
Shimano ad for Greg LeMond, 1986 Velo-news
Battered by wind and torrid heat, much of this stage from Carcassonne to Nimes was spent riding in echelons.
After two dramatic days in the Pyrenees that saw a big shake up in the overall standings, today’s stage traveled 154 km across the south of France into the foothills of the Alps.
Was it his failure to mount disk wheels, the accumulated fatigue from riding 1,000km at the front of the bunch, or simply “un jour sans,” as a French report has suggested?
After a 100km breakaway in the company of Frenchman Joel Pelier, Dutchman Johan Van der Velde won the sprint at this seaside resort and as a plus took the yellow jersey.
“La Tournée des Accidents” or “The Tour of Crashes” headlined one regional newspaper after this long but flat transitional stage.