Cyclists to Know----Miguel Indurain

The Tour de France is the most important race in the bike race, And the Spanish cyclist Miguel Indurain is the greatest driver of the Tour de France in a hundred years. He is the only one who won the Tour in five consecutive times.(1991-1995).

Early Life

On July 16, 1964, Antalan was born in the Navarra region of Spain, where was once the territory of France. Indurain‘’s parents were authentic farmers.If there hadn’t been a coincidence in his childhood, Indurain would have been an ordinary farmer, just like his parents. One day, His parents gave Indurain a broken bike, letting him go to get a thing from another farm far away from their farm.This thing brought Indurain a special interest in biking. In 1978, with the support of the Spanish federal government, Indurain became an amateur cyclist and became the Spanish champion.

Career


Miguel Indurain
In 1984, he participated in the Los Angeles Olympic Games and became a professional.
Indurain participated in the Tour de France twice in 1985 and 1986 but he failed halfway.in the next four years, he kept trying and his ranking was increased gradually.In 1987, he participated in the Tour de France with the Barneside team and ranked 80th and rose to 42nd in 1989.Indurain earned his earliest fame in Vuelta a Espana in 1985 for being the youngest racist.
In 1989, Indurain joined the Barnesi team, since then, he always wore the unique cap in the Tour de France, which had become one of his symbols.Even though Indurain won the Tour de France five consecutive times, the way to success was not smooth at all.In the 1993 Tour de France, he got a high fever. The situation got worse in 1994, he was tested positive and wasn’t allowed to participate the Tour until it’s proved that he had used the spray for curing asthma.In the same year, he set a world hour record of 53.040 kilometers (32.958 mi), beating Graeme Obree.In 1996, he won the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré and he aimed for the sixth Tour victory but failed due to his bronchitis in a cold and wet week.And he retired in 1997, saying: “My family are waiting.” and he still has a close connection with cycling by serving on the Professional Cycling Council and the Spanish Olympic Committee.

Riding Style
Indurain is 188cm and 80kg. As an ordinary person, he has a good shape, but as a cyclist, he is some kind of a giant because his weight may affect his speed and endurance, in which case, his team was not optimistic toward his potential. However, as a cycling giant, his heartbeat is 28 times per minute( ordinary people 70-80 times) and his heartbeat can reach 150 times. Besides, his vital capacity is super large and his blood lactic acid composition is very low, which means that he is not easy to feel tired, making him a great cyclist.
On the other hand, Indurain is good at defensive tactics.his basic strategy for winning the tour was simple----win the time trials and then try to hold on and maintain that position in the mountain stages.He got a nickname “robot” and was famous for his cool head and his precise calculation.

Prizes and Comments

Indurain’s career had lasted for 12 years, and during that time, he won a lot of prizes, including Tour de l'Avenir, Giro d’Itallia, Tour de France and UCI Road World Championships.Even though he was so great, Indurain didn’t want to compare with other Tour champions and he said he never felt superior to anyone. In other people’s words, Indurain was modest and quiet.A teammate of his, Jean-Francois Bernard said: "When he comes down for his meal, you don't even hear him move his chair."
Philippe Brunel in L'Équipe called him "humble and sublime, taciturn some days. But who was this robotic athlete who, in his streamlined helmet and his Plexiglass visor, dominated [domestiquait] the time-trials like no one before him except perhaps Jacques Anquetil?"
And the magazine Cycling Weekly wrote: "He seems to do everything very slowly, as though he is trying to conserve energy even here. His eyes blink at half-speed but the gaze from his brown eyes is steady. He looks as relaxed off the bike as he does when he is on it, but you are aware that you are in the presence of a great bike rider."

Miguel Indurain was undoubtedly a likable, generous cyclist who always worked to the utmost of his ability and devoted most of his time and energy in order to achieve his ambitions. And he also maintained his integrity in a cycling where that has not always been the case. He would be a good role model for all the young sporting aspirants.
In my view, he is the one representing the true spirit of cycling and should be the spokesman of the sports of the Twentieth Century.