1990 Tour de France - Stage 16 - Blagnac to Luz Ardiden - Chiappucci attacks !

Blagnac-Luz Ardiden, 215 km. It will be the most beautiful! The most beautiful because the craziest. Chiappucci must defend his yellow jersey. Chiappucci attack!
A top match sublimated by the music of Jon and Vangelis
Let you teleport by @PatrickChene's commentary

[@hervegammino3882]

C' était génial...
Et sans oreillette!!!

[@glipbleurk8776]

C’est beau mais cela me laisse un goût terriblement amer.1990 c’est l’annee charnière pour le tour, la fin d’une ère et le début d’une autre...Pour moi,cette etape c’est celle ou symboliquement tout bascule, la passation de pouvoir qui sera validèe par Jaca/Val Louron l’année suivante. Cette année là tout est en place,l’EPO est utilisé par certains fondeurs depuis 1989,il y’a eu des morts suspects mais le produit est commercialisé,les soigneurs l’apprivoisent petit à petit .La star Navarraise est déjà l’etoile montante du chrono et il a aussi remporté une etape de montagne l’année precedente.D’ailleurs, les protagonistes de l’acte 1 du thermonucleaire ( il y’aura 4 acte à ce drame,jusqu'en 2007) sont tous là et quand on regarde qui remporte certaines etapes ...Bien sur,les temps d’ascension ne sont pas du même type que ceux que nous verrons dès 1991 (et qui ne feront qu’être pulvérisés par la suite...et même de nos jours) mais cela grimpe déjà bien.Le roi Miguel semble d’une facilité dans le final…!Il s’en va, bouche fermée avec son gabarit de rouleur, laissant Lemond sur place.l’EPO EN 1989/1990 C’etait encore du bricolage mais à partir de l’année suivante les protocoles vont se fixer.

[@nielskjr5432]

I remember this. They let a breakaway go with more than 10 minutes. No one would take responsability. Not Lemond. Not Fignon. Uh uh. But one of the guys was Chiappucci. The climbers jersey from the Giro. You don't give a man like that more than 10 minutes. He kept the yellow jersey very very long.

[@kidpagronprimsank05]

The point was that, with exception of Chiappucci, most of rider quality were known, and as expected, they falter one by one. It just that Chiappucci just turned out to be really strong. Also, before 1990, Chiappucci biggest win was Coppa Sabatini and for most parts, was good domestique for Visentini and Roche. In 1990, ofc other than Giro KoM and top 15 overall, not much to be said that he gonna challenge the likes of LeMond, Fignon, Delgado, and Breukink

[@titounoundici7920]

We were ready for the start, that day, and I was just behind Chiappucci, when Claudio himself turned looking at me with a smile. "You know what - he said - I'm gonna do something crazy today... I feel kinda madness squeezes me in its hand!" But I didn't get what he meant: "Cool down, buddie! What the hell you mean? You're born under a mad-cow, we all know! How about riding calmly all the way through?" "No way! I'm in a hurry. The sooner, the better! I'm reading a most appealing chapter of the Karamazov brothers, and I am eager to go reading further". So when evening came, I started making fun of him, scolding him for his yellow jersey and the dozens of things he had to comply because of it. "That is the price of glory. Karamazov will be waiting".