running and combined it's you got to be very smart but you've also got to be physically one of the strongest especially when it comes to like stage races every year i get a little bit better and things things don't really get easier but they start falling into place and the more i learned about the sport the more i learned you know there's all kinds of things i don't know about it so i just become more and more intrigued the better i get there are two men racing together but two men very different greg lamont famous in europe million dollar contracts andy hamston a new pro a man who only months ago was living on sandwiches and begging rooms and lamont had bernard to know controlling the chase when they come into reno andy goes for a long sprint hoping to outpower the faster le mans but it just doesn't work lemon picks his moment and just blasts by andy and he's pretty helpless at this moment [Applause] and it's all it's all le mans victory paul a great battle and after the battle the competitors can be friends again the road race victory goes to greg lamont followed by hamston and canadian alex steeda the big change came in the overall standings le mans victory moved him into the lead followed by hamston steve bauer dropped to third the team standings remained the same andy you seem the strongest climber today what do you think i think we're close enough where uh if he's having a good day you know he can drop me but if i'm having a good day i might be able to drop him any predictions for the rest of the race uh i think you'll see greg and i attack each other quite a bit and their next chance to do battle would come in just a few hours a night race downtown stage number six a criterium in the gambling mecca of reno nevada round and round and round the neon lighted streets until someone wins the jackpot [Music] in this stage the racing became combat when the field is tightly packed moving quickly jocking for position almost anything seems fair as connie and alexi demonstrate as we come into the turn my job is to put alexi into the curve and slow him down and i'm gonna try to come back on the right but again i block him this time i'm gonna get the jump on her that's it i'm away when you arrive in the field there's riders on both sides intimidation and the physicalness of how you can ride your bike is to plays an important part in holding your position in the pack it's of key importance especially in criteriums to be able to withstand any kind of physical abuse that people are going to throw out at you with one lap to go this battle reached its full fury the 7-eleven team really has full control here chris carmichael ron keithley and doug shapiro are all in a position to help davis finney in this sprint but the red zinger team has its plan bernardino greg lamont have pushed steve bauer to the front and down the back stretch the speeds pick up for the final dangerous turn onto the finish line [Applause] sprint [Music] in reno lucky 7-eleven takes first second and third finney keepel and doug shapiro but the crowd's attention was focused on the crash in the turn look at this in the center of your screen steve bauer without the team support of davis finney tries to take an impossible inside line to gain good position just slides out sliding across the road you can see from this angle sparks flying up other riders trying to avoid him going into the fence right behind davis another rider going over the bars steve tilford going to the hay bales another russian piling into the fence two or three more riders piling into the crowd and the carnage is over and davis finney has escaped it for steve bauer the dejected look of a loser and on his hip a red badge not of courage but of foolishness in contrast a whimsical ride on an elephant's nose for stage winner davis finney in the general classification the overall standings there was no change but in a matter of hours all the racers would be flying high to colorado for stage number seven [Applause] after pedaling for five days virtually from san francisco to reno the international bicycle classic packed its wheels for an airlift to grand junction colorado for stage seven a race called the tour of the moon and this is the moon colorado national monument eroded by eons of time to form a lunar landscape that inspires awe it also inspired the western imagery of the new film american flyers for academy award-winning screenwriter steve kessage to be on a bicycle and to be going through the planes or to be going over the mountains you can't escape but feel you're part of the old west you can't there's something about being a rider you're on a bicycle but you really feel like you're there with those guys on horses you're there no one's around you're there sort of kind of extending the territory if you will and there's that wonderful feeling of uh you know you don't have a home and it's just you and the guy and you're riding [Applause] [Music] only in cycling can you ride from the setting sun into a tour of the moon across time for a race that's more than a battle of men it is a challenge of mother nature she spent millions of years sculpting this course it's 76 miles of spires cliffs and tunnels they will try to conquer it in less than three hours [Music] and at the front of the pack greg lamont wearing the red striped leader's jersey checks on his rival andy hamston once again they are at the front of the pack it was on this serpentine climb at olaf fiends of east germany eric solomon greg lamont and andy hamston took control and came into town to the finish together strung out around the final turn it's eric solomon in front followed by yench lamonde and hamston 350 meters to go and then suddenly solomon drops off and an early sprint develops yench and lamont take off hamston in the purple waits knowing that he can only push for the last 200 meters then makes his move tries to go in between and then this occurs squeeze in hamston protests olaf yench did win this bicycle race but not without some controversy in cycling the commissars coaches and even the riders have the luxury of being able to review the tapes to see what exactly happened in this case the protest centered around whether or not olaf finch actually did not hold his line in the final 200 meters as you can see here he's struggling his wheels are going from side to side but he's holding his line quite well until the final few meters and then his move is not really intentional it's more just a lack of control you see from the back view both ladders especially is really struggling now really going all out and he tries to come in between them and both yanch and lamont gravitate towards each other to try to get a better feel of who's ahead and andy just gets squeezed out by his own mistake olaf yench was awarded the victory but not the time reduction bonus lamont and hamston did get their time bonuses and it changed the general classification lamonde was the overall leader but hamston had dropped 10 seconds further behind aspen colorado a skiers paradise in winter a mountain mecca in summer transformed overnight into a racecourse in the good old summer time in the good old summer summertime racing down that mountain trail that i will be the victor at the good old finish line at the good old things unlike stage seven which ended in controversy this one began in controversy the course was laid out to go up through the hills of aspen there was a downhill turn which the riders considered too dangerous many of the riders surveyed the course before the race including andrew hamston who tested the corner in question a steep narrow left passed a construction site the race start was delayed while construction workers tried to build up some banking in the hopes of making the turn safer for the cyclist but the final decision would come later to change the course and eliminate the hill and the turn in question thousands turned out to see the favorites greg lamont bernardi know davis finney and andy hamston win but on this day it was riders from the back of the overall standings with no chance to win the classic who slipped away to fight for a single stage victory third o rogers 27 minutes behind in the overall standings took an early courageous league except for russian sergey veronin and east german dan ratke the field was content to eye each other and as they came into the final turn sergey verona and dan radke were no match for thorough rogers tremendous determination thorough rogers on the right powered to a victory his first victory his team's first victory in 10 years and obviously a very special moment for this 84 olympian perhaps the special moment of his career and roger's victory was also satisfying to his teammate andy hamston who remained in second in the overall team standings did not change as the classic moved to vail a traditional race stop veiled testing the cyclist with a demanding 50-mile criterium underdog american bob roll rolled the triumph through vale's crowd line tunnel of noise after these two criteriums the overall standings became the focus of the classic the shootout between greg lamont and andy hamston the world's greatest cycling stage races have one thing in common mountains but fewest severe is the challenge of stage 10 climbing to 11 316 feet after starting at vail [Music] the distance of the route from veil to copper mountain is only 66 miles but this course tests the racers as if they've gone far more than 100 and landmarks along the way depict the challenge battle mountain then climax before the descent bail the start of this race sits higher than any climb in the tour de france by the time the racers get to fremont pass they will have reached 11 300 feet the highest point in this year's classic this should have been a day for the colombians like alfonso lopez specialists in mountain climbing and used to high altitude but not the cold connie tell me about the effects of altitude we're going up to 11 000 feet at one point in this race at altitude the pressure of oxygen is reduced so with every breath that the cyclist takes you get less oxygen to your lungs into your working muscles and as a consequence on a difficult climb like this you're coming up and your muscles aren't getting the oxygen that they need and they become stiff and heavy and very tired but here riding at almost eleven thousand feet jeff pierce looks unaffected by the altitude and as the time card comes up and he has 10 seconds on the columbians and a minute 44 on the chase led by the powerful bernard enol behind him his teammate greg lamond and then andrew hamston chasing them on for the overall lead hampstead needs to make his attack in the mountains where he is king but he knows repaying a death controlling the pace for lamonde who worked for the frenchman in the tour de france the main objective is to help greg win the race because this is his country this is his race and i'm here because i i really appreciate greg's help in the tour de france lamont follows his own strategy unconcerned about the day's leaders cycling is a chess game in the overall race lamonde and hampton are the only kings on the board and lamonde is a clear strategy i'll have to ride defensively because if i had the lead he'd be the one who'd have to attack me and i'm just gonna have to watch him there's the next closest guy is six minutes down so we're not really i'm not worried about anybody else but andy and which makes it easy to control the race so he's the only guy i have to really watch bernardino and greg lamonder controlling the pace so far andy hamson is unable to attack it seems that that it's gone nothing is going to change uh it will depend on whether andy can use his innate ability to climb at altitude and to mount a real offensive on the final ascent to fremont pass it's my opportunity to to follow up on everything that i've been told everything that i believe in myself and just ride my very best in the mountains where i where i'm at my desk and see if i can get rid of gray getting rid of greg required an attack at the right moment hamston thought he knew the course and had a mental picture of where to make his move he was too late to catch pierce but did catch the colombians they worked together over the top of the climb the two colombians in hampton were chasing one man out in front with a break of one minute jeff pierce third in this race a year before he had already crested the hill started his descent and would reach speeds of 65 miles per hour with two slightly built colombians helping andy on the descent would he be able to stay away from the more powerful heavier le mans if hamston could beat lamonde by a minute 45 he would take the overall lead but this day's race lead belonged to jeff pierce back up the road greg lamont had caught and andy hamston's bid for overall race leadership was history and in town jeff pierce got a dramatic victory the kind that every racer dreams of all alone well out in front of the pack a minute later the race for second place the sprint belongs to greg lamont who outpowers andy hamston and in the overall standings le mans gains another 10 seconds over hampstead jeff pierce has moved into third after the race andy hamston admitted that he had made an error in his tactical planning i've only driven over the climb and i guess i rode over it about six years ago and it was a lot shorter than i remembered and by the time i attacked and uh and got away from greg and everyone else but there just wasn't enough climbing to catch pierce i caught the two colombians but pierce was gone team standings also changed pierce's win moved schwinn into second hamston's climbing put levi raleigh to third 7-eleven dropped to fourth in estes park colorado congratulations from bernardino to red zinger teammate steve bauer for his second win at stage 11. bauer's domination of the 47 mile circuit here announced his return to form after the reno crash but did not affect the overall standings then one day later in a hop over the colorado foothills the classic ready for stage 12. and once again the event was plagued by protests and demands for a course change originally designed to go from golden to boulder on a route of severe climbs racers complained about the dangers of a downhill gravel section this was the scheduled route on highway 46. after brief debate the officials rerouted the race over highway 72 easier terrain the second part of the course remained the same reaching its summit at 9 314 feet in ward then descending down to lions and on into boulder though reaching the same altitude this revised climb to wonderview was easier than the original course that and a strong tailwind created problems no one anticipated though andy hamston seen here riding at the front of the pack knew the changes would have an impact on him of course a lot easier now it's the climbs it's it's about the same length but in severity it's about half as hard so it's going to be harder for me to get time on lamonde and he know and his team but uh then again the top of the climb is closer to the finish so if i do get away on my own it's i don't have as far to go early on hampton pushes the pace followed by the best mountain men lamont shapiro and the colombians connie what about their technique their styles are quite a bit different andy hamston is a great climber so are the colombians greg lamont is a good climber his job today is just to stay with andy hamston he'll be looking at andy hamson's cavs the whole way up the climb hampson has the colombians with them if they force the pace they might break my mind a moment later doug shapiro the defending champion of the classic leads to pace looking over his shoulder he sees this man andy hamston who comes out of his saddle and makes his break hamston on the attack trying to leave shapiro and le man behind will lemon follow hamston wanders checks under his arm and yes greg lamont comes up in pursuit as they reach warner view hamston has a lead of 10 seconds but there are 63 miles to go and hampton continues to stretch his lead hampton's riding really smoothly i feel he's got about a 35 second lead mod is a little bit struggling trying to catch him a really good move for andy it has real possibilities on the short descend into netherland hampstead out in front uses every technique he knows to try to stay away a rider alone works 20 to 30 percent harder than one tucked in the comfortable slipstream of the pack and on the uphill grind hampton takes on new nourishment and shows that being a waiter in this drive-in restaurant is one of the toughest jobs in sport on the way out of netherland hampstead is well out in front as lamont sees him a minute away and now lamont is forced to go it alone none of his teammates have joined him in the chase you know back in the field struggles and great difficulty admired then a catastrophic accident watch the lower left sergey perona of the soviet union is bucked from his bicycle like a rodeo rider in a terrible crash stunned and confused his first instinct is to continue he has to finish today or he can't start tomorrow no new bike let's go there's talk of finding him a new bike but what he needs now are the medics he won't be able to continue today and this is the culprit a stick flipped up into the wheel of verona's bike inadvertently for this soviet rider the classic is over but up ahead the race continued andy hamson is really tired he's looking back and taking a drink he's resigned to being caught by lamont who is also really tired from all the tremendous work he's had to do to chase andy doug shapiro is really strong he hasn't worked much this race [Music] he's taking advantage of the fact that lamont and andy are both very tired he broke away from them and he's riding down south saint frain canyon alone toward boulder speeding toward the finish the town that gave birth to the classic shapiro cannot possibly anticipate the harrowing circumstances that await him the shortened courts and tailwinds bring him to the city outskirts earlier than expected two minutes ahead of the chase crew tens of thousands have gathered at the finish line to watch their local hero win this race but local police have yet to clear the streets and in a panic establish a roadblock surprise shapiro skirts it his passion for victory driving him to the finish line i almost got killed i almost went flying in the back of a police car if it wasn't for our director because uh there was just a blockade in the middle of the road it's just ridiculous and then this morning they changed the course when every rider planned the ride in the golden gate course so the way the race has been going my god maybe they if i if i would have slowed down they would have said well you crossed the finish line just 30 seconds ahead so i don't want to take any chances so now i can't lose either way squeezing his way between vehicles on streets that were supposed to be cleared of traffic shapiro takes every risk to make his way to the finish line and ensure that the victory will be his for doug shapiro what should have been a triumphant salute has been diminished to a disappointed wave and for head official of the classic ian emerson disbelief i've ever known anything like it i love lost awards the entire audience was lost for word as were the other racers who had never seen anything like this in their careers and hoped they wouldn't again but for doug shapiro it was a victory he would never forget you wrote to make a statement though didn't you you didn't just ride to win that's right i said i said it yesterday i got a lot to prove and well i did it and i'm really happy andy hamston's failed attack left him in second place in the overall standings doug shapiro's first classic stage win moved him to third bernardi knows troubles dropped him from fifth to ninth with 745 miles traveled the classic moved on to stage 13 204 miles to go in time trialing one racer against the clock this is the perfect man bernard you know in this event he uses special equipment the cyclist shoes are also special they have a plastic molded sole and a special cleat with a slit which fits firmly into the pedal the combination of the toe clip and the cleat enable the cyclist to be able to pull up as well as push down he knows bike is unique to time trials with a smaller front wheel and a rear solid disc wheel it's much more aerodynamic than the normal bike particularly bernardino got the victory covering 11.2 miles in 24 minutes 20 seconds this man was the surprise andy hampton finished second just 10 seconds behind you know without the help of his team greg lamont finished third another four seconds back and it seemed as soon as the nywa time trial ended the denver tivoli criterium began the second race of the day and denver was hot and davis finney burst from a compact field and sizzled the competition on the way to his third stage victory in this year's classic davis finney across the finish line his 21st top three finish in the history of the international bicycle classic as a sprinter finney is unbeatable after these two races the overall standings were unchanged though hampton had gained four seconds on le mans in team standings levi raleigh moved into second on the wheels of hampstead's strong time trial showing coming up next stage 15 the legendary marvel bismarck on the edge of the colorado plains where the flatlands meet the foothills the classic racers meet for their final road circuit and a last chance for a runaway win they may start slowly but they will ride hard stage number 15 a road circuit called the morgle bismarck now believe it or not morgle was a cat and bismarck a dog who belonged to a cyclist who frequently rode this route and thought it needed a name but this year morgal and bismarck the cat and dog are hamston and lemon who will chase claw and scratch at each other for 92 miles that's seven laps of this 13-mile course a course which has undulating hills a very fast descent and is most famous for its two hills the hump and the wall a tortuous stretch ending at the finish line this became the story not of cats and dogs but of brothers irishman alan and paul mccormick in the back of the pack lamonde and hamston played the role of now cat and mouse coyly shadowing one another though the race comprised seven circuits it took on its personality after the first lap a small lead group including the two irishmen and a chase group at times four and a half minutes behind until the closing lap when the attack from behind was mounded alan mccormick still in front but as they near the bottom of the wall the chase group was coming fast and the other riders in the break were blowing apart but alan mccormick held it together held on and made his move up to last grueling ascent of the wall alan mccormick gave his all-out effort all the way all the way to the finish line with the crowd cheering him on it was alan mccormick grinding out the final few meters to win moral bismarck victory will soothe the pain of the winner but in second place chris carmichael's agony is all too apparent still further back paul mccormick had spent everything to ensure his brothers win the irishman had been the story not the overall race leaders who were too preoccupied with shadowing each other well back in the pack still though they weren't factors in this race the general classification remained the same did you guys work together to make this happen yeah well he was the way i sat on behind and i was the way he sat so we had a plan from last night to go just go from the blocks is this one of the happiest moments of your racing career here what's going on well i never won the mogul i always finished third and second and eight today was the best you know i think the crowd would like to say something to here what does everybody think of this guy [Applause] the invention of the bicycle created a fuhrer for the victorian lady tandem bicycles found the daring woman up front but seldom alone being hampered by 15 pounds of voluminous clothing and binding corsets wasn't easy long dresses caught in the chain causing embarrassment and sometimes injury but the bicycle gave women a measure of freedom that was difficult to give up the victorian ladies physical bondage disappeared as bloomers and knickerbockers emerged women rejoiced in the poetry of motion they went from watching to racing and being watched then came the 1984 olympic games in the skin-tight aerodynamic suits that have long since replaced bloomers finely tuned women competed for the first time in a sport that has come of age and these are the women of the international bicycle classic 52 riders who competed in 11 stages including time trials road races criteriums and circuits totaling 365 miles all within colorado [Music] the stars in the field included marianne berglin 1983 world champion from sweden and pre-race favorite olympic silver medallist rebecca twigg forced to withdraw due to illness from west germany sandra schumacher olympic bronze medalist and this woman the story of the race genie longo of france from the opening criterium in grand junction jeannie longo escaped her past as perennial runner-up and took this sprint from the field easily in stage two now in the race leaders jersey she continued her winning ways on the demanding tour of the moon course she dominated the field with her powerful climbing style are you surprised at how well you're doing so far not at all not not because i i did a lot of progress in sprints and this year i i won everything by sprints so and you're climbing too you were definitely the strongest climber did that surprise you i climbed but you know uh noir canyons is not here and you are not here so it's different perhaps judy longo of france downplays her abilities without last year's winner maria canines and olympic gold medalist connie carpenter finney there was room for new racers to emerge like madonna harris of new zealand madonna comes to cycling from triathlon she's very strong and in the maroon bells course she demonstrated her strength by attacking up the climb inga thompson made the u.s olympic team last year after only four months of racing her background is in downhill skiing and cross-country running she's a cyclist blessed with phenomenal natural strength but this race belongs to jeannie longo madonna harris stays with her coming into aspen but it's all jenny longo in the sprint and she wins her third race in a row inga thompson also broke away from the pack and finished third several minutes behind jeannie longo and madonna harris stage four vail jeannie longo again out front but inga thompson this time goes with her and starts to chisel away at madonna harris's grip on second place in this race inga thompson picks up 38 seconds on madonna harris stage five estes park again inga thompson whittles away at madonna harris this time again she finishes second behind genie longo but gains a minute and a half on harris and begins to close in on her lead though only in her second year of racing she has some experience on madonna harris who's only in her first year the difference really showed in an 11-mile time trial the next day where thompson took 43 seconds out of harris on route to this stage victory thompson's riding smoothly and it puts her into second place harris presses on now in third place and shows the strain of this her first classic ride in the final stage in north boulder park longo's insurmountable lead wasn't even threatened by a broken spoke and the added disadvantage of no team support to help her ride back to the front but for harrison thompson the stage was crucial as they came into the last turn they set up for the final spread knowing that whoever finished first would finish second overall in the international bicycle classic madonna harris came around the turn first inga thompson for a moment seemed to be out of contention then she pulled up on harris's wheel setting up a draft and then made her move to the outside a sprint to the finish line inca thompson the more powerful sweeps by second overall madonna harris takes third [Applause] although the women's race may have lacked some of the luster of the men's race for genie longo it was a chance to shine for others an opportunity to rise up and look to the future the final standings genie longo of france champion of the international bicycle classic followed by american inga thompson and new zealand's madonna harris but for the men one race to go returning to north boulder park steve bauer of canada won the final stage stage 16 and was exalted his red zinger team won the team title followed by levi's raleigh in second schwinn in third the eastern europeans had proved no threat but for the crowd these men were the heroes champion greg lamont runner-up andy hamston and in third doug shapiro what are your reflections about this race and about your future well i've improved a lot this year and you know i've really proven it here at the race getting second to greg lamont he wrote a superb race and i did my best race so i'm really happy because i feel like one second place instead of just sitting back and letting him dictate the way the race win congratulations four years ago you won this is your first race in america since then tell us how it feels off it was great i can't believe uh our team's done so well c1 today and i've had great teamwork man today okay but i already know pulled the last ten last 12 laps and just controlled the racing it's great to win especially with this crowd here in boulder greg it seems to me that le mans victory is due in great part to bernard he knows help and for me the real hero of this race is andrew hampston for the women genie longo is tops but inga thompson is the fast rising star and all along the route 950 miles from where we began in san francisco to where we finished in boulder colorado the crowds have been extraordinary comparable to those in europe where this sport is king for connie carpenter finney and alexi graywall i'm greg lewis goodbye from the international bicycle [Music] classics [Music] wage they'll set up in another town [Music] tonight the people were so fine [Music] and that was sweet but i can hear the sound of slamming doors and folding chairs and that's a sound they'll never know [Music] cause when it comes to you know you guys are the champs

Channel: Djevel Kjokken

Views: 18,161

Keywords: Bernard Hinault, Greg LeMond, Davis Phinney, Bruno Cornillet

Id: Cb_BytKw2n8

Length: 56min 2sec (3362 seconds)

Published: Sun Dec 20 2020