Bernard Hinault

Of course, it was an American who later went on to win that Tour, as Greg LeMond battled with his own La Vie Claire teammate, Bernard Hinault, for much of the ensuing three weeks.

Still rollin’: A conversation with Raul Alcala 2011

That race, fought out between Bernard Hinault and Joop Zoetemelk, was a classic, but 2011 has a different complexion even before it has begun.

Tour de France 2011: Alberto Contador's rocky mountain way 2011

France hasn't had a Tour winner since Bernard Hinault in 1985, the argument goes.

The Sound of Frenchmen Gloating John W. Miller 2011

What sets Contador apart from Armstrong and every other cyclist since Frechman Bernard Hinault in the 1980s is that he's also figured out how to win the sport's other two most-prestigious Grand Tour stage races.

Contador's Inconvenient Talent Reed Albergotti 2011

The Alpe d'Huez and the Stelvio are among the familiar names, but the authors also draw our attention to La Redoute, where Bernard Hinault permanently lost the feeling in two fingers in sub-zero conditions during the 1980 Liège-Bastogne-Liège classic, and the Croce d'Aune, the pass in the Dolomites where a mishap in 1927 inspired Tullio Campagnolo to invent the quick-release wheel, a boon to every subsequent rider.

Roman Abramovich still playing his poker hand inside Court 26 | Richard Williams 2011

Five-time Tour champ Bernard Hinault told Le Parisien, I hope he will not be at the Tour.

The Armstrong comeback: Was it worth it? 2011

That race, fought out between Bernard Hinault and Joop Zoetemelk, was a classic, but 2011 has a different complexion even before it has begun.

Tour de France 2011: Alberto Contador's rocky mountain way 2011

Bernard Hinault and Greg LeMond are climbing the 21 hairpins of Alpe d'Huez.

Photo-Op: Kings of France 2011

Compatriot Bernard Hinault, a five-time Tour winner, said he was “deeply moved” by the death of his former teammate Fignon.

Racers, French leaders pay tribute to Laurent Fignon 2010

But in the Pyrenees this week, Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck look set to produce a duel that ranks with some of the other great head-to-heads in Tour history: Raymond Poulidor v Jacques Anquetil in 1964; Bernard Hinault and Joop Zoetemelk in 1979; Stephen Roche and Pedro Delgado in 1987, or perhaps Jan Ullrich and Marco Pantani in 1998.

Tour de France 2010: Contador and Schleck set for a duel for the ages 2010