# Hinault badgers everyone



## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

Hinault goes off on the French, Armstrong, LeMond, etc.

http://www.velonews.com/article/92900/hinault-blasts--well-everyone


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## bigpinkt (Jul 20, 2006)

FondriestFan said:


> Hinault goes off on the French, Armstrong, LeMond, etc.
> 
> http://www.velonews.com/article/92900/hinault-blasts--well-everyone


:thumbsup: 

The badger is a classic. Telling it like it is.


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## moonmoth (Nov 8, 2008)

FondriestFan said:


> Hinault goes off on the French, Armstrong, LeMond, etc.


Isn't Hinault officially part of the Tour in some capacity? He's at the podium after every stage, shaking hands. If he is, isn't it out of place for him to declare who he wants to participate and win, Contador in this case?

I'm all for him shoving people off the podium but Hinault is a disgruntled crank.


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## bigpinkt (Jul 20, 2006)

moonmoth said:


> Isn't Hinault officially part of the Tour in some capacity? He's at the podium after every stage, shaking hands. If he is, isn't it out of place for him to declare who he wants to participate and win, Contador in this case?
> 
> I'm all for him shoving people off the podium but Hinault is a disgruntled crank.


Hinault has earned the right to be a crank. He was a complete rider who won in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Classic hard man. 

He is spot on about radios. He is also correct about the question if the Tour is too hard. It is a hard sport, if it is too hard just ride slower or go work in the factory. He has good point about the French riders. Since 1999 they have competed under a different set of rules then the rest of the peloton, resulting in many of them being overpaid in relation to their results. As for Contador, he is allowed to have an opinion, one shared by many Europeans.

The Velonews article leaves out some of what was in the Le Parisien interview. He said he hangs out a bunch with Merckx, He said that most of the team managers have no tactical knowledge, his Lemond comments were given with a laugh. He also said that the riders litter too much, he called them "a pack of pigs"


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## cpark (Oct 13, 2004)

I have to agree with bigpinkt.
I always thought he had a colorful personality when I used to watch the tour in the early 80's.
It seems like it hasn't changed...


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

Would like to read the whole interveiw (in English) - certainly keeps your attention.


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## waldo425 (Sep 22, 2008)

I love the picture of him that they used.


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## moonmoth (Nov 8, 2008)

bigpinkt said:


> Hinault has earned the right to be a crank. He was a complete rider who won in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Classic hard man.


I don't disagree and since he lives in a free country, he can say what he wants. I agree with him about radios, tour toughness, and the French riders. But as a Tour employee and representative, don't you think he needs to demonstrate some impartiality and not show favorites? Seems strange to me.


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## rook (Apr 5, 2009)

FondriestFan said:


> Hinault goes off on the French, Armstrong, LeMond, etc.
> 
> http://www.velonews.com/article/92900/hinault-blasts--well-everyone




Haha! I don't agree with everything that Hinault says, but I am glad he says it like he sees it. He says what he means and means what he says. None of this ass-kissing business from the badger.

:thumbsup:


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

At first, he came off as a bitter old man who is a used-to-be

And the more I thought about it, the more I realize that he didn't say anything that wasn't true. Hmph.


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## ultimobici (Jul 16, 2005)

The link in French.

Has a pop at the FFC too!


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## Chase15.5 (Feb 17, 2005)

He's just trying to get everyone stirred up prior to the tour. It's all marketing.


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## Gnarly 928 (Nov 19, 2005)

He comes across as a Frenchman. Hey, he IS a Frenchman....The French have their own style...Texans, too. Sheesh..Fun to read, though..


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## Coolhand (Jul 28, 2002)

Lemond comment seemed rather pointed actually:



> On Greg LeMond: “He was a good racer, but not an attacker. He was unable to make tactics by himself. In 1986, I kept my promise to help him win the Tour. Me? I just wanted to have fun!”


Heh.


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## orange_julius (Jan 24, 2003)

bigpinkt said:


> Hinault has earned the right to be a crank. He was a complete rider who won in the Spring, Summer, and Fall. Classic hard man.
> 
> He is spot on about radios. He is also correct about the question if the Tour is too hard. It is a hard sport, if it is too hard just ride slower or go work in the factory. He has good point about the French riders. Since 1999 they have competed under a different set of rules then the rest of the peloton, resulting in many of them being overpaid in relation to their results. As for Contador, he is allowed to have an opinion, one shared by many Europeans.
> 
> The Velonews article leaves out some of what was in the Le Parisien interview. He said he hangs out a bunch with Merckx, He said that most of the team managers have no tactical knowledge, his Lemond comments were given with a laugh. He also said that the riders litter too much, he called them "a pack of pigs"


Yes, the Velonews "selective translation" left out quite a bit of the tone from the Le Parisien interview. 

I agree very much with what he said about team managers' questionable tactical and strategic acumen, and also with race radios killing a lot of the enthusiasm in the sport. I think that one of the following two needs to happen:

1. Reduce the number of teams per rider, if you want to continue to 
allow two-way radio communication between riders and DS'es. This
will reduce the "power" of the teams in controlling races, and thus will
encourage more tactical racing. The teams won't allow 30-40 min
breakaways anymore, if they only have say 4-5 riders in a grand tour. 

2. Allow only limited radio use: one way from riders to team cars so that
they can relay some information of where they are and if they have a
mechanical, two way between team cars and officials for officiating
matters, and two way from officials to riders to warn of race situations
such as crashes, etc. 

With limited radio use, it addresses the complain that eliminating radios make the race more dangerous. 

For once, the FFC has it right: the Coupe de France and smaller races are much more exciting since they eliminated the use of race radios.


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## JohnHemlock (Jul 15, 2006)

Got a laugh reading Graham Watson's "Tour de France Travel Guide."

On Hinault: "The man is as arrogant, as contemptuous, and as aloof as he was thirty years ago."

But he also writes several admiring paragraphs about how the guy was able to flat wreck his competition.


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## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

Hinault and Armstrong are both Type-A in-your-face personalities that dominated the headlines as well as the races.

My disdain for Armstrong aside, I think his personality contributed to his success. It's that extra fire that quiet racers like Leipheimer and Evans lack.

I think Chase is right though. This is marketing. I would bet Hinault put in a call to Armstrong before these comments.


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## bigpinkt (Jul 20, 2006)

FondriestFan said:


> I think Chase is right though. This is marketing. I would bet Hinault put in a call to Armstrong before these comments.


Not sure if the call was made. So far Armstrong has told the million people that follow his Twitter that The Badger is "A Wanker" and the Hog said he is "A drunk"


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## FondriestFan (May 19, 2005)

bigpinkt said:


> Not sure if the call was made. So far Armstrong has told the million people that follow his Twitter that The Badger is "A Wanker" and the Hog said he is "A drunk"


LOL. Maybe I'm wrong about the call then.  

I look forward to the battles between the Hog and the Badger. If their relative palmares are any indication, it's not much of a battle though.


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## bigmig19 (Jun 27, 2008)

Amazing you can be a giant, lying a-hole but as long as you win races you are just "colorful". Lets see, any other sport on earth would excommunicate you for essentially ASKING another competitor to let you win. Lemond was better, an Hinault couldnt hang. What a freakin coward to now disrepect Lemond. Bitter, bitter coward. NOW he is going off on Lance...just now! What a joke of a human being. This midget should just shut his yap before someone punches him.


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## rook (Apr 5, 2009)

bigmig19 said:


> Amazing you can be a giant, lying a-hole but as long as you win races you are just "colorful". Lets see, any other sport on earth would excommunicate you for essentially ASKING another competitor to let you win. Lemond was better, an Hinault couldnt hang. What a freakin coward to now disrepect Lemond. Bitter, bitter coward. NOW he is going off on Lance...just now! What a joke of a human being. This midget should just shut his yap before someone punches him.



That's just the way Hinault is. Lemond was more conservatitive a rider compared to Hinault. Hinault gambled on attacks sometimes and he paid for it. People remember the Hinault that destroyed the peloton in his heyday, but he didn't fare so well in some other races early on in his career. He has said in the French Press that Lemond was more naturally gifted and far more talented than he ever was, but it was Lemond's diet and early season work ethic that limited him. So, I don't think Hinault is really a ******** in the way that Armstrong is a ********.


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## lookrider (Dec 3, 2006)

http://nyvelocity.com/content/2009/tturns139jpg-0


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## bigmig19 (Jun 27, 2008)

I disagree that Hinault is the same as Armstrong. LA is a tough nut but doesnt run off at the mouth disrepecting every rider that is better than him. I dont see LA saying eddy mercx is a punk! When he has, it has been in response to others attacks. Hinault is just a loud mouth and a disrespectful 4 time tour winner.


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## mohair_chair (Oct 3, 2002)

bigmig19 said:


> Hinault is just a loud mouth and a disrespectful 4 time tour winner.


Hinault may be many things, but don't short him a win. He is a 5-time tour winner.


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## SlowMo (Apr 18, 2006)

Everyone has an opinion on the pro's; but I have to think that Mr. Hinault has earned the right to speak openly with his. _Me, not so much; as I hereby denounce any opportunity to ever win a grand tour....only in my mind._

You can always compare the here to yesteryear - he might feel a bit disgruntled that the financing back then is nothing like it is today? (even though that wasn't mentioned) I'm fairly confident it wasn't near as popular to the masses as it is today. Maybe if he'd had a radio he would have won more races back then, or maybe he'd have lost more due to team tactics, etc. The same can be said with any sport now adays - football QB's get an ear piece, stock car racers get communication to know where everyone's at on the track, etc. I agree with one of the other posters; limiting (down) the number of riders per team would make things a bit more interesting; but in the end, they still have to pedal; albeit maybe not as hard at times depending on whose in the break, etc. 

I like Hinault for some reason. He's earned my respect and I've never so much as seen him in a race video, highlights, nothing. Wasn't he on his way to winning a possible 6th tour and got whopped in the stomach by a spectator? I'm a big LA fan; but I'm quite surprised that didn't happen to him at any of the tours.


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## DannyBoy (Feb 19, 2004)

Hinault is the man. I don't think you can compare LA to him as in the Indurain and LA era it's just about the tour, not the whole calendar.

Me Love the Badger.


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## OnTheRivet (Sep 3, 2004)

All I have to say is 1980 Liege-Bastogne-Liege.


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## pdh777 (Oct 7, 2005)

HInault was not hit in the stomach by a "fan" - that was Eddy in the mid 70's and it did cost him a tour win.

Hinault was without a doubt, a great rider - however, regardless of what he says in the article, I beleive he would've stole the 86 tour from LeMond if he had the legs, of course Greg's were better. 

Flipping this around, I wish LeMond would've stole the 85 tour from HInault - he coud've but restrained himself for a return favor in 86.


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## rook (Apr 5, 2009)

bigmig19 said:


> I disagree that Hinault is the same as Armstrong. LA is a tough nut but doesnt run off at the mouth disrepecting every rider that is better than him. I dont see LA saying eddy mercx is a punk! When he has, it has been in response to others attacks. Hinault is just a loud mouth and a disrespectful 4 time tour winner.



totally disagree with that statement.


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## jerrymander (Jun 11, 2009)

What did Hinault have to say about Phil Liggett??


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## saird (Aug 19, 2008)

Miserable *old* ****.


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## atpjunkie (Mar 23, 2002)

*amen*



OnTheRivet said:


> All I have to say is 1980 Liege-Bastogne-Liege.


as classic a ride as Merckx's 69 Ronde

2 races that cemented their status

IMHO probably #1 Merckx and #2 Hinault. Coppi may have been there but the war and Malaria reduced his career and palmares

Only others in their category are the 2 Riks


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