I was a big fan of JF Bernard, one of the best in France's long list of nearly men. I remember a good IHT article on him.issoisso said:Jean-François Bernard was considered possibly the next Hinault and was expected to take his mantle ... He never fully recovered from the severe back and knee injuries and was a domestique for the rest of his career.
I loved the Belga Sport episode on that.L'arriviste said:Great thread.
For me, the finish of the 1988 Worlds springs to mind. It looked like cheating but it probably wasn't. A lot of people thought - at least at first - that Bauer had run Criquielon into the barrier deliberately. But then you only had to watch the way Bauer's whole thang collapsed to let Fondriest almost freewheel past to realise it was probably unintentional. It could have been a Hand of God moment but instead it was actually more like a 'I did not have sexual relations with that woman' moment.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ze97yO8JpP8
From Roche himself back at this time:issoisso said:That's a side of the story I've never heard. Like I said, there's a lot more to it![]()
OK Thank you. Strange story again.ak-zaaf said:Kneet couldn't possibly win a sprint with Moser (thats what everybody thought, but as Tim Krabbe wrote: Kneet was pretty good in a sprint-a-deux), so Moser chose the safe options and offered Kneet money.
According to Moser he agreed, according to Knetemann he just mumbled something and kept riding.
So what? It doesn't change the fact that it was banned and the rule ought to be observed. It gave him a huge advantage towards ALL his opponents. That was cheating.Nick777 said:I thought Fignon was offered the tri bars as well & declined?
Roche has his side, Visentini surely has another. We'll never be there to know what happenedDigger said:From Roche himself back at this time:
"Officially, the position in the team before the Giro was that Roberto and I were joint leaders. I would support him if he had the jersey and vice versa. Prior to the race Roberto had given me no help and had done nothing himself. He was saying I was more interested in the Tour de France. When I led the race in the first week he did not help me and continually stayed on my wheel. I knew where I stood. When Visentini took the lead, the team said I would work for Roberto and he would help me in France. But i knew he had booked his hols for July. On the night Roberto took the lead, Eddy Schepers my teammate told me I could not accept defeat. Patrick Valke my mechanic told me the same. Schepers was told on the final climb to help Visentini, but refused." Roche attacked all day, with his own team chasing him down, so was defo the stronger man. He also dealt with the Tifosi spitting on him, and only for Robert Millar and Schepers, he would've been forced to drop out.
Yes, he wasn't a threat. That's why he finished the Tour 2 minutes down despite losing over 5 minutes on "that day" and never going on breaks or otherwise winning time in any way but direct confrontation.. Clearly he wasn't a threat.Digger said:About JFB: "It was said he was unlucky in this year's tour, getting a puncture and having a problem with a chain. But I think it is stupid to see the Tour this way. I could say that Bernard was five mins down at the summit of Aubisque on the second Pyrenean stage and if he was considered a real threat, he would never have got back.
There weren't many riders who wanted to ride for Bernard Tapie at the end of the season. Quite different. Jean-François Bernard himself had a lot of friends in the peloton and was very well respected.Digger said:He should stop criticising others and pay attention to the fact that there are not many riders who wanted to ride for him at the end of the season.
I have the 1987 Tour highlights right here. I watched them the other day. As with a lot of things Roche says, that's completely made up. Bernard was behind the pack when the attack came and rejoined only at the bridge.Digger said:About the specific incident with JFB: "It was clear he had made enormous efforts on the Ventoux TT and he would be vulnerable the next day. I was pleased to hear that System U with Mottet and Fignon were going to attack him. I was made aware of the plan and made myself part of it. Bernard had rejoined the peleton after a puncture, when the attack came, but was badly placed."
The guy could ride, Rober Millar and Stephen Roche got me into cycling but Jeff Bernard was a another rider i looked out for, and could be a scary performer when he put his mind to it.L'arriviste said:I was a big fan of JF Bernard, one of the best in France's long list of nearly men. I remember a good IHT article on him.