Tour de France tumble probe

Press, 15 July 1985, Page 44

Tour de France tumble probe

NZPA-AFP Saint Etienne, France Officials of Bernard Hinault’s La Vie Claire team were yesterday investigating allegations that Australia’s Phil Anderson was responsible for the over-all leader’s bad fall near the end of yesterday’s fourteenth stage of the Tour de France. The four times winner, Hinault, fractured his nose in the tumble. Doctors said he would have breathing difficulties, though they said he was fit to carry on. Anderson and Hinault were among several riders unseated in a tangle about 300 metres from the finish of the 179 km stage, won by Luis Herrera, of Colombia. Anderson strained his right shoulder and collected bruises on various parts of his body, but Hinault had greater injuries, needing two stitches to a scalp wound, and two to a cut at the base of his nose, as well as suffering the bone fracture.

The Frenchman’s trainer, Mr Paul Koechli, said he had heard several versions of what happened, including a report by veteran Dutch rider Joop Zoetemelk that Anderson, sixth in the overall standings, had jostled Hinault. “I would like to know the truth. We have already had to put up with enough dirty tricks on this tour,” Koechli said.

Anderson said, “I’m sure I did nothing wrong. I found myself on the ground without the slightest idea of what was going on.” He said he had pains in the right shoulder, left calf and right side, but hoped they would not detract from his performance in the remaining stages. Anderson and Hinault were both well down the field by the time they crossed the finishing line, but they were credited with a similar time to others in their bunch, under a rule covering falls less than Ikm from the finish.

The day was doubly unsatisfactory for Anderson, since he lost more than one and a half minutes on American Greg Lemond, who is poised to take over the leader’s yellow jersey from Hinault if the Frenchman has to pull out.