Miguel Induráin
Miguel Ángel Induráin Larraya (born July 16, 1964, Villava, Navarre) is a retired Spanish cyclist. He is best known for having won the Tour de France from 1991 to 1995, becoming the first person to win the event five consecutive times. (Jacques Anquetil was the first to win the event five times non-consecutively.) Induráin's ability and physical size -- 1.88m (6 ft 2 in) and 80 kg (176lbs) -- earned him the nickname "Big Mig."
Induráin turned professional in 1985 and entered the Tour de France for the first time the same year, ultimately entering it in each of the next eleven years. Although he abandoned in 1985 and 1986, his standing improved steadily until his first win in 1991. He had worn the yellow jersey in the 1990 Tour and seemed poised to win, but was unwilling to eclipse his team captain.
Induráin is often said to have been the best time trialist in the Grand Tours, putting in large gains against his rivals on the time-trial stages and riding defensively in the climbing stages. In the 1992 Tour he finished a 65 km time trial an astonishing three minutes ahead of the second-place rider. Despite his five Tour victories, he won only two Tour stages that were not individual time trials, namely two mountain stages to la Cambasque and Luz Ardiden in the Pyrenees. His time-trialing prowess was so impressive that it is said to have cured former Tour winner and legendary climber Charly Gaul of his reclusiveness and depression. Gaul had attended the Tour de France prologue near his home in Luxembourg and upon watching Induráin take the stage Gaul -- who was himself often called the Angel of the Mountains -- declared, "I saw an angel pass."
In the 1996 Tour, Induráin was aiming for a sixth victory but could not prevail over Bjarne Riis. He finished 11th and, in a stage passing through his home town and ending in Pamplona, he finished 19th, a humiliating eight minutes behind the stage winner. Later that year he abandoned the Vuelta a España, which his Banesto team had insisted he enter, saying that his legs felt like wood and that he could not breathe. He later announced his retirement from racing.
In 1992 and 1993, years in which he won the Tour, Induráin also won the Giro d'Italia. In 1994 he set a World Hour record of 53.040 kilometres (circa 32.96 miles), breaking the previous record set by Scotland's Graeme Obree. During the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, where professional cyclists were allowed to compete for the first time, Induráin won the gold medal in the individual time trial. He also won the Dauphiné Libéré in 1995 and 1996.
At the height of his career, Induráin was reported to have a resting heart rate of 28 bpm, less than half of what a healthy, moderately active person might expect. While cycling, his heart rate reached a sustained 170 bpm, and it returned to less than 40 bpm within five minutes after he stopped moving. Some doctors conjecture that the effective volume of Induráin's heart may be up to 1.5 times as large as that of an average person's.
Personally, Induráin was shy and even self-effacing, even during the five years when he utterly dominated the Tour. He resisted comparison to great Tour champions of the past and once said that he had "never felt superior to anyone." On the bike, he seemed never to struggle or lose his composure. That, along with his quiet nature, led some to characterize him as an extra-terrestrial or a robot.
In retirement he is a member of the Spanish Olympic Committee and of UCI's Professional Cycling Council. He is also Honorary President for the Miguel Induráin Foundation. He often comes to cyclotourist events such as L'etape du Tour'.
Giro d'Italia finishings
Tour de France finishings
- 1985: Withdrew, 4th stage
- 1986: Withdrew, 8th stage
- 1987: 97th
- 1988: 47th
- 1989: 17th
- 1990: 10th
- 1991: 1st
- 1992: 1st
- 1993: 1st
- 1994: 1st
- 1995: 1st
- 1996: 11th
Vuelta a España finishings
Quotes
- "Indurain makes me sick because he's actually a really nice guy. You can't actually work yourself up, there's no hate involved, no anger. He's a really nice bloke and a true champion." — Chris Boardman
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