Custom Search
|
|
Miguel Indurain - The Spanish Champion
Indurain turned pro in 1985, competing for 11 years in a row. Although he didn't finish the race in 1985 and 1986, he did manage to get himself noticed as a good and trustworthy of the Banesto team and played an important role in the 1988 race when, with his help, Pedro Delgado won the Tour de France. Many have said that he could have been in the Top 3 in 1990 (he took the 10th place), but he instead listened to the team orders and didn't pull ahead of team captain Delgado. Finally, in 1991, Banesto built a team around Indurain and then the domination began. The next few years, the sight of Indurain in the yellow tshirt became normal. His forte was the individual time trial, the big bike frame and stature giving him the nickname "Big Mig". In 1992 he won a time trial in Luxembourg with the huge difference of 3 minutes ahead of the next rider. This type of race gave Indurain the advantage. Then came the big mountain climbs where the spanish cyclist turned defensive, needing the help of his strong team to counter any attacks. His critics always said that his style was boring but the sports lovers remember the struggle between the titans Indurain and Lemond in 1991, or the extraordinary battles with Marco Pantani. Indurain's body was a natural wonder: his resting heart rate was of 28 beats per minute, less than half that of a normal healthy person of the same age. Doctors were amazed to find out that his heart was 50% bigger than a normal person's and his lungs had an 8 litre capacity. The psyche is also important in races - many of his rivals said that there was something "inhuman" about Indurain. Other than the Tour de France, he also won many other races. He won the Giro d'Italia (Tour of Italy) 2 times, in 1992 and 1993. In 1994 he set the one hour record by covering 53.01 kilometers in 60 minutes. At the Atlanta Olympics he won a gold medal for his country on the individual time trial. Respected by his collegues, Indurain was humble and a true gentleman. He never had bad comments about his critics or the press. English cyclist Chris Boardman declared at one time: "Indurain makes me angry because he's just such a nice guy. When you sit beside him you see that there isn't a bit of malice in him. He really is a great man and champion". After retiring Indurain tried to keep active in the cycling world. He is a member of UCI Professional Cycling Council and a member of the Olympic Committe in Spain. Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Please visit our site for the best selection in bike frames and especially road bike frames. |
|