Miguel Indurain
Miguel Induráin Larraya (Villava, Navarra, July 16, 1964) is a Spanish cyclist, professional between 1984 and 1996.
He was the winner of the Tour de France for five consecutive years (from 1991 to 1995) -the only one that has achieved it consecutively- and of the Giro d'Italia on two consecutive occasions (1992 and 1993); He was also world time trial champion (1995), Olympic time trial champion (1996) and hourly record holder (1994) for two months.
On the other hand, he added to his record several laps in one-week stages and one-day classics, highlighting among them the Volta a Cataluña (1988, 1991 and 1992), the Paris-Nice (1989 and 1990), the Clásica de San Sebastián (1990), the Spanish Road Championship (1992) and the Dauphiné Libéré (1995 and 1996), standing out greatly in the time trial stages to achieve those victories, while simultaneously being one of the best climbers on the cycling scene.
Due to his record, he was part of the Inaugural Session of the UCI Hall of Fame in 2002, and was considered the eighth best cyclist in the Tour de France according to a jury made up of five French specialists selected by the organization of the Tour itself.
In addition, he is considered the best Spanish cyclist of all time and one of the best athletes in the history of the country, highlighting "his capacity for sacrifice and his knowing how to win". He has received various awards in recognition of his sports career, highlighting the Prince of Asturias Award for Sports in 1992. His younger brother, Prudencio Induráin, was also a professional cyclist.
Sports career
Beginnings in cycling
Second of five brothers from a family of farmers from Villava (a town located 4 km from Pamplona). He took his first pedal strokes at the age of nine in the company of three of his brothers. He began cycling when he was ten years old, when they gave him a second-hand bicycle to travel the 20 km that separate Villava from the town of his mother (Alzórriz).
At the age of eleven, he had his first racing bicycle, bought by his father to compensate him for the theft of his first bicycle, suffered while helping him in the fields. With her, he participated in 1975 in a junior race in Luquin in which he finished second; the following week in his second race, in Elizondo, he got his first victory.Those races were contested with the recently founded Club Ciclista Villavés as a test, in which he had enrolled along with some friends from the location; from 1976 he joined the team starting to run regularly.
Practicing sports competitively was not in his plans for the future. This competitiveness began to take shape when his parents decided that he should study in Pamplona, in the same school as his cousins. Since the change was not to his liking, he protested, channeling his energy into sports, practicing many of them until he finally found one in which he stood out, cycling.
Lower Categories
During his first full year as a junior, in 1976, he achieved a total of thirteen victories including the Navarra Championship in the category, his progression never stagnated and already in the two years of the children's category he won a total of twenty victories. During his two years as a cadet, he participated in various tests on the Navarrese and Basque circuit, although with concern from his parents since the modest team where he was could not guarantee room and board, and they depended on the results obtained by Miguel. In that category he was considered one of the cyclists with the greatest future in Navarre cycling, achieving a total of fourteen victories in those two years, although it was said that he had no chance of standing out in the high mountains. In 1981, he moved up to the youth category, a category where the teams greats are usually set to follow future figures, where he had five victories in his first year.
Amateur cycling: admission to Reynolds
Through Pepe Barruso, director of the Villavés Cycling Club, the professional team from Navarra Reynolds was incorporated into its lower categories. Eusebio Unzué and José Miguel Echávarri director of the team's amateur section, observed him in various tests on the Navarrese circuit, and in 1982, after obtaining another eleven victories in his last youth year, he joined the subsidiary team (in the amateur category) leaving definitely studies to dedicate himself to cycling. The first year was an adaptation, not without difficulties, to the category, since he did not obtain any victory in the few months that he ran for the team. In his second year in the category, he achieved his first great victories: the Amateur Cycling Championship of Navarra and Spain. The Spanish Championship was also won by "impressing" its director, Eusebio Unzué, since he was present in all the cuts that they occurred in the race and managing to beat Jokin Mujika in the sprint. The year ended with a victory in the Tour of Salamanca where he also won a stage. By then he was already one of the strongest promises of Spanish cycling, although he He considered himself a good sprinter and classicsman due to his qualities as a roller, but with certain limitations in the mountains.
By the middle of 1984 he already had 19 victories as an amateur. Before signing for his first professional team, he was selected to participate in the Los Angeles Olympic Games (which were contested by non-professional runners at that time), although he did not finish the test.
Professional Cycling
Debut
1984: first victory
He made his professional debut on September 7, 1984 with the Reynolds professional team (whose structure later became the Banesto team) to compete in the Tour of the Future. These debuts at the end of the season are very common in cycling, hiring young promises from August 1 or September (in the case of Miguel) to play a few races, sometimes just one, as a test, to see their adaptation to professionalism, having a first contact with their possible future teammates, a situation known as stagiaire. In that first race as a professional he already got his first victory in the time trial of the tenth stage, but just like in the Olympic Games he failed to finish the race.
1985: leader in the Vuelta
In 1985, with only a few months in professionalism, he already stood out in the Tour of Spain in which he was the leader during four stages (until the sixth stage with a finish in Lagos de Covadonga), being since then the youngest cyclist to wear the yellow jersey in the Vuelta, after finishing second in the prologue and taking advantage of the high pace that his team set in the second stage to drop Bert Oosterbosch, who was then the overall leader. Although he was able to finish the Vuelta finally he did not get any victory and at no time was he in the front positions in the other stages due to his youth and inexperience. Later he participated in his first Tour de France, although it did not go as well as in the Vuelta, since he was forced to withdraw on the fourth day due to a viral process. His victories came in the Tour of the Future (a time trial and an online stage) although again he did not finish the test. He also climbed to the podium with a second place in the Vuelta a Andalucía-Ruta del Sol and by winning the classification of the flying goals of the Vuelta a Burgos.
Progression in the Reynolds
1986: Tour of the Future and medical tests
In 1986 his first great successes as a professional came when he won the two time trials of the Tour of the Future (the prologue and the tenth stage), achieving victory in the final classification after resisting in the mountains. In addition, he achieved good results in unofficial tests but of a certain prestige such as third place in the GP Zizurkil and the final victory in the Vuelta Ciclista a Murcia after winning the prologue against the clock. Again he went to the Tour, letting himself be seen more than in the the previous year, being third in the seventh stage, although he again abandoned the race.
The successes achieved throughout the season surprised its directors, who decided to analyze their possibilities in the clinic of the Italian doctor Francesco Conconi (from the University of Ferrara), consultations that were frequent until 1991. The first Medical tests determined that he had unlimited physical potential and that in order to develop as a winner of Grand Tours in stages, he had to lose weight and train hard in the mountains. From that moment on, his training and evolution became the great hope of his directors.
1987: first Tour finished
In 1987 he began to prevail in mountain events, such as the Asturian race Vuelta a los Valles Mineros where he won the race, but not based on his good time trials (although he was second in the prologue time trial) but by winning in other types of stages in which he achieved three victories, which also made him win the regularity classification. During that season he also won the GP Navarra, Vuelta a Galicia and Semana Catalana (in the latter winning the regularity classification). He also stood out in unofficial tests, winning the Subida al Txitxarro (also winning the time trial stage) a stage of the Vuelta a Murcia and being second in the GP Bilbao.
In addition, that year he managed to finish his first Tour de France at just 22 years of age. Of course, he did it very far from the top positions, exactly in 97th place, almost two hours from the final winner: the Irishman Stephen Roche. Lastly, he participated in his first Road Cycling World Championship, which he also managed to finish, but as in the Tour with a discreet performance, finishing in 64th place.
1988: stagnation and doubts
1988 marked a slight stagnation in his progression. Problems with allergies prevented him from performing in the tests at the beginning of the season. In the absence of Pedro Delgado (that year he had returned to Reynolds) who preferred to ride the Giro, he went to the Vuelta España to help his teammate Julián Gorospe, team leader in that tour. He failed to finish the test and at no time he showed himself in the top positions.
However, in the Tour de France he did important work in support of Delgado, who won the race; and he ended the season with victory in the prestigious Volta a Catalunya winning the time trial stage. Other victories were in separate stages of the Vuelta a Cantabria and Vuelta a Galicia (in the latter taking over the regularity classification). At that time he began to be considered an eternal promise, since it was said that he had no chance of standing out in the Grand Tours in stages, due to its irregularity in the mountains.
Confirmation
1989: first stage victory in the Tour
In 1989 he began to dispel doubts by winning the prestigious Paris-Nice, cementing his triumph in the mountains (four second places in stages) and ahead of the Irishman Stephen Roche (two years earlier he had won the first Tour that Miguel finished); Thus obtaining the honor of being the first Spaniard to win this test. The international press began to consider the Navarrese as one of the main promises of the international peloton.Shortly after he took victory in the International Criterium, winning the time trial stage, a priori test more adapted to his characteristics. Finally in the Classics of the Ardennes he was seventh in the Liège-Bastogne-Liège and tenth in the Fleche Wallonne.
The victory in Paris-Nice allowed him to present himself at the start of the Tour of Spain as an important Reynolds rider, even as a theoretical leader ahead of Pedro Delgado whose objective was the Tour de France since he arrived only with intention to prepare the French round, having not obtained any victory before starting the race (unlike Induráin who had already won 3 races), although he finally won that Tour. The Navarrese runner suffered a fall going down the Fitu pass in the mountain stage that ended in Los Lagos de Covadonga, which forced him to abandon (as would happen 7 years later in the same pass), with a double fracture in his left hand. Although he finished the stage, he could not continue due to diagnostic wrist injuries in him, at the time, at the Arriondas Polyclinic (after a strong controversy for not wanting to treat him at first). In the previous stages he did not stand out, without any place among the best although on the day of the crash he was ninth in the general classification, 3 minutes behind Delgado, with options to win the race, or at least get on the podium, since two days after the The stage where he fell had a 47 km time trial that favored him.[citation needed]
He arrived in just the right shape at the start of the Tour, despite this he managed to do an important job in support of Pedro Delgado and managed to win his first stage in the French round, after a long break that ended in Cauterets, where he arrived so exhausted that he barely celebrated his victory. A few days later, he was third in a time trial stage. He finished the race in 17th place, continuing his progression in the general classifications of the Grand Tours.
Other outstanding results, although of a lower level, were obtained in the Bol d'Or de Chaumeil where he was fourth and in the Vuelta a la Comunidad Valenciana and G. P. Navarra where he was fifth.
1990: definitive hatching on the Tour
The 1990 season confirmed him as a cyclist at the highest level in the Banesto team (since the 1989 Tour he was a co-sponsor of the team). He repeated his triumph in Paris-Nice (winning a stage), he won two stages in the Tour of the Valencian Community and the Tour of the Basque Country where he finished third, the same places he obtained in the Tour of Burgos (where he won the regularity classification). and Spanish Road Championship. In addition, he stood out in the most important classics on the international calendar with the victory in the San Sebastián Clásica and the final third place in the Walloon Arrow; and in other minor ones such as the Luis Puig Trophy where he was fifth. In the 1990 Vuelta a España, he managed for the first time to finish in the top ten in a three-week round, finishing seventh.
He went to the Tour as a luxury domestique for Pedro Delgado. In the first long time trial he finished in second position, ahead of all the favorites for the final victory, and for this reason voices began to be heard discussing Delgado's leadership in Banesto. However, in the first mountain stage, Induráin was forced to sacrifice himself in favor of Delgado, losing all his options for the final victory. In the rest of the Tour he proved to be the strongest man in the mountains, with a third place in the time trial at Villard-de-Lans, a second place two days later in another mountain stage and finally managing to beat Greg Lemond in the summit of Luz-Ardiden in the 16th stage. It became clear that in 1991 he had to start as leader at the same level as Delgado, since, according to the chronicles, he lost 12 minutes and 50 seconds in helping his leader, time that would have been enough for him to win the Tour, since he finished in tenth place, 12 minutes and 47 seconds behind the winner. Despite the criticism of the team manager, José Miguel Echavarri defended at all times that his goal on the Tour was to entrust everything to a single leader, who in this case was Delgado, although after seeing the final result he admitted that he would have to reflect. about what happened giving Miguel a leader status for subsequent editions of the gala round.
To end the season, he finished his second World Road Championship, beginning to appear in the top positions and finishing twelfth. In those last months of the year, the doctor Sabino Padilla joined the team, who would be important in his sporting career. Despite being a team doctor, his main mission was to dedicate himself to it because according to director Echavarri "he could do great things", based on Conconi's data. Padilla joined thus to the medical structure of Banesto in which the Valencian José Calabuig Nogués (specialist in cardiology at the Clínica Universidad de Navarra) already worked, who was Miguel's reference doctor and would become known for it.
The glory years
1991: First Tour
The preparation for 1991 was similar to the previous year. He excelled in the classic Liège-Bastogne-Liège where he finished fourth and later won the Tour de Vaucluse (also winning a time trial stage). In the absence of Delgado, who preferred to ride the Giro d'Italia in preparation for the Tour, he appeared at the 1991 Vuelta a España as Banesto's leader and main favorite for final victory. Surprisingly, he was beaten in the time trials by the young and unknown Melchor Mauri, who benefited from the cancellation due to bad weather of the queen stage of the Pyrenees (which ran through Andorra and ended in the unprecedented port of Pla de Beret) and by a scarce path in the mountains. He finished second in the final standings, and the specialized media and fans once again doubted his ability to win the grand tours in stages. Shortly after he won two stages on the Bicicleta Vasca where he finished third in the general classification.
At the start of the Tour de France, José Miguel Echavarri, director of Banesto, reported that Induráin and Delgado started as leaders on an equal footing. In the flat and medium-mountain stages, the Spanish leaders received strong criticism from the press due to his lack of combativeness. Theoretical favorites for the final victory such as Charly Mottet or Greg Lemond distanced themselves in the general classification and both Delgado and Induráin began to be considered downward values by the specialized press. However, Miguel presented his candidacy by beating Lemond in the first long time trial of the Tour, 73 km around the town of Alençon. In the queen stage of the Pyrenees, Delgado could not keep up with the best on the ascent to Tourmalet, falling behind, while the Navarrese rider was part of the small group of favorite riders for the final victory. In the last meters of the ascent, Lemond gave up a few meters, and at that moment Induráin launched into a vertiginous descent, opening a gap with the rest of the candidates. On the flat between the passes he was joined by the Italian Claudio Chiappucci (to whom he gave up the victory), and both began a breakaway, in which they still had to climb the passes of Aspin and Val Louron, sentencing Lemond and leaving Gianni Bugno as the only rival in the general classification, more than three minutes behind. In the following stages, he withstood Bugno's attacks on Alpe d'Huez without difficulty with a style that the French press described as majestic, and he achieved without shocks to become the fourth Spaniard to achieve victory in the French round.
As the culmination of the season, he prepared conscientiously for the World Cup held in Stuttgart, despite the fact that the circuit was not tough enough to make a great selection. He was one of the strongest in the race and resisted all the attacks but could not beat Bugno or Steven Rooks in the sprint, having to settle for the bronze medal.
1992: Giro and Tour double
In 1992 he started the season at a slower pace than the previous ones, because his objectives were focused on the Tour de France, despite this he finished third in the general classification of Paris-Nice. Advised by his director Echavarri, he gave up participating in the Tour of Spain and chose the Giro d'Italia as preparation for the Tour. Shortly before the Italian race, he stood out in the Tour de Romandie, winning a stage against the clock and finishing second in the general classification. In the Giro he took the pink jersey in the second stage and distanced his rivals after winning the Sansepolcro time trial in the fourth. He defended the lead throughout the race after responding with authority to attacks by Chiapucci and Chioccioli in the Dolomites, despite his directors advising him to cede the lead as he had the final time trial in Milan in his favour. It was not like that and with the Giro already in his hands in that final time trial he doubled the second classified who had started 3 minutes before him, Chiappucci, leaving him in the general classification by more than five minutes and also winning the Intergiro classification. In this way, he became the first Spanish rider to win the Giro d'Italia (later, 16 years later, Alberto Contador did it).
Shortly before the Tour de France, where he won the bets of the favorites together with the Italian Bugno, he came fifth in the Subida al Naranco. Already in the French race, after reserving himself during the first week, he marked a milestone in the Luxembourg time trial, leaving the rest of the favorites at a distance of between three and ten minutes after winning the stage; the French press began to name him as "the extraterrestrial". The Tour became an "everyone against Induráin". In the first mountain stage, due to an attack by Chiapucci more than 200 km from the finish line on the way to the Sestriere station, he suffered more than ever, even collapsing, forcing him to exhaust himself to get the yellow jersey. In the Alpe d'Huez stage, he remained close to Chiapucci, making a great ascent and finally achieving victory in the French round without major setbacks. After finishing the Tour, he won a stage of the Castilla y León Trophy, in the general classification of the Volta a Catalunya and at the Circuit de l'Aulne.
In the World Cup in Benidorm, as in the previous one in Stuttgart, he was one of the strongest but again he was harmed by a route that was not too hard for his characteristics, this time being sixth in the sprint of the group of favorites The good performances throughout the season made him proclaim himself the winner of the FICP Ranking classification (from 1993 called the UCI Ranking), a classification of little prestige but which awarded the best runner throughout the season, classification in which was already second a year earlier and fourth in 1990.
1993: second consecutive Giro and Tour double
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In 1993 he had an identical preparation to the previous year. After reserving himself during the spring, winning only one stage in the Vuelta a Murcia and being third in the Vuelta a Valencia (with a second place in one stage), He attended the Giro d'Italia, on a route that did not benefit him due to the few kilometers against the clock. After winning the Senigallia time trial, he put on the leader's jersey and got into the fight for victory. He resisted all the attacks on the mountain, and suffered in the last port of the event, the Oropa Sanctuary, where the Latvian Piotr Ugriúmov attacked him constantly, endangering his pink jersey. He resisted and succeeded in his second Giro, in part, thanks to the differences achieved in the time trials (he also won the time trial stage in Sestriere one day before said Oropa stage). He finished with one of the smallest differences in history with respect to the second (58 seconds with respect to Ugriúmov), in a certain way justifiable for dedicating the Giro as a preparation for the Tour and since he did not reach 100% shape for the Italian round he did not wanting to force as he did in his first win. Later he won two stages and obtained a second place in another stage in the Vuelta a los Valles Mineros, which helped him to obtain the regularity classification for that race.
In the Tour de France he repeated the scheme compared to the previous year. He triumphed in the Lac de Madine time trial and maintained the gap to his greatest rival, Tony Rominger (who had lost a lot of time in the team time trial) in the mountains. The last days of the Tour were spent with a fever and a cold, and was forced to give in to Rominger in the last time trial. Despite this, he asserted the important difference he had made in the first week to emerge victorious for the third consecutive year. first rider in history to achieve two consecutive Giro-Tour doubles. Taking advantage of his great form, he competed in and won the Castilla y León Trophy (winning the time trial of the first stage) and the Vuelta a los Puertos.
At the end of the season he again thoroughly prepared for the World Cup, held this time in Oslo. A young Lance Armstrong surprised the favorites with a long attack and Induráin had to settle for second place, surprisingly winning the sprint against the sprinters Olaf Ludwig and Johan Museeuw respectively, being at that time the second Spaniard to achieve such success after Luciano Montero who did it in 1935. The good performances throughout the season made him proclaim first in the newly released UCI Ranking.
1994: end of the winning streak in the Giro, fourth Tour and new challenges
In 1994, in order to help Miguel in his goals, the team was notably reinforced with new riders like Melcior Mauri, Mikel Zarrabeitia and Jesús Montoya who joined the already veterans Julián Gorospe and Pedro Delgado. Formation that some fans described as "Super-team" with a budget of 2000 million pesetas for the 94-95 seasons.
His preparation for the Giro was affected by tendonitis that manifested itself in the Tour of the Basque Country. Before the Basque race, he managed to win a stage of the Tour of the Valencian Community and won the Tour de l'Oise where he also won a time trial stage. Due to the injury, he arrived at the Giro d'Italia fairer than ever, paying for it with a "bad" ride. performance in the Follonica time trial (being fourth), won by the Russian Yevgeni Berzin. In the queen stage, between Merano and Aprica, he managed to leave Berzin behind at the Col del Mortirolo and join the young Marco Pantani in attacking the leader. However, when the hardest part of the stage had already been climbed, and climbing the last port of the same, classified as second category (the Válico de Santa Cristina), he suffered a birdie and lost his options to win the Giro (he finished in third position), which was finally won by the Russian Berzin. He couldn't even catch up with Pantani (despite the fact that he finished second in the last mountain stage, a 35km time trial) as the Italian was 32 seconds better than the Navarrese in the general classification. It was the first major round that he failed to win since the 1991 Tour and not even a stage since the 1990 Tour, which is why in many specialized media it was considered that he had entered the downhill of his career. Even at the start of the Tour, the bets were on Rominger, second the previous year and who had just won his third consecutive Tour of Spain with great ease. In addition to that defeat in the Giro, in that edition of the Tour the mountain prevailed over against the clock, supposedly harming their interests. After his withdrawal, he downplayed that defeat, blaming that he was not in his best condition and that, as in previous editions, the Giro was not his objective since he used it as preparation for the Tour.
In the Tour de France, he soon silenced doubts, winning the first long time trial with a finish in Bergerac: he exhibited himself once again, sealing the Tour, taking Rominger by two minutes and Chiapucci by more than seven minutes (in addition, he was already second in the time trial prologue). He confirmed the lead two days later in the first mountain stage, with the climb to Hautacam: he attacked through the fog and distanced his closest rivals by more than 5 minutes, only Luc Leblanc held his pace, to whom he gave up the stage victory. The rest of the Tour was limited to attending the fight for second place, with a second and fifth place in various mountain stages and allowing himself the luxury of "only" to be third in the last time trial (in the time trial specialty), which after Rominger abandoned due to illness was achieved by the Latvian Piotr Ugriúmov.
In the last part of the season, he gave up participating in the World Cups in Agrigento (Italy) to try to break the hourly record. After various tests, and debuting an innovative bicycle model, the "sword", he faced the test at the Bordeaux velodrome, where he managed to overcome the mark of Englishman Chris Boardman, despite the fact that his physical characteristics did not They were the most suitable for track exercise. Two months later, the Swiss Tony Rominger broke the record set by the Navarrese cyclist.He also took the opportunity to break the Spanish records of 5, 10 and 20 km.He was finally second in the UCI Ranking.
1995: fifth Tour and deterioration of relations with the team
In 1995, he resigned from participating in the Vuelta as usual, also renouncing the Giro d'Italia, changing his calendar with respect to the two previous years, but always with the aim of reaching the Tour in the best possible shape. In the first races of the season he won a time trial stage in the Vuelta a Aragón, a stage in the Vuelta a los Valles Mineros and the general classification, regularity plus a stage in the Vuelta a la Rioja. His preparation for the Tour included taking part in the Vuelta a Asturias, the Midi Libre and the Dauphiné Libéré, managing to win the last two, also achieving two stage victories in the Asturian race (the first time trial) and another in the Dauphine.
The Tour began with a surprising attack on a mid-mountain stage, with a route more typical of a classic than a stage with a grand tour, on the way to Liège, in which the ONCE team broke the race and Miguel the he took the opportunity to escape and gain a 50-second advantage over his rivals and giving them a significant morale blow. The next day, in the Seraing time trial, he won the stage and became the leader, despite the fact that on this occasion the Dane Bjarne Riis was only 12 seconds behind. In the first mountain stage, with a final climb to La Plagne, he finished off the Tour with an attack that left his closest rivals more than two minutes into the stage. Only the Swiss Alex Zülle came ahead after a break of more than 100 km. The rest of the Tour passed calmly for his interests, without serious attacks by Zülle. After winning again in the final time trial, he won his fifth Tour de France, equaling Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx and Bernard Hinault, although he is the only one to win them consecutively[update] (although he was later matched by Lance Armstrong, his victories were annulled due to doping). After the victory in the Tour, he won the Vuelta a Galicia plus one stage.
At the end of the year, he prepared hard in Colorado to attack a triple objective: the World Time Trial Championship, the World Road Championship and the hour record. He easily won the World Time Trial Championship on a tough circuit between the Colombian municipalities of Tunja and Paipa. In the road test, in the also very tough circuit in the city of Duitama (Boyacá, Colombia), his teammate Abraham Olano achieved victory alone, Miguel getting the silver medal winning the sprint for second place leading the trio pursuer. On the other hand, he was unsuccessful in his attempt to break the hour record: the fatigue accumulated in the concentration at altitude in Colorado, together with the poor conditions of the Bogotá velodrome (where there was wind) forced him to to stop the attempt. The insistence of his directors for him to make a new attempt to break the record in Cali, caused his first differences with the team's leadership. Banesto's doctor, Sabino Padilla, supported him and he disassociated himself from the team, working exclusively for him from then on. Once again he finished at the top of the UCI Ranking, this time being third.
1996: The End
In 1996, he prepared identically to the previous year, renouncing to participate in the Giro d'Italia, competing in preparation for the Tour in the Midi Libre, in the Bicicleta Vasca and in the Dauphiné Libéré, standing out in the last two where he won the general classifications and regularity, in addition to two stages in the Dauphiné Liberé and one in the Basque Bike. Before those preparation races, he already won the general classification and two stages of the Tour of Alentejo and the general classification and a stage the Tour of Asturias.
He appeared in the Tour de France as the top favorite and his rivals seemed the Swiss Alex Zülle, the Frenchman Laurent Jalabert and the Danish Bjarne Riis. Unlike previous editions, the Tour eliminated the first long time trial of the first week, replacing it with a time trial after the first alpine block. During this first week the weather was very bad, with rain and cold that affected him, since his optimal performance was always achieved in the heat. In the first mountain stage, ending in Les Arcs, he suffered a collapse in the last 4 km that put him more than four minutes behind the rest of the favourites. He showed signs of recovery in the other two stages in the Alps but was unsuccessful. scratching time from the other favorites, among which the Danish Riis began to stand out, who a decade later admitted that he had doped. On July 16, in the first Pyrenean stage on the way to Hautacam, he tried to resist Riis's harsh attacks, but ended up paying for the effort, definitely losing his chances of winning the sixth consecutive Tour. Even in the long time trial stage, on the penultimate day, he was beaten by a young German, Jan Ullrich, who would eventually finish 2nd overall behind Riis. Curiously, this same year the Tour paid tribute to him by passing the race in front of his birthplace in Villava, in the stage that ended in Pamplona. He finished in eleventh place and admitted that the cold and rain took their toll, he even reached declare that:
- "Without taking value from what Riis did, more than winning me, I have the feeling that it was me who lost the Tour"
As the culmination of the season, he decided to attend the Olympic Games in Atlanta, where he won the gold medal in the time trial. Despite the season ending, the team's commitments forced him to participate in the Vuelta, where he was forced to abandon the road to the Lakes of Covadonga (Asturias) due to lack of strength on September 19, during the thirteenth stage. Regarding the hour record, during his last Tour, when he was asked the option to beat it again, he refused to try it since according to his words: "I have already done everything in this section, beat it and lose it" he sentenced.
Definitive break with the team and retirement
He publicly showed his dissatisfaction with the team due to the obligations of running certain tests (among others the Vuelta a España in 1996 and the second attempt of the hour record in 1995) for this reason he broke his relations with the directors of Banesto, Echavarri and Unzue. He then doubted whether to retire or try to assault the sixth Tour. There were months of public negotiations with the ONCE team, which did not come to fruition.
He eventually decided to retire from professional cycling. First, letting his family know, then the directors of Banesto (despite having finished his contract with the team) and finally with a public statement in a hotel in Pamplona on January 2, 1997 with these words:
Today, January 2, 1997, I want to publicly announce my withdrawal from professional cycling.
- He then explained the reasons:
This has been a long and deeply thoughtful decision. As is well known, I've needed three months to take it.There has been a lot of talk and speculation about the issue. The truth is that it has been tremendously difficult for me to decide since I am physically well and I think that I could still be in a position to achieve the so desired sixth Tour.
On the other hand, already in the first months of this season the idea began to come to me that with 96 the time had come to leave and dedicate myself to other facets of my life; in fact, so I had planned. I tried to win the Tour with all my strength and I didn't get it, but I won the gold medal in Atlanta, which seemed to me the ideal brooch for my sports career. I ran the Vuelta to Spain and, despite myself, I had to leave because of a viral infection. This fact changed my vision of things. I couldn't say goodbye to a dropout.
In my environment I was encouraged to follow, I had to win the sixth Tour of France.
So things, every passing day it was harder for me to see clearly what the best way to go.
I've been in professional cycling for 12 years, I've run big rounds, small, national championships, the world and even Olympics. In these years I have had great satisfactions for the triumphs achieved but it has also cost me much effort and sacrifice to obtain them. Being at the highest level requires a lot of self and every passing year is harder to get it.
- Miguel, married in 1992 and having a son in December 1995, did not want to forget his family:
I think I've spent enough time on competition cycling and now I want to enjoy this sport as a hobby. In short, and after meditating carefully, I think I have made the best decision for myself and my family. They're waiting for me, too.
- Finally he dedicated a few words to the press, his team and fans in general:
Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere thanks to all the media that with so much interest you have followed my entire sports career, to Banesto for their support and, very especially, to all the fans that follow this sport with so much enthusiasm. Thanks for everything and until soon.
Legacy
Afterword and tributes
In addition to his excellent qualities as a cyclist, he was admired by his teammates and rivals as a great athlete, noted for the diplomacy exercised in the race, allowing many of his rivals to win stages, and his polite treatment with the media. [citation required]
Currently, a sports support foundation in Navarra bears his name, in which Miguel is honorary president. In his hometown of Villava, a square, a sports center (together with his brother Prudencio) and a sculpture have been dedicated to him Likewise, since 1999 the Comunidad Foral de Navarra Trophy bears his name, and given his sporting career, his presence is a claim to promote different cultural events, participate in talks and autograph signings, attend or participate in charity events, and recording commercials, among others (as he already did when he was active but to a lesser extent). Despite being retired, he still continues to receive awards for his sports career.
After withdrawal
Although he does not spend much time appearing in the media, he actively participates in different sporting events, for example, going to various cycling races both as a guest in the race director's car and going directly to the city where the race takes place. He also participates in various decisions of sports bodies being a member of different organizations and award jury.
Despite being a discreet person and oblivious to controversies, not openly expressing his personal opinions, after his retirement he has once given a personal opinion on cycling that could be classified as controversial. Among them, one could mention the criticism of cyclists for standing on circuits that they consider dangerous; the criticism of a ranking of the best in the Tour de France in which he appeared eighth when in his opinion he should be further ahead; the support to the controversial UCI ProTour circuit; the criticism he made of the rider who broke his hegemony in the Tour, Bjarne Riis, for admitting that he drugged eleven years after his triumph; or going against the UCI (of which he is a member) for different decisions, such as the veto that they wanted to impose on Alejandro Valverde in the 2007 World Cup or the exclusion of Michael Rasmussen from the 2007 Tour.
Doping accusations
False positive for salbutamol
In 1994, the news of a possible positive for salbutamol during the Tour de l'Oise was published. When the news broke, the Banesto doctors claimed that they had already notified the use of salbutamol for therapeutic use before the start of the race. On the other hand, the UCI did not consider this substance as a doping agent. As a consequence, Induráin was acquitted for lack of evidence, since it could not be shown that he could have used salbutamol to improve his performance.
Accusations against the Banesto team
In the year 2000, the Banesto team was accused of doping organized by his former teammate Thomas Davy when he testified as a witness in the Festina Case. Induráin denied such accusations.
In 2013 Sandro Donati, advisor to the World Anti-Doping Agency, claimed to have evidence that the Banesto team requested the services of the doctor Francesco Conconi, one of the pioneers in the treatment of cyclists with EPO, in exchange for large sums of money. Erwin Nijboer confirmed the contracting of doctor services by Banesto, but assured that the relationship with the team was limited to the use of the Conconi Test, despite the fact that Donati considers that the amounts of money handled they can hardly be justified as paying cyclists for testing.
Power developed
In 2013 Antoine Vayer published the book La Preuve par 21 in which he reviews the winners of the Tour de France in the last 30 years. It states that the power developed by Induráin reached an average of 455 watts, thus surpassing other winners of that race such as Bjarne Riis (449 W), Marco Pantani (446 W), Alberto Contador (439 W), Jan Ullrich (441 W) or Lance Armstrong (438 W). On the occasion of the publication of his book, he gave an interview in which he maintains that, in view of these figures, Sabino Padilla was a much better doctor than Michele Ferrari, and it sows doubts about the marathon runner Martín Fiz, also a client of Padilla.
Honours of Prizes
1983
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
1992
| 1993
1994
1995
1996
|
Results
During his racing career he achieved the following places in Grand Tours, minor tours and one-day races:
Grand Tours
| Race | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Giro de Italia | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.o | 1.o | 3.o | - | - | |
| Tour de France | - | Ab. | Ab. | 97. or | 47. | 17. | 10. | 1.o | 1.o | 1.o | 1.o | 1.o | 11. | |
| Return to Spain | - | 84.o | 92.o | Ab. | Ab. | Ab. | 7. | 2. | - | - | - | - | Ab. | |
Minor turns
| Race | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris-Niza | - | - | - | - | 42. | 1.o | 1.o | - | 3.o | - | 35. | - | - | |
| Tyrrhenian-Adriatic | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 43. | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Volta to Catalonia | - | - | - | - | 1.o | - | - | 1.o | 1.o | 4.o | - | - | - | |
| Return to the Basque Country | - | - | 22. | - | - | - | 3.o | - | - | 54. | - | - | - | |
| Tour de Romandía | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2. | 15. | 35. | - | - | |
| Critérium of Dauphiné | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 1.o | 1.o | |
| Return to Switzerland | - | - | - | - | - | 10. | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Classics, Championships and JJ. oh.
| Race | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Milan-San Remo | - | - | - | - | - | 43. | - | 124.o | 167.o | 123.o | 31.o | 132.o | 115.o | |
| Amstel Gold Race | - | - | - | - | - | - | 19. | - | - | 72.o | - | 31.o | 26.o | |
| Flecha Valona | - | - | - | - | 40. | 7. | 4.o | 17. | - | - | - | - | - | |
| Liège-Bastoña-Lieja | - | - | - | - | - | 10. | 12. | 4.o | - | 51.o | - | - | - | |
| Classic San Sebastian | - | - | - | 28.o | 6.o | 36. | 1.o | 14.o | - | - | 41. | 9. | 12. | |
 JJ.OO. (Ruta)
| Ab. | No. | - | No disputing | - | No disputing | 26.o | |||||||
| JJOO. (CRI)
| X | X | X | 1.o | ||||||||||
 World on Route
| - | - | - | 64.o | Ab. | Ab. | 12. | 3.o | 6.o | 2. | - | 2. | - | |
| World CRI
| X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | - | 1.o | - | |
 Spain on Route
| - | - | - | - | - | - | 3.o | - | 1.o | 2. | - | - | - | |
—: Does not participate
Ab.: Abandon
X: Uncelebrated editions
Teams
Reynolds/Banesto (1984-1996)
- Reynolds (1984-1986)
- Reynolds-Seur (1987)
- Reynolds (1988-1989) (until June)
- Reynolds-Banesto (1989)
- Banesto (1990-1993) (until April)
- Banesto-Xacobeo (1993)
- Banesto (1994-1996)
Awards and recognitions
- Gold Mendrisio 1992
- Gold Bike 1992 and 1993; and (2) in 1994 and 1995; (first to receive this award)
- 1993 (United Press International); (only cyclist to receive this award)
- Gold Medal and Bright Royal Spanish Cycling Federation in 1997
IOC Silver Olympic Order in 1995- Olympic Order of the Spanish Olympic Committee in 1997
- Gold Medal to the Sports Merit of Navarre
- Marca Leyenda 1997
- Best Spanish sportsman of the centuryXX. (The Sports World)
- Universal Spanish Prize 2002
- He was appointed as one of the most outstanding cyclists in history when he was elected in 2002 to be part of the Inaugural Session of the ICU Hall of Fame.
Decorations
| Distinction | Year |
|---|---|
 Grand Cross of the Royal Order of Sports Merit
| 1993 |
_GC.svg){kind=small} Grand Cross of the Order of Civil Merit
| 1995 |
 Knight of the Legion of Honour of the French Republic
| 1993 |
| Giving | Year |
 National Sports Award«Best Spanish Sportsman of the Year» | 1992, 1995 |
 Prince of Asturias Sports Award
| 1992 |
| Predecessor: Serguéi Bubka  Ukraine | 6.o Prince of Asturias Sports Award 1992 | Successor: Javier Sotomayor  Cuba |
Institutional positions
Miguel Induráin holds the following positions in organizations:
- Member of the Jury of the Prince of Asturias Awards
- Member of the Spanish Olympic Committee (C.O.E.)
- Honorary President of the Miguel Induráin Foundation (foundation promoted by the Foral Government of Navarra whose objective is to optimize the preparation of the Navarre athletes of high performance)
- Member of the Professional Cycling Council (International Cycling Union)
- Member of the Laureus Prize Jury
In addition, it was also:
- Member of the ICU ProTour Council (International Cycling Union)
Video library
- Television broadcasts
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