Beating the Badger

On Itv4 now story of lemond vs hinault in 1986.

What’s lemond done to himself since? he’s being interviewed with some kind of brace on him that looks to be for his back or something.

Slaying the Badger innit. ‘Beating’ the badger makes it sound like **** a badger off 😀

😆 😳

LeMond was recovering from writing off his Jag at the time of filming.

Ah ha. This was probably one of the first tours I followed as a kid so nice to revisit.

Pass me my road bike I feel inspired! Brilliant story and documentary.

Hinault was a force of nature.

I quite like Lemond but I’d rather the documentary was all about Hinault’s career.

Really enjoyed that 🙂

Great programme! Hinault still looks like someone not to be messed with 🙂

I’m still raw at lemond winning by 8 seconds. Fignon did all the work that year.
He was robbed.

Fantastic programme. Really liked how it was shot, editted, interviews, etc.

I really didn’t like LeMond because of his attacks on Lance. How bloody naive I was at the time.

Looking back- if it wasn’t for the shooting accident- 5 tour wins for Lemond?

Also Hinault- what was he on? Wild-eyed etc. Amphetamines?!

Phet was tested for regularly then. I think Hinault was just mental.

I’m still raw at lemond winning by 8 seconds. Fignon did all the work that year.
He was robbed.

Is was the pony tail that did it.

🙄

Great documentary, fantastic story. Hinault came out of it better than I expected. Love the no nonsense back then, arguments on camera, the interview after the Alpe. Brilliant.

As for Fignon/Lemond, there was never more than a minute between them so to say Fignon was robbed is overstating it somewhat.

I think Hinault was just mental.

That drop into the trees headfirst with no helmet!

Hinault was proper mental. Is the Alpe interview the one where’s he’s just been attacking Lemond all day then is sitting drinking a beer during the interview?

What’s lemond done to himself since? he’s being interviewed with some kind of brace on him that looks to be for his back or something.

they spent the first 5 minutes of the doc explaining it (car crash).

Hinault came out of it better than I expected

As a complete arse is better than what?! And his DS’s attempts to re-write history were toe-curling.

Always been a fan of GL since the 8 second victory, he and kathy look almost too good to be true together and (as I’ve said in other threads) I’ll never buy a Trek product because of the way they reacted to him questioning the LA story.

If LA had never existed I can imagine GL having been almost as iconic -an American multiple Tour winner coming back from live-threatening adversity…

Glad he’s finally getting a second chance to live off his glory, and doesnt appear to bitter that most the cycling world treated him as a pariah for the last 20 years. Just wish I could afford a Lemond bike!

In that he didn’t make any excuses.

Glad he’s finally getting a second chance to live off his glory, and doesnt appear to bitter that most the cycling world treated him as a pariah for the last 20 years

+1 to that, watching the Armstrong Lie was an eye opener as to just how bad he was treated. A thoroughly decent man.

I think Hinault was just mental.

The bloke is just a monster, and would’ve been no matter what profession he took up. I seem to recall reading his book years ago and he could’ve been a rugby player or boxer instead, anything he put his mind to he succeeded at through sheer aggression. His victories at Roubaix and in L-B-L attest to that.

The interview where Hinault had already promised to support Lemond and then said something different to the interviewer- Lemonds face next to him was a right picture!! I think Lemond would have taken his head off!

The old DS was hilarious, talking complete nonsense while being a fantastic mashup of John Makovic’s character in Red and Gru from Despicable Me

I think Lemond would have got his little skinny arse handed to him any day of the week by Hinault!

The other thing I took from that film (it’s been available for free on youtoob for a month or so now you know) was how seriously cool Andy Hampsten was and still is!

Lots of French back stabbing for Lemond
Wonder if that’s what could have happened on the 2012 tour if frome had been let loose.

By a curious coincidence, just as the film was starting on ITV4, I was chasing a badger through the woods below Blacka. The badger won.

Saw the film at the cinema and thought it was fantastic – Hinault stole the show !

I remember watching lemonds pro career in decline as a kid. People thought he was ill, the only explanation for him apparently going backwards. Crazy that now we see he was actually standing still while all around him were dopping to get past him.

People thought he was ill, the only explanation for him apparently going backwards.

Miguel Indurain and doping…with his range topping power output…

http://www.cyclingnews.com/news/vayer-casts-doubt-over-performances-of-indurain-and-jalabert

Doping.

Hinault’s career was just coming to an end just as I was starting to watch cycling as a kid so never really got to see him race properly. The more I get to know about him though the more I like him 🙂

think Lemond would have got his little skinny arse handed to him any day of the week by Hinault!

Apart from the times when he didn’t, obviously 😉

Kochli really was a grade 1 arse ‘a team with no leaders’ they still can’t tell the truth after all these years… I do think that Lemond was too trusting as he’d seen the behaviour in 85, I wouldn’t have waited on Alpe D’Huez.

I like Hinault though, always an entertaining racer prepared to take risks and brutalise the opposition, which is something we don’t really see anymore in GTs – the irony about epo was that it made the racing predictable and boring (indurain wasn’t fun to watch and frankly neither was Pharmstrong)

shame that they didn’t get to talk to Tapie, that would have been interesting 🙂

Apart from the times when he didn’t, obviously

What, in a fist fight? I was posting in response to hora saying that Lemond wanted to smack Hinault….

The video of ^ shows Hinault just riding straight into the protesters at full chat before piling in. No-nonsense, that fella!

By the way, anyone know how best to get the rest of the ESPN 30 for 30 series on demand? Not on UK iTunes or Amazon. Anyone know if it’s on UK netflix?

And here’s Hinault dealing with a protester on the podium of the TdF. He’s not a bloke to be trifled with !

From the title I thought this would involve a track pump, tubeless tyres and explosions, really disappointed 😉

The best thing about Tom B’s picture is Seve Ballesteros trying to calm everyone down.

One of the photoshop wizards must be able to photoshop Hinault aiming that punch at ‘badger’ of tubless fame! Pretty pretty please! 😀

I love that photo of Hinault. The best bit is Anderson thinking this guy is going to get f**ked up!

Bump, cmon Jamie. Mrs Toast, Binner etc lets see a photo of Hinault twatting badger!