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1996 Tour de France

83rd edition: june 29 - july 21, 1995, results, stages with running gc, photos and history.

1995 Tour | 1997 Tour | Tour de France database | 1996 Tour Quick Facts | Final 1996 Tour GC | Stage results with running GC | The Story of the 1996 Tour de France

Map of the 1996 Tour de France. The race started at 's-Hertogenbosch at the top of the map.

Les Woodland's book Sticky Buns Across America: Back roads biking from sea to shining sea is available as an audiobook here .

1996 Tour Quick Facts:

The 1996 Tour de France was 3,764.9 kilometers long and was ridden at an average speed of 39.236 km/hr.

There were 198 starters of whom 129 made it to Paris.

The 1996 Tour had two major revelations.

First, Miguel Indurain, who was thought to be a shoo-in for a record-setting sixth Tour win bonked near the end of stage seven.

From there through the rest of the Tour he struggled.

Secomd, winner Bjarne Riis clearly tired towards the end of the Tour but his superb domestique, Jan Ullrich, grew stronger with every passing day and was clearly the race's strongest rider by the time the Tour reached Paris.

• Bjarne Riis (Telekom): 95hr 57min 16sec
• Jan Ullrich (Telekom) @ 1min 41sec
• Richard Virenque (Festina) @ 4min 37sec
• Laurent Dufaux (Festina) @ 5min 53sec
• Peter Luttenberger (Carrara) @ 7min 7sec
• Luc Leblanc (Polti) @ 10min 3sec
• Piotr Ugramov (Roslotto) @ 10min 4sec
• Fernando Escartin (Kelme) @ 10min 26sec
• Abraham Olano (Mapei) @ 11min
• Tony Rominger (Mapei) @ 11min 53sec
• Miguel Indurain (Banesto) @ 14min 14sec
• Patrick Joncker (ONCE) @ 18min 58sec
• Bo Hamburger (TVM) @ 22min 19sec
• Udo Bolts (Telekom) @ 25min 56sec
• Alberto Elli (MG-Technogym) @ 26 min 18sec
• Manuel Fernandez-Gines (Mapei) @ 26min 28sec
• Leonardo Piepoli (Refin) @ 27min 36sec
• Laurent Brochard (Festina) @ 32min 11sec
• Michele Bartoli (MG-Techogym) @ 37min 18sec
• Evgeni Berzin (Gewiss) @ 38min
• Viatschleslav Ekimov (Rabobank) @ 43min 58sec
• Stefano Cattai (Roslotto) @ 48min 3sec
• Laurent Madouas (Motorola) @ 53min 15sec
• Arsenio Gonzales (Mapei) @ 55min 28sec
• Massimiliano Lelli (Saeco) @ 55min 35sec
• Alex Zulle (ONCE) @ 56min 47sec
• Giuseppe Guerini (Polti) @ 1hr 5min 12sec
• Rolf Sorensen (Rabobank) @ 1hr 11min 28sec
• Jesper Skibby (TVM) @ 1hr 11min 36sec
• Marco Fincato (Roslotto) @ 1hr 11min 51sec
• Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) @ 1hr 13min 45sec
• José Luis Arrieta (Banesto) @ 1hr 13min 48sec
• Paolo Salvoldelli (Roslotto) @ 1hr 15min 20sec
• Erik Breukink (Rabobank) @ 1hr 20min 3sec
• Aitor Garmendia (ONCE) @ 1hr 20min 42sec
• Oscar Camenzind (Panaria) @ 1hr 25min 27sec
• Claudio Chiappucci (Carrera) @ 1hr 27min 23sec
• Melchior Mauri (ONCE) @ 1hr 27min 28sec
• Chris Boardman (Gan) @ 1hr 27min 44sec
• Federico Echave (Mapei) @ 1hr 29min 25sec
• José-Roberto Sierra (ONCE) @ 1hr 30min 11sec
• Pascal Hervé (Festina) @ 1hr 33min 1sec
• Mirko Gualdi (Polti) @ 1hr 34min 59sec
• Laurent Roux (TVM) @ 1hr 36min 11sec
• Andrea Tafi (Mapei) @ 1hr 38min 54sec
• Andrea Ferrigato (Roslotto) @ 1hr 39min 23sec
• Pascal Richard (MG-Technogym) @ 1hr 40min 56sec
• Felix Manuel Garcia (Festina) @ 1hr 42min 13sec
• Neil Stephens (ONCE) @ 1hr 43min 33sec
• Davide Perona (Gewiss) @ 1hr 43min 40sec
• Maurizio Fondriest (Roslotto) @ 1hr 45min 44sec
• Valentino Fois (Panaria) @ 1hr 45min 58sec
• Herminio Diaz (ONCE) @ 1hr 47min 8sec
• Orlando Sergio Rodriguis (Banesto) @ 1hr 47min 15sec
• Bruno Thibout (Motorola) @ 1hr 49min 2sec
• Bruno Cenghialta (Gewiss) @ 1hr 49min 19sec
• José Maria Jimenez (Banesto) @ 1hr 51min 30sec
• Prudencio Indurain (Banesto) @ 1hr 52min 30sec
• Paolo Lanfranchi (Mapei) @ 1hr 54min 42sec
• Flavio Vanzella (Motorola) @ 1hr 54min 52sec
• Massimo Podenzana (CArrera) @ 1hr 55min 18sec
• Thierry Bourguignon (Aubervilliers) @ 1hr 56min 38sec
• Fabio Baldato (MG-Technogym) @ 1hr 57min 8sec
• Maarten Den Bakker (TVM) @ 1hr 58min 25sec
• Marcello Siboni (Carrera) @ 2hr 0min 52sec
• Marino Alonso (Banesto) @ 2hr 0min 55sec
• Jean-Pierre Bourgeot (Agrigel) @ 2hr 1min 22sec
• Wladimir Belli (Panaria) @ 2hr 1min 42sec
• Cédric Vasseur (Gan) @ 2hr 2min 5sec
• Massimo Donati (Saeco) @ 2hr 2min 53sec
• José Joaquim Castelblanco (Kelme) @ 2hr 3min 1sec
• Marco Saligari (MG-Technogym) @ 2hr 3min 1sec
• Marco Zen (Roslotto) @ 2hr 4min 3sec
• Erik Dekker (Rabobank) @ 2hr 5min 3sec
• Christophe Moreau (Festina) @ 2hr 7min 20sec
• Christian Henn (Telekom) @ 2hr 7min 33sec
• Andrei Tchmil (Lotto) @ 2hr 9min 38sec
• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Refin)
• Paolo Fornaciari (Saeco) @ 2hr 10min 4sec
• Bruno Boscardin (Festina) @ 2hr 10min 12sec
• Julio César Aguirre (Kelme) @ 2hr 10min 23sec
• Erik Zabel (Telekom) @ 2hr 10min 26sec
• Rolf Aldag (Telekom) @ 2hr 12min 16sec
• Danny Nelissen (Rabobank) @ 2hr 12min 25sec
• Oscar Pelliccioli (Carrera) @ 2hr 13min 14se
• François Simon (Gan) @ 2hr 16min 19sec
• Sergei Uslamin (Refin) @ 2hr 16min 30sec
• Jens Heppner (Telekom) @ 2hr 17min 17sec
• Federico Muñoz (Kelme) @ 2hr 17min 25sec
• Rolf Järmann (MG-Technogym) @ 2hr 20min 28sec
• François Lemarchand (Gan) @ 2hr 21min 15sec
• José Ramon Uriarte (Banesto) @ 2hr 23min 59sec
• Mariano Piccoli (Brescialat) @ 2hr 24min 29sec
• Cristian Salvato (Refin) @ 2hr 36min 59sec
• Johan Museeuw (Mapei) @ 2hr 29min 2sec
• José Jaome Gonzalez (Kelme) @ 2hr 29min 13sec
• Rossano Brasi (Polti) @ 2hr 30min 20sec
• Fabio Roscioli (Refin) @ 2hr 31min 6sec
• Bart Voskamp (TVM) @ 2hr 31min 31sec
• Francesco Frattini (Gewiss) @ 2hr 32min 6sec
• Scott Sunderland (Lotto) @ 2hr 32min 54sec
• Francisco Cabello (Kelme) @ 2hr 36min 22sec
• Cristiano Frattini (Brescialat) @ 2hr 37min 56sec
• Thiery Laurent (Agrigel) @ 2hr 37min 57sec
• Omar Enrique Pumar (Brescialat) @ 2hr 38min 10sec
• Frédéric Mncassin (Gan) @ 2hr 38min 57sec
• Brian Holm (Telekom) @ 2hr 39min 51sec
• Frédéric Guesdon (Polti) @ 2hr 42min 49sec
• José Angel Vidal (kelme) @ 2hr 42min 58sec
• Wilfried Peeters (Mapei) @ 2hr 46min 47sec
• Frankie Andreu (Motorola) @ 2hr 48min 46sec
• Alessandro Baronti (Panaria) @ 2hr 52min 37sec
• Tobias Steinhauser (Refin) @ 2hr 54min 34sec
• Thierry Gouvenou (Auberbilliers) @ 2hr 54min 35sec
• Jacky Durand (Agrigel) @ 2hr 54min 39sec
• Peter Van Petegem (TVM) @ 2hr 56min 10sec
• Dario Bottaro (Gewiss) @ 2hr 56min 38sec
• Gilles Talmant (Aubervilliers) @ 2hr 57min 35sec
• Gerrit de Vries (Polti) @ 3hr 4min 45sec
• Paul Van Hyfte (Lotto) @ 3hr 6min 43sec
• Ivan Cerioli (Geweiss) @ 3hr 7min 50sec
• Peter Farazijn (Lotto) @ 3hr 14min 6sec
• Nico Mattan (Lotto) @ 3hr 14min 49sec
• Marc Wauters (Lotto) @ 3hr 15min 46sec
• Mario Chiesa (Carrera) @ 3hr 18min 2sec
• Simone Biasci (Saeco) @ 3hr 22min 16sec
• Eros Poli (Saeco) @ 3hr 34min 38sec
• Jeroen Blijlevens (TVM) @ 3hr 35min 12sec
• Jean-Luc Masdupuy (Agrigel) 2 3hr 49min 52sec
• Richard Virenque (Festina): 383 points
• Bjarne Riis (Telekom): 274
• Laurent Dufaux (Festina) : 176
• Laurent Brochard (Festina): 168
• Luc Leblanc (Polti): 158
• Erik Zabel (Telekom): 335 points
• Frederic Moncassin (GAN) : 284
• Fabio Baldato (MG-Technogym): 255
• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Refin): 204
• Jeroen Blijlevens (TVM): 158
• Jan Ullrich (Telekom): 95hr 58min 57sec
• Peter Luttenberger (Carrera) @ 5min 26sec
• Manuel Fernandez (Mapei) @ 24min 47sec
• Leonardo Peipoli (Refin) @ 25min 55sec
• Michael Bogerd (Rabobank) @ 1hr 12min 4sec
• Festina: 287hr 46min 20sec
• Telekom @ 15min 14sec
• Mapei @ 51min 26sec
• Roslotto @ 1hr 22min 29sec
• ONCE @ 1hr 36min 10sec

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Individual Stage Results with running GC

Prologue: Saturday, June 29, 's Hertogenbosch 9.4 km individual time trial.

• Alex Zulle: 10min 53sec
• Chris Boardman @ 2sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 3sec
• Abraham Olano @ 7sec
• Tony Rominger @ 10sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 11sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 12sec
• Laurent Jalabert @ 15sec
• Melchior Mauri @ 21sec
• Alexander Gontchenkov @ 22sec

Stage 1: Sunday, June 30, 's Hertongenbosch - 's Hertogenbosch, 209 km.

• Frederic Moncassin: 5hr 1sec
• Jeroen Blijlevens s.t.
• Jan Svorada s.t.
• Nicola Minali s.t.
• Erik Zabel s.t.
• Fabio Baldato s.t.
• Arvis Piziks s.t.
• Stefano Colage s.t.
• Christophe Capelle s.t.
• Mario Traversoni s.t.

GC after Stage 1:

• Alex Zulle: 5hr 10min 54sec
• Frederic Moncassin @ 9sec
• Chris Boardman @ 17sec
• Tony Rominger @ 19sec

Stage 2: Monday, July 1, 's Hertogenbosch - Wasquehal, 247.5 km.

• Mario Cipollini : 6hr 29min 22sec
• Frederic Moncassin s.t.
• Andrea Ferrigato s.t.
• Claudio Camin s.t.
• Kaspars Ozers s.t.

GC after stage 2:

• Alex Zulle: 11hr 40min 16sec
• Frederic Moncassin @ 1sec
• Laurnet Jalabert @ 15sec

Stage 3: Tuesday, July 2, Wasquehal - Nogent sur Oise, 195 km.

• Erik Zabel: 5hr 29min 21sec
• Mario Cipollini s.t.

GC after Stage 3:

• Frederic Moncassin: 17hr 9min 30sec
• Alex Zulle @ 7sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 10sec
• Abraham Olano @ 14sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 18sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 19sec
• Laurent Jalabert @ 22sec
• Chris Boarman @ 24sec
• Tony Rominger @ 26sec
• Melchior Mauri @ 28sec

Stage 4: Wednesday, July 3, Soissons - Lac de Madine, 232 km.

• Cyril Saugrain: 5hr 43min 50sec
• Danny Nelissen s.t.
• Rolf Jaermann s.t.
• Stephane Heulot s.t.
• Mariano Piccoli s.t.
• Claudio Camin @ 4min 33sec
• Emmanuel Magnien s.t.
• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.

GC after Stage 4:

• Stephane Heulot: 22hr 53min 20sec
• Mariano Piccoli @ 22sec
• Cyril Saugrain @ 34sec
• Danny Nelissen @ 1min 35sec
• Frederic Moncassin @ 3min 54sec
• Alex Zulle @ 4min 5sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 4min 8sec
• Abraham Olano @ 4min 12sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 4min 16sec

Stage 5: Thursday, July 4, Lac de Madine - Besançon, 242 km.

• Jeroen Blijlevens: 6hr 55min 53sec
• Zbigniew Spruch

GC after Stage 5:

• Stephane Heulot: 29hr 49min 48sec
• Mariano Piccoli @ 20sec
• Fredric Moncassin @ 3min 32sec

Stage 6: Friday, July 5, Arc et Senans - Aix les Bains, 207 km.

17 riders abandoned including Lance Armstrong, who thought he had bronchitis. He quit after 70 kilometers during the rainy stage with a sore throat and back pains. He later learned his body was riddled with cancer.

• Michael Boogerd: 5hr 5min 38sec
• Erik Zabel @ 1sec
• Laurent Jalabert s.t.
• Andrei Tchmil s.t.
• Jesper Skibby s.t.
• Andrea Tafi s.t.
• Rolf Sorensen s.t.
• Paolo Fornaciari s.t.
• Zbigniew Spruch s.t.

GC after Stage 6:

• Stephane Heulot: 34hr 55min 27sec
• Laurent Jalabert @ 4min 6sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 4min 17sec
• Rolf Jaermann @ 4min 20sec
• Chris Boardman @ 4min 22sec

Stage 7: Saturday, July 6, Chambery - Les Arcs, 200 km.

• Luc Leblanc: 5hr 47min 22sec
• Tony Rominger @ 47sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 52sec
• Richard Virenque s.t.
• Laurent Dufaux s.t.
• Abraham Olano s.t.
• Bjarne Riis @ 56sec
• Fernando Escartin s.t.
• Jan Ullrich s.t.
• Piotr Ugramov s.t.

GC after Stage 7:

• Evgeni Berzin: 40hr 47min 53sec
• Tony Rominger @ 7sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 8sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 30sec
• Richard Virenque @ 31sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 37sec
• Piotr Ugramov @ 40sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 59sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 1min 2sec

Stage 8: Sunday, July 7, Bourg St. Maurice - Val d'Isère 30.5 km Individual Time Trial

• Evgeni Berzin: 51min 53sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 35sec.
• Abraham Olano @ 45sec
• Tony Rominger @ 1min 1sec
• Miguel Indurain s.t.
• Jan Ullrich @ 1min 7sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 1min 36sec
• Chris Boardman @ 2min 30sec
• Alex Zulle @ 2min 36sec
• Udo Bolts @ 2min 52sec

GC after Stage 8:

• Evgeni Berzin: 41hr 39min 46sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 43sec
• Tony Rominger @ 1min 8sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 1min 37sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 2min 35sec
• Richard Virenque @ 3min 56sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 4min 8sec
• Piotr Ugramov @ 4min 25sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 4min 50sec

Stage 9: Monday, July 8, Le Monetier les Bains - Sestriere, 46 km.

• Bjarne Riis: 1hr 10min 44sec
• Luc Leblanc @ 24sec
• Richard Virenque @ 26sec
• Tony Rominger @ 28sec
• Udo Bolts @ 41sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 42sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 44sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 46sec
• Abraham Olano @ 54sec

GC after Stage 9:

• Bjarne Riis: 42hr 51min 13sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 40sec
• Tony Rominger @ 53sec
• Abraham Olano @ 56sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 1min 38sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 2min 38sec
• Richard virenque @ 3min 39sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 4min 38sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 4min 49sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 5min 3sec

Stage 10: Tuesday, July 9, Torino - Gap, 208.5 km.

• Erik Zabel: 5hr 8min 10sec
• Emmanuel Mangien s.t.
• Alessandro Bertolini s.t.
• Francesco Frattini s.t.
• Viatscheslav Ekimov s.t.
• Maurizio Fondriest s.t.

GC after Stage 10:

• Bjarne Riis: 47hr 59min 23sec
• Richard Virenque @ 3min 39sec

Stage 11: Thursday, July 11, Gap - Valence, 202 km.

• Chepe Gonzalez: 5hr 9min 12sec
• Manuel Fernandez-Gines @ 1sec
• Alberto Elli s.t.
• Laurent Brochard s.t.
• Marco Fincato s.t.
• Laurent Roux s.t.
• Stefano Cattai @ 6sec
• Laurent Madouas s.t.
• Erik Zabel @ 2min 51sec

GC after Stage 11:

• Bjarne Riis: 53hr 11min 26sec

Stage 12: Friday, July, 12, Valence - Le Puy en Velay, 143.5 km.

• Pascal Richard: 3hr 29min 19sec
• Mirko Gualdi s.t.
• Felix Garcia-Casas s.t.
• Flavio Vanzella s.t.
• Erik Breukink s.t.
• Melchor Mauri s.t.
• Laurent Roux @ 9sec
• Erik Zabel @ 15min 14sec

GC after Stage 12:

• Bjarne Riis: 56hr 55min 59sec

Stage 13: Saturday, July 13, Le Puy en Velay - Superbesse, 177 km.

• Rolf Sorensen: 4hr 3min 56sec
• Orlando Rodrigues s.t.
• Luc Leblanc @ 2sec
• Paolo Savoldelli @ 23sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 23sec
• Chris Boardman s.t.
• Laurent Dufayx s.t.

GC after Stage 13:

• Bjarne Riis: 61hr 0min 18sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 8sec
• Tony Rominger @ 1min 21sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 2min 6sec
• Richard Virenque @ 3min 16sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 5min 17sec

Stage 14: Sunday, July 14, Besse en Chandesse - Tulle, 186.5 km.

• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov: 4hr 6min 29sec
• Mirco Gualdi @ 7sec
• Laurent Madouas @ 9sec
• Didier Rous @ 16sec
• Bo Hamburger @ 31sec
• Thierry Bourguignon @ 3min 56sec
• Rolf Jaermann @ 4min 12sec
• Bruno Boscardin s.t.
• Andrea Tafi @ 4min 15sec
• Stefano Cattai @ 4min 17sec

GC after Stage 14:

• Bjarne Riis: 65hr 11min 40sec

Stage 15: Monday, July 15, Brive La Gaillarde - Villeunve sur Lot, 175 km.

• Massimo Podenzana: 3hr 54min 52sec
• Giuseppe Guerini @ 37sec
• Peter Van Petegem @ 50sec
• Michele Bartoli s.t.
• François Lemarchand @ 1min 16sec
• Neil Stephens @ 1min 41sec
• Frederic Moncassin @ 5min 38sec

GC after Stage 15:

• Bjarne Riis: 69hr 12min 10sec

Stage 16: Tuesday, July 16, Agen - Lourdes/Hautacam, 199 km.

• Bjarne Riis: 4hr 56min 16sec
• Richard Virenque @ 49sec
• Luc Leblanc @ 54sec
• Leonardo Piepoli @ 57sec
• Tony Rominger @ 1min 33sec
• Laurent Brochard @ 1min 41sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 1min 46sec

GC after stage 16:

• Bjarne Riis: 74hr 8min 26sec
• Abraham Olano @ 2min 42sec
• Tony Rominger @ 2min 54sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 3min 39sec
• Richard Virenque @ 4min 5sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 4min 7sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 5min 52sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 5min 59sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 7min 3sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 7min 6sec

Stage 17: Wednesday, July 17, Argelès Gazost - Pamplona, 262 km.

• Laurent Dufaux: 7hr 7min 8sec
• Bjarne Riis s.t.
• Richard Virenque @ 20sec
• Luc Leblanc s.t.
• Peter Luttenberger s.t.
• Massimiliano Lelli @ 8min 28sec
• Paolo Savoldelli s.t.

GC after stage 17:

• Bjarne Riis: 81hr 15min 34sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 3min 59sec
• Richard Virenque @ 4min 25sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 6min 19sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 7min 23sec
• Piotr Ugramov @ 7min 48sec
• Luc Leblanc @ 8min 1sec
• Abraham Olano @ 11min 12sec
• Tony Rominger @ 11min 24sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 15min 36sec

Stage 18: Thursday, July 18, Pamplona - Hendaye, 154.5 km.

• Bart Voskamp: 4hr 11min 2sec.
• Christian Henn @ 2sec
• Alberto Elli @ 27sec
• Bruno Thibout s.t.
• Bruno Boscardin @ 32sec
• Andrea Ferrigato @ 1min 26sec
• Pascal Herve s.t.
• Valentino Fois s.t.
• Davide Perona s.t.

GC after stage 18:

• Bjarne Riis: 85hr 43min 32sec

Stage 19: Friday, July 19, Hendaye - Bordeaux, 226.5 km.

• Frederic Moncassin: 5hr 25min 11sec
• Simone Biasci s.t.
• Ivan Cerioli s.t.
• Thierry Gouvenou s.t.

GC after stage 19:

• Bjarne Riis: 91hr 8min 43sec

Stage 20: Saturday, July 20, Bordeaux - St. Emilion 63.5 km individual time trial.

• Jan Ullrich: 1hr 15min 31sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 56sec
• Abraham Olano @ 2min 6sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 2min 18sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 2min 19sec
• Chris Boardman @ 2min 29sec
• Richard Virenque @ 2min 30sec
• Tony Rominger @ 2min 47sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 2min 56sec
• Laurent Brochard @ 2min 57sec

GC after Stage 20:

• Bjarne Riis: 92hr 26min 32sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 1min 41sec
• Richard Virenque @ 4min 37sec
• Laurent dufaux @ 5min 53sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 7min 7sec
• Luc Leblanc @ 10min 3sec
• Piotr Ugramov @ 10min 4sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 10min 26sec
• Abraham Olano @ 11min 0sec
• Tony Rominger @ 11min 53sec

21st and Final Stage: Sunday, July 21, Palaiseau - Paris (Champs Elysées), 147.5 km.

• Fabio Baldato: 3hr 30min 44sec
• Eric Zabel s.t.
• Frankie Andreu s.t.

Complete Final 1996 Tour de France General Classification

The Story of the 1996 Tour de France:

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

Why shouldn't Miguel Indurain be considered a shoo-in for a record-breaking sixth Tour win? He was the reigning World Time Trial Champion. In June he won the Dauphiné Libéré against most of the riders he would face in July, winning 2 of the 8 stages along the way. Tony Rominger was second to the Spaniard in that race and Richard Virenque was third. Fernando Escartin and Luc Leblanc were excellent racers but they came in far behind Indurain. Indurain's other major threat, Telekom's Bjarne Riis, didn't finish the Dauphiné. 1994 Giro winner Evgeni Berzin could not be ignored, but having come in tenth in the 1996 Giro, over 14 minutes behind winner Pavel Tonkov, he seemed like an unlikely man to topple Indurain.

Alex Zülle, who came closest to Indurain in 1995 didn't ride the Dauphiné. Riding for the Spanish ONCE outfit his efforts were centered on Iberian races, of which he won 2.

Riis, like Indurain, had been slow to mature. He rode his first Tour de France in 1989 and came in an undistinguished ninety-fifth. He didn't finish the next year and in 1991 he was 107th. 1993 was his breakout year with a stage win and fifth overall in the Tour. The next year he slid to fourteenth but still captured a stage win. 1995 was even better with a very fine third place and a day in Yellow. In the winter, tired of friction with Evgeni Berzin, he moved from Gewiss to the well-financed and organized German Telekom team, managed since 1992 by Belgian tough-guy Walter Godefroot. As a racer Godefroot had been an entirely self-motivated champion with 150 pro victories to his name. He expected his riders to be filled with the same discipline that drove him to win Paris–Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and 10 Tour stages. He was not the right manager for men of a gentler mentality and as the years progress we'll see him squander some of the finest talent in the world. But for now Riis, also a man of drive and self-confidence, was the man Godefroot was looking for. His team was lacking a first-class Grand Tour man, someone who could unseat Indurain. Riis' leaving the Gewiis team was the answer to Godefroot's prayers.

The 1996 Tour started with a prologue in 'S Hertogenbosch in Holland, headed south to the Alps, then into the Massif Central, followed by the Pyrenees. After the mountains the Tour headed north through Aquitaine on the southwest coast of France. From there, the riders would endure a transfer for the final stage into Paris. This was one of those rare Tours that didn't go through either Normandy or Brittany. While there were 103.4 kilometers of individual time trialing, there were no team time trials.

Zülle showed that he was one of the finest riders in the world when racing against the clock (he became World Time Trial Champion that fall) when he won the prologue in wet, rainy, slippery roads, beating time trial specialist Chris Boardman by 2 seconds. Riis and Indurain were almost tied, being 11 and 12 seconds slower, respectively. Indurain said that he rode carefully, wanting to avoid an accident.

The first 5 stages, with the exception of stage 4, were the playground of the sprinters. Frédéric Moncassin, Mario Cipollini and Erik Zabel, the fastest men in the world, each won stages. Only in stage 4 were they unable to control events when a 5-man break won with a 4½ minute lead. GAN team member Stéphane Heulot was the highest placed of the escapees and therefore took the lead, which he held until stage 7 when the Tour hit the Alps.

Stage 6 had one notable and famous abandon. In miserably wet and cold conditions Lance Armstrong climbed off his bike, feeling poorly, thinking he had bronchitis. Full of optimism, he said he would concentrate on preparing for the Olympics in Atlanta. His Olympic performances in the fall were well below what a man soaring to the top of cycling's best should have done. Indicative of the expectations others had for him, the professional team Cofidis signed him for a $2.5-million, 2-year contract. It was during that fall that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had metastasized all over his body. We'll pick up his story in 1999.

Before the climbing started, the General Classification after stage 6 looked like this:

1. Stéphane Heulot 2. Mariano Piccoli @ 20 seconds 3. Alex Zülle @ 4 minutes 5 seconds 4. Laurent Jalabert @ 4 minutes 6 seconds 5. Evgeni Berzin @ 4 minutes 8 seconds 6. Abraham Olano @ 4 minutes 12 seconds 7. Bjarne Riis @ 4 minutes 16 seconds 8. Miguel Indurain @ 4 minutes 17 seconds

The major contenders were all clustered at or near 4 minutes. Heulot and Piccoli would surely be dispatched on stage 7—200 kilometers with the hors category Madeleine, the first category Cormet de Roseland and a first category climb up to Les Arcs. The stage started taking its toll almost from the start. Jalabert was dropped about 8 kilometers from the summit of the Madeleine, which was enveloped in a thick, wet mist. The top contenders were together over the top with Riis willing to descend a bit faster than the others on the slippery roads. With no company and lots of climbing left he slowed and waited for the others. Heulot was able to go with the leaders on the Madeleine but could not keep up on the Roseland and abandoned, suffering horribly from tendinitis pain in his right knee. Descending the Roseland, Zülle crashed twice but refused to give up and managed to rejoin the leaders with help from his teammate Aitor Garmendia. On the climb to Les Arcs, Luc Leblanc, who was well back on the General Classification because of a stage 6 crash, attacked and but did not draw a response from the group with Virenque, Riis, Indurain, Olano and Rominger. Indurain himself looked good on the first 2 major climbs of the day, surely signaling to the others that they were competing for second place.

Then, just near the end of the climb, with about 3 kilometers to go to the finish, the unbelievable happened. Indurain was in trouble! He came off the back of the Riis group and probably for the first time in anyone's memory looked to be truly suffering. He signaled for a feed by wiggling a phantom bottle. He had ran out of food and had the "bonk". Other riders took pity on him and gave him food but it was a shock to all that such an error could be committed by an otherwise faultless rider. Indurain struggled in over 4 minutes behind the stage winner Leblanc. Zülle, paying the price of his earlier crashes, finished only 50 seconds ahead of Indurain. Both of them had given up so much time in the first hard day in the mountains that the other challengers felt that for the first time since 1990, the Tour was really in play. Berzin became the first Russian in Tour history to wear the Yellow Jersey.

The General Classification after stage 7:

1. Evgeni Berzin 2. Abraham Olano @ same time 3. Tony Rominger @ 7 seconds 4. Bjarne Riis @ 8 seconds 5. Jan Ullrich @ 30 seconds 6. Richard Virenque @ 31 seconds 11. Alex Zülle @ 2 minutes 30 seconds 14. Miguel Indurain @ 3 minutes 32 seconds

That was Saturday. Sunday, July 7 was a 30.5-kilometer uphill individual time trial to Val d'Isère. Berzin showed that his ownership of the Yellow Jersey was not a fluke. Indurain, a time trialist who could usually climb very well lost more ground to Riis and Berzin.

Results of the Val d'Isère time trial:

1. Evgeni Berzin: 51 minutes 53 seconds 2. Bjarne Riis @ 35 seconds 3. Abraham Olano @ 45 seconds 4. Tony Rominger @ 1 minute 1 second 5. Miguel Indurain @ same time 6. Jan Ullrich @ 1 minute 7 seconds

Indurain was now sitting in eleventh place, 4 minutes, 53 seconds behind the Russian.

Monday was expected to be the big day that would really sort things out with the Iseran, Galibier, Montgenèvre and a climb to Sestriere on the menu. The weather didn't cooperate. Winds clocked at over 100 kilometers an hour blew at the summits of the Iseran and the Galibier. The Tour organization shortened the stage to just 46 kilometers leaving the riders to contest the Montgenèvre and the final ascent to Sestriere. Almost from the start Riis started shooting. 3 times he attacked and was brought back. The fourth attack Riis unleashed was too much for the others and up the Montgenèvre he flew. He crested the top 20 seconds ahead of the about 15 riders left in the front chase group. On the final climb Riis extended his lead while Berzin couldn't take the pace set by Leblanc, Indurain and the others. When the smoke had cleared, Riis was the new leader. Riis rode over the 2 mountains at an incredible average speed of 39.019 kilometers an hour.

Here are the results of the stage:

1. Bjarne Riis 2. Luc Leblanc @ 24 seconds 3. Richard Virenque @ 26 seconds 4. Tony Rominger @ 28 seconds 5. Miguel Indurain @ same time 14. Evgeni Berzin @ 1 minute 23 seconds

The stage yielded a new General Classification, with Riis' young teammate Jan Ullrich looking awfully good. Indurain was in a deep hole that, given his normal Anquetil-type defensive tactics, looked hard to overcome:

1. Bjarne Riis 2. Evgeni Berzin @ 40 seconds 3. Tony Rominger @ 53 seconds 4. Abraham Olano @ 56 seconds 5. Jan Ullrich @ 1 minute 38 seconds 6. Peter Luttenberger @ 2 minutes 38 seconds 7. Richard Virenque @ 3 minutes 39 seconds 8. Miguel Indurain @ 4 minutes 38 seconds

The hardest Alpine climbing was completed and now the riders had to face the Massif Central. The French had hoped that Laurent Jalabert, the current world number-1 ranked rider, would be the man to wear Yellow in Paris but he had to abandon during stage 10 with gastroenteritis. While stage 10 had the Montgenèvre (again), it came too early in the stage for the climbers to stay away. In the end Telekom's Erik Zabel won the stage and secured the Green Sprinter's jersey. Telekom now had both the Green and the Yellow. During the next couple of stages Riis' Telekom squad controlled the race, letting breaks of non-contenders get away but carefully policing the real threats. On the hard thirteenth stage Riis' men set a tough pace that caused both Rominger and Berzin to lose more time. Indurain was able to stay with the leaders until he flatted. Then, showing that he both good form and courage, he made his way back to the Riis group.

That left things to be settled in the Pyrenees, which started with the stage 16 ride and its single major climb, the final ascent to Lourdes/Hautacam. This stage ended up being one of the most astonishing stages in racing history. I saw it on television and its defining moment is still clear in my mind. It was a 200-kilometer stage that had the best riders together at the start of the final climb, with Laurent Roux—who had been away for 160 kilometers—still slightly off the front. As soon as the climb began in earnest Zülle took off like a rocket and steamed right past Roux. Virenque dragged the elite climbers up to him and lost Rominger in the process. With 9 kilometers to go Riis tested the others with a probing attack and Indurain was able to stay with him. Riis turned the power down a bit. He went again and this time only 4 riders could stay with him. Now he did what I've never seen before or since. He eased a bit at first as if he were in trouble and rode next to the others, looking carefully at each of them. Convinced that they were all riding at their limits he went again and rocketed up the hill, leaving the others to their only option, limiting their losses to the super-strong Dane. He came in alone, almost a minute ahead of Virenque, 2 minutes, 28 seconds ahead of Indurain and almost 3 minutes ahead of Berzin. Riis gave what can only be called an unusual performance, giving up position and momentum on a steep mountain surrounded by the finest climbers in the world. Only the most profound confidence could have allowed him to do what he did. And Indurain, who was hoping to celebrate his thirty-second birthday with something more than another time loss to the Dane was clearly not the man he had been the year before.

If there were to be any chance of breaking Riis' grip on the lead it would have to come on stage 17 with its 7 climbs, of which 5 were second category or better: the Soulor, the Aubisque, the Marie-Blanque, the Soudet and the steepest, the Port de Larrau. On the Soudet Riis kept the pace high and there the first real selection occurred with 11 of the best riders surviving. The Festina team's Virenque and Laurent Dufaux hammered the remaining riders, putting Indurain out the back door. In the final run-in to Pamplona Dufaux and Riis escaped with Dufaux outsprinting the almost invulnerable Dane. With the finish in Pamplona, Spain, Indurain's fans were out in force, hoping for a miracle. The day's route even took the riders past Indurain's childhood home. Both the public and Riis paid tribute to the man who had hoped for better that year.

In interviews that afternoon Riis said that in addition to being directed by Godefroot, he was getting tactical advice from Laurent Fignon. It was Fignon who spotted the young Riis' talents and talked him into changing teams and riding for the Frenchman. With his 1989 narrow loss to LeMond still burned into his memory, Fignon told Riis to beware of playing with fate by being content with a 1-minute lead. Knowing that such a small margin can evaporate, Fignon advised Riis to continue being aggressive and to increase his margin over his competitors. But, after stage 17, look who was sitting in second place, his young domestique from the East German sports machine:

1. Bjarne Riis 2. Jan Ullrich @ 3 minutes 59 seconds 3. Richard Virenque @ 4 minutes 25 seconds 4. Laurent Dufaux @ 5 minutes 52 seconds 11. Miguel Indurain @ 15 minutes 36 seconds

Telekom now had the first 2 places on the podium, the Green Jersey, and in Jan Ullrich, the Best Young Rider.

The only way Riis could not win the Tour now was to stumble during the Tour's penultimate stage, a 63.5-kilometer individual time trial. Riis didn't stumble but he faltered. Looking tired after 3 hard weeks, he turned in a time that was sufficient to allow him to keep the lead. The real surprise was Ullrich who stormed the course at 50.452 kilometers per hour beating second place Indurain by 56 seconds and his team leader by 2 minutes, 18 seconds. Ullrich's performance showed that he was one of those rare, titanically talented men, like Greg LeMond, who grow stronger during even the hardest Tour. Indurain praised him with words that, as we'll see in the Armstrong years, had a touch of prophecy, "He is as strong as an ox and his performances in the mountains and in the time-trials makes him a definite winner, as long as he stays fit".

It took Riis 11 years as a pro to attain this level. It was a performance that the 32-year old would not repeat. Since that Tour victory, Riis has been dogged by accusations of EPO use, accusations that Riis steadfastly denies. His young charge, Ullrich, became the first German since Kurt Stoepel in 1932 to make the Tour's podium.

Final 1996 Tour de France General Classification:

• Bjarne Riis (Telekom): 95 hours 57 minutes 16 seconds
• Jan Ullrich (Telekom) @ 1 minute 41 seconds
• Richard Virenque (Festina) @ 4 minutes 37 seconds
• Laurent Dufaux (Festina) @ 5 minutes 53 seconds
• Peter Luttenberger (Carrera) @ 7 minutes 7 seconds

Climbers' Competition:

• Richard Virenque: 383 points
• Bjarne Riis: 274 points
• Laurent Dufaux: 176 points

Points Competition:

• Erik Zabel: 335 points
• Frédéric Moncassin: 284 points
• Fabio Baldato: 255 points

© McGann Publishing

The 1996 Tour de France 20 years on - Podcast

Inside the race with Riis, Boardman, Holm, Ekimov and Vasseur

It's 20 years since the 1996 Tour de France – an edition of the race that saw Bjarne Riis triumph, and the ending of an era as five-time champion, Miguel Indurain, was put to the sword.

In the two decades that have passed cycling has gone through the mill and has been brutally exposed as former riders have been laid bare as cheats within a system that was poorly policed.

Over the next three episodes of the podcast we will re-tell the 1996 race from start to finish and hear from key riders and journalists who covered the race. And we head to Denmark to meet Riis and put to him several questions over his performance, those 'Mr 60 per cent' claims, and his true feelings on his victory and his yellow jersey.

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Kom sprint | côte de saint-etienne-de-lisse, race information.

• Date: 20 July 1996
• Start time: -
• Avg. speed winner: 50.452 km/h
• Race category: ME - Men Elite
• Distance: 63.5 km
• Points scale: GT.A.Stage
• Parcours type:
• ProfileScore: 24
• Vert. meters: 640
• Departure: Bordeaux
• Arrival: Saint-Emilion
• Race ranking: 0
• Startlist quality score: 1872
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