| Route of the 1996 Tour de France | |||
| Race details | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Dates | June 29–July 21, 1996 | ||
| Stages | 21+Prologue | ||
| Distance | 3,895.4 km (2,420 mi) | ||
| Winning time | 95h 57' 16"[1] (40.697 km/h/25.288 mph) | ||
| Palmarès | |||
| Winner | Bjarne Riis ‡ (Denmark) | (Team Telekom) | |
| Second | Jan Ullrich (Germany) | (Team Telekom) | |
| Third | Richard Virenque (France) | (Festina) | |
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| Points | Erik Zabel ‡ (Germany) | (Team Telekom) | |
| Mountains | Richard Virenque (France) | (Festina) | |
| Youth | Jan Ullrich (Germany) | (Team Telekom) | |
| Team | Festina | ||
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← 1995
1997 →
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The 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day (July 10).
This Tour was noted by the "fall" of favorite Miguel Indurain, ending his then record run of five consecutive victories. The course included a stage through his home town Villava, however he suffered a bronchitis because of the poor weather in the first week, and was fined and penalised for accepting drinks illegally.[2] Indurain started to lose time in stage 7, and finally ended 11th failing to win a single stage or spend one day in the yellow jersey.
Stage 9 was memorable - it was scheduled to be a 176 kilometer ride from Val-d'Isère to Sestriere. However, due to appalling weather conditions, including snow, the organizers cut the stage to just 46 km. Bjarne Riis won the stage and opened a crucial 44 second gap over Jan Ullrich. Ullrich, only 22, really broke through in this Tour, and won the individual time trial of stage 20.
Several riders with Team Telekom have confessed to doping offences around the period of the 1996 tour, including support riders Rolf Aldag, Udo Bölts, Christian Henn[3] and Brian Holm and team masseur Jef d'Hont has admitted in his autobiography that there was organised use of EPO in the team.[4] On May 24, 2007, Erik Zabel admitted to using EPO during the first week of the race. The winner of the Tour, Bjarne Riis, admitted on May 25, 2007 that he also used EPO during the Tour, as a result he has been asked by the International Cyling Union (UCI) to return the yellow jersey he received.[5][6] So far, runner-up Jan Ullrich, who has been under suspicion of doping as a part of the Operación Puerto doping case, has not commented on allegations that he also used EPO. Third place Richard Virenque and fourth place Laurent Dufaux were implicated in the 1998 Festina scandal.
Although UCI lawyer Philippe Verbiest has stated that the statute of limitations for removing Riis as winner of the Tour de France has expired, "you cannot strip him of the title but it possible not to mention it anymore ... Because of what he admitted, he is not the winner of the Tour de France. Riis did not win." Tour spokesman Philippe Sudres also stated that: "We consider philosophically that he can no longer claim to have won.".[7] Riis' victory no longer stands in the Tour de France record books.[8]
Contents |
The 18 teams on top of the UCI rankings at the start of 1996 were automatically invited for the Tour. These were:[9]
|
Four wildcards were given, for a total of 22 teams:[10]
| Stage | Date | Route | Terrain | Length | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 29 June | 's-Hertogenbosch | Individual time trial | 9.4 km (5.8 mi) | Alex Zülle (SUI) |
| 1 | 30 June | 's-Hertogenbosch – 's-Hertogenbosch | Plain stage | 209.0 km (129.9 mi) | Frédéric Moncassin (FRA) |
| 2 | 1 July | 's-Hertogenbosch – Wasquehal | Plain stage | 247.5 km (153.8 mi) | Mario Cipollini (ITA) |
| 3 | 2 July | Wasquehal – Nogent-sur-Oise | Plain stage | 195.0 km (121.2 mi) | Erik Zabel (GER) |
| 4 | 3 July | Soissons – Lac de Madine | Plain stage | 232.0 km (144.2 mi) | Cyril Saugrain (FRA) |
| 5 | 4 July | Lac de Madine – Besançon | Plain stage | 242.0 km (150.4 mi) | Jeroen Blijlevens (NED) |
| 6 | 5 July | Arc-et-Senans – Aix-les-Bains | Hilly stage | 207.0 km (128.6 mi) | Michael Boogerd (NED) |
| 7 | 6 July | Chambéry – Les Arcs | Stage with mountain(s) | 200.0 km (124.3 mi) | Luc Leblanc (FRA) |
| 8 | 7 July | Bourg-Saint-Maurice – Val d'Isère | Individual time trial | 30.5 km (19.0 mi) | Evgueni Berzin (RUS) |
| 9 | 8 July | Le Monêtier-les-Bains – Sestrières | Stage with mountain(s) | 46.0 km (28.6 mi) | Bjarne Riis (DEN) |
| 10 | 9 July | Turin – Gap | Hilly stage | 208.5 km (129.6 mi) | Erik Zabel (GER) |
| 11 | 11 July | Gap – Valence | Hilly stage | 202.0 km (125.5 mi) | José Jaime Gonzalez (COL) |
| 12 | 12 July | Valence – Le Puy-en-Velay | Hilly stage | 143.5 km (89.2 mi) | Pascal Richard (SUI) |
| 13 | 13 July | Le Puy-en-Velay – Super Besse | Hilly stage | 177.0 km (110.0 mi) | Rolf Sørensen (DEN) |
| 14 | 14 July | Besse – Tulle | Hilly stage | 186.5 km (115.9 mi) | Djamolidine Abduzhaparov (UZB) |
| 15 | 15 July | Brive-la-Gaillarde – Villeneuve-sur-Lot | Plain stage | 176.0 km (109.4 mi) | Massimo Podenzana (ITA) |
| 16 | 16 July | Agen – Hautacam | Stage with mountain(s) | 199.0 km (123.7 mi) | Bjarne Riis (DEN) |
| 17 | 17 July | Argelès-Gazost – Pamplona | Stage with mountain(s) | 262.0 km (162.8 mi) | Laurent Dufaux (SUI) |
| 18 | 18 July | Pamplona – Hendaye | Hilly stage | 154.5 km (96.0 mi) | Bart Voskamp (NED) |
| 19 | 19 July | Hendaye – Bordeaux | Plain stage | 226.5 km (140.7 mi) | Frédéric Moncassin (FRA) |
| 20 | 20 July | Bordeaux – Saint-Émilion | Individual time trial | 63.5 km (39.5 mi) | Jan Ullrich (GER) |
| 21 | 21 July | Palaiseau – Paris | Plain stage | 147.5 km (91.7 mi) | Fabio Baldato (ITA) |
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bjarne Riis (DEN) | Telekom | 95h 57' 16" |
| 2 | Jan Ullrich (GER) | Telekom | +1' 41" |
| 3 | Richard Virenque (FRA) | Festina | +4' 37" |
| 4 | Laurent Dufaux (SUI) | Festina | +5' 53" |
| 5 | Peter Luttenberger (AUT) | Carrera | +7' 07" |
| 6 | Luc Leblanc (FRA) | Polti | +10' 03" |
| 7 | Piotr Ugrumov (LAT) | +10' 04" | |
| 8 | Fernando Escartin (ESP) | Kelme | +10' 26" |
| 9 | Abraham Olano (ESP) | Mapei | +11' 00" |
| 10 | Toni Rominger (SUI) | Mapei | +11' 53" |
| Final general classification (11–129) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 11 | Miguel Indurain (ESP) | Banesto | +14' 14" |
| 12 | Patrick Jonker (AUS) | ONCE | +18' 58" |
| 13 | Bo Hamburger (DEN) | TVM | +22' 19" |
| 14 | Udo Bölts (GER) | Telekom | +25' 56" |
| 15 | Alberto Elli (ITA) | MG-Technogym | +26' 18" |
| 16 | Manuel Fernandez (ESP) | Mapei | +26' 28" |
| 17 | Leonardo Piepoli (SUI) | Rein | +27' 36" |
| 18 | Laurent Brochard (FRA) | Festina | +32' 11" |
| 19 | Michele Bartoli (ITA) | MG-Technogym | +37' 18" |
| 20 | Evgueni Berzin (RUS) | Gewiss | +38' 00" |
| 21 | Viatcheslav Ekimov (RUS) | Rabobank | +43' 58" |
| 22 | Stefano Cattai (ITA) | +48' 03" | |
| 23 | Laurent Madouas (FRA) | Motorola | +53' 15" |
| 24 | Arsenio Gonzalez (ESP) | Mapei | +55' 28" |
| 25 | Massimiliano Lelli (ITA) | Saeco | +55' 35" |
| 26 | Alex Zülle (SUI) | ONCE | +56' 47" |
| 27 | Giuseppe Guerini (ITA) | Polti | +1h 05' 12" |
| 28 | Rolf Sørensen (DEN) | Rabobank | +1h 11' 28" |
| 29 | Jesper Skibby (DEN) | TVM | +1h 11' 36" |
| 30 | Marco Fincato (ITA) | +1h 11' 51" | |
| 31 | Michael Boogerd (NED) | Rabobank | +1h 13' 45" |
| 32 | José Luis Arrieta (ESP) | Banesto | +1h 13' 48" |
| 33 | Paolo Savoldelli (ITA) | +1h 15' 20" | |
| 34 | Erik Breukink (NED) | Rabobank | +1h 20' 03" |
| 35 | Aitor Garmendia (ESP) | ONCE | +1h 20' 42" |
| 36 | Oscar Camenzind (SUI) | +1h 25' 27" | |
| 37 | Claudio Chiappucci (ITA) | Carrera | +1h 27' 23" |
| 38 | Melchor Mauri (ESP) | ONCE | +1h 27' 28" |
| 39 | Chris Boardman (GBR) | Gan | +1h 27' 44" |
| 40 | Federico Echave (ESP) | Mapei | +1h 29' 25" |
| 41 | Jose-Roberto Sierra (ESP) | ONCE | +1h 30' 11" |
| 42 | Pascal Hervé (FRA) | Festina | +1h 33' 01" |
| 43 | Mirko Gualdi (ITA) | Polti | +1h 34' 59" |
| 44 | Laurent Roux (FRA) | TVM | +1h 36' 11" |
| 45 | Andrea Tafi (ITA) | Mapei | +1h 38' 54" |
| 46 | Andrea Ferrigato (ITA) | +1h 39' 23" | |
| 47 | Pascal Richard (SUI) | MG-Technogym | +1h 40' 56" |
| 48 | Felix Manuel Garcia (ESP) | Festina | +1h 42' 13" |
| 49 | Neil Stephens (AUS) | ONCE | +1h 43' 33" |
| 50 | Davide Perona (ITA) | Gewiss | +1h 43' 40" |
| 51 | Maurizio Fondriest (ITA) | +1h 45' 44" | |
| 52 | Valentino Fois (ITA) | +1h 45' 58" | |
| 53 | Herminio Diaz (ESP) | ONCE | +1h 47' 08" |
| 54 | Orlando Sergio Rodriguis (POR) | Banesto | +1h 47' 15" |
| 55 | Bruno Thibout (FRA) | Motorola | +1h 49' 02" |
| 56 | Bruno Cenghialta (ITA) | Gewiss | +1h 49' 19" |
| 57 | José Maria Jimenez (ESP) | Banesto | +1h 51' 30" |
| 58 | Prudencio Indurain (ESP) | Banesto | +1h 52' 30" |
| 59 | Paolo Lanfranchi (ITA) | Mapei | +1h 54' 42" |
| 60 | Flavio Vanzella (ITA) | Motorola | +1h 54' 52" |
| 61 | Massimo Podenzana (ITA) | Carrera | +1h 55' 18" |
| 62 | Thierry Bourguignon (FRA) | Aubervilliers | +1h 56' 38" |
| 63 | Fabio Baldato (ITA) | MG-Technogym | +1h 57' 08" |
| 64 | Maarten den Bakker (NED) | TVM | +1h 58' 25" |
| 65 | Marcello Siboni (ITA) | Carrera | +2h 00' 52" |
| 66 | Marino Alonso (ESP) | Banesto | +2h 00' 55" |
| 67 | Jean-Pierre Bourgeot (FRA) | +2h 01' 22" | |
| 68 | Wladimir Belli (ITA) | +2h 01' 42" | |
| 69 | Cédric Vasseur (FRA) | Gan | +2h 02' 05" |
| 70 | Massimo Donati (ITA) | Saeco | +2h 02' 53" |
| 71 | José Joaquim Castelblanco (COL) | Kelme | +2h 03' 01" |
| 72 | Marco Saligari (ITA) | MG-Technogym | +2h 03' 09" |
| 73 | Marco Zen (ITA) | +2h 04' 03" | |
| 74 | Erik Dekker (NED) | Rabobank | +2h 05' 03" |
| 75 | Christophe Moreau (FRA) | Festina | +2h 07' 20" |
| 76 | Christian Henn (GER) | Telekom | +2h 07' 33" |
| 77 | Andrei Tchmil (BEL) | Lotto | +2h 09' 38" |
| 78 | Djamolidine Abduzhaparov (UZB) | Rein | +2h 10' 02" |
| 79 | Paolo Fornaciari (ITA) | Saeco | +2h 10' 04" |
| 80 | Bruno Boscardin (SUI) | Festina | +2h 10' 12" |
| 81 | Julio César Aguirre (COL) | Kelme | +2h 10' 23" |
| 82 | Erik Zabel (GER) | Telekom | +2h 10' 26" |
| 83 | Rolf Aldag (GER) | Telekom | +2h 12' 16" |
| 84 | Danny Nelissen (NED) | Rabobank | +2h 12' 25" |
| 85 | Oscar Pelliccioli (ITA) | Carrera | +2h 13' 14" |
| 86 | François Simon (FRA) | Gan | +2h 16' 19" |
| 87 | Sergei Uslamin (RUS) | Rein | +2h 16' 30" |
| 88 | Jens Heppner (GER) | Telekom | +2h 17' 17" |
| 89 | Federico Muñoz (COL) | Kelme | +2h 17' 25" |
| 90 | Rolf Järmann (SUI) | MG-Technogym | +2h 20' 28" |
| 91 | François Lemarchand (FRA) | Gan | +2h 21' 15" |
| 92 | José Ramon Uriarte (ESP) | Banesto | +2h 23' 59" |
| 93 | Mariano Piccoli (ITA) | Brescialat | +2h 24' 29" |
| 94 | Cristian Salvato (ITA) | Rein | +2h 26' 59" |
| 95 | Johan Museeuw (BEL) | Mapei | +2h 29' 02" |
| 96 | José Jaime Gonzalez (COL) | Kelme | +2h 29' 13" |
| 97 | Rossano Brasi (ITA) | Polti | +2h 30' 20" |
| 98 | Fabio Roscioli (ITA) | Rein | +2h 31' 06" |
| 99 | Bart Voskamp (NED) | TVM | +2h 31' 31" |
| 100 | Francesco Frattini (ITA) | Gewiss | +2h 32' 06" |
| 101 | Scott Sunderland (AUS) | Lotto | +2h 32' 54" |
| 102 | Francisco Cabello (ESP) | Kelme | +2h 36' 22" |
| 103 | Cristiano Frattini (ITA) | Brescialat | +2h 37' 56" |
| 104 | Thierry Laurent (FRA) | +2h 37' 57" | |
| 105 | Omar Enrique Pumar (VEN) | Brescialat | +2h 38' 10" |
| 106 | Frédéric Moncassin (FRA) | Gan | +2h 38' 57" |
| 107 | Brian Holm (DEN) | Telekom | +2h 39' 51" |
| 108 | Frédérick Guesdon (FRA) | Polti | +2h 42' 49" |
| 109 | José Angel Vidal (ESP) | Kelme | +2h 42' 58" |
| 110 | Wilfried Peeters (BEL) | Mapei | +2h 46' 47" |
| 111 | Frankie Andreu (USA) | Motorola | +2h 48' 46" |
| 112 | Alessandro Baronti (ITA) | +2h 52' 37" | |
| 113 | Tobias Steinhauser (GER) | Rein | +2h 54' 34" |
| 114 | Thierry Gouvenou (FRA) | Aubervilliers | +2h 54' 35" |
| 115 | Jacky Durand (FRA) | +2h 54' 39" | |
| 116 | Peter Van Petegem (BEL) | TVM | +2h 56' 10" |
| 117 | Dario Bottaro (ITA) | Gewiss | +2h 56' 38" |
| 118 | Gilles Talmant (FRA) | Aubervilliers | +2h 57' 35" |
| 119 | Gerrit de Vries (NED) | Polti | +3h 04' 45" |
| 120 | Paul Van Hyfte (BEL) | Lotto | +3h 06' 43" |
| 121 | Ivan Cerioli (ITA) | Gewiss | +3h 07' 50" |
| 122 | Peter Farazijn (BEL) | Lotto | +3h 14' 06" |
| 123 | Nico Mattan (BEL) | Lotto | +3h 14' 49" |
| 124 | Marc Wauters (BEL) | Lotto | +3h 15' 46" |
| 125 | Mario Chiesa (ITA) | Carrera | +3h 18' 02" |
| 126 | Simone Biasci (ITA) | Saeco | +3h 22' 16" |
| 127 | Eros Poli (ITA) | Saeco | +3h 34' 38" |
| 128 | Jeroen Blijlevens (NED) | TVM | +3h 35' 12" |
| 129 | Jean-Luc Masdupuy (FRA) | +3h 49' 52" | |