Bernard Hinault is five-time winner of the Tour, three-time Giro winner, two-time Vuelta winner, last Frenchman to have won the Tour. He is one of the greatest runners in history. He agreed to talk to us about his role as sponsor of the Tour de l’Avenir, the increasingly early emergence of young people as well as the place of technology in cycling.
“I have always been interested in the Tour de l’Avenir”
Cycling Times : Hello M. Hinault, about your role as sponsor of the Tour de l’Avenir, how long have you been here ?
Bernard Hinault : It's been at least 20 years. Yes, easily. I have always been interested in the Tour de l'Avenir because it concerns the less than 23 years. These are all the champions we can possibly- to be found in 1 an, in 2 years. It's the Pogacars, les Bernal, Vingegaard who, otherwise, only made sixth. The Bardets, the Barguils… All the runners who are today, therefore, to say, at the top among professionals, went through the Tour de l’Avenir. And especially, young people who, today, are in this peloton have a lot of chances to turn professional. There are, in between 30 and 40% of them, who will become professionals and who will have an important place.
C.T. : So, for you, cycling in the cradle, at an early age, it is important to develop it ?
B.H. : Of course. We realize that today there are young runners, more and more young, who arrive at professionals in 18 years. On a eu en Belgique Evenepoel, there is yet another, who has a hard-to-pronounce name [ndlr : Uijtdebroeks DV Cloé Colinet (Better-Hansgrohe)], who is doing very well. There is a little Spaniard who has 18 years [ndlr : John Ayuso (UAE Team Emirates)], it's the same.
We tended, During a very long time, to say "Oh no no, should not put them very young to work”. And maybe it was a mistake. Because we realize that today, that all who are there, they are young and they are doing as well as the others. So maybe they have higher abilities than others too.
C.T. : Big formations like UAE, INEOS, Jumbo-Visma ou Quickstep etc. , as we have seen with Evenepoel, Vingegaard, Ayuso… , take young talent. The smallest teams, even from the World Tour are overtaken.
B.H. : But it's up to them ! Non, non, you should not start from this principle. Everyone is on the same footing at the start. You just have to look.
As if by chance, there is not a sports director who is there. Whereas, if you are in a small team, well me, I'm coming and I'm going to observe. Maybe I'll find the little champion before he's already signed. Because if he has 18 years, or even 21 years, you see he dialed a great number, you say "but you don't want to sign with me tonight ? ». If he hasn't already been hired. But small teams, they also have to watch from the cadets, juniors… Because the big teams, they always have someone looking right and left. “Here look at this one, he has junior abilities, he wins good races”. Because there are very, very nice junior races, which reveal talents. So we have to go to the races. Whereas if you stay in your chair, it is sure and certain that you will not see them.
C.T. : To return to the turn of the future more generally, it is often considered as the Tour de France hope.
B.H. : Yes, it's the little Tour de France.
C.T. : A bit like the Baby Giro.
B.H. : Yes, that's it, you have good working conditions. you have everything, really ! With a nice run. And the advantage of the Tour de l’Avenir, in my opinion. It's that they don't have headsets. So they have to run with their head. Rather than the Baby Giro, where they tell them, have to do this, you have to do this.
C.T. : What would be the solution for you so that a Frenchman, or simply for a French team to win a Grand Tour for one of their riders. We had seen Ben O’Connor on the Tour 2021 who stood out. Do you have any messages to pass on to the teams ?
B.H. : The message, that's what i said before. It's to go and see among the juniors, maybe even among the cadets. Start looking to find out if this runner will be a good one. Because you have beautiful trials. I believe there are junior world cups. Even junior French cups already. I know that there are some at home in Brittany. But you already see some runners who have talent.
Against the technological assistance of runners
C.T. : Generally, you were talking earlier about earpieces. You are rather for or against ?
B.H. : Versus. Because runners are not machines. I'm against it. I am against in the race. And against the power meters. Because runners are constantly watching the watts. But they don't watch the road. And we are surprised that there are many falls.
Between the one who spits in our ears and the one who says "Ah, I'm at 400 watts. Ah not, I'm at 200 watts ». They are always like that. But with much more responsive brakes today, with disc brakes. Well it's the little half-seconds of inattention that you have. So you're in the other's ass. Because the SRM [ndlr : power meter type], it's useless in the race. A l’occasion, that you have it to train, to know just where you are going to be and then do your performances. But in the race, you have to follow. Or if you look, you say no, 420 it's too much, I stop. So that maybe that day he can go to 450 or 500 watts.
C.T. : You are afraid that it will spoil the race a little ?
B.H. : It's up to the professionals to react. It's up to them to say no. “But there is no question, I don't run like that, I do like this ! “If I am a runner, all this bullshit, I release them. Because, when the coach does the program, I say, "it's you who will ride ? Non, it's me. So I'm the one who knows." Like me, I did at the time too. I know what I have to do. I have to perform on such a day, so that's my problem. I'm training but I'll be there that day. And that, it's a bit lacking.
C.T. : Therefore, from a technology perspective, training techniques, It will be the same on Tirreno-Adriatico then on the Tour of the Alps. Would you have liked, in your time, test new hardware. For example running with disc brakes, It will be the same on Tirreno-Adriatico then on the Tour of the Alps.
B.H. : We didn't have disc brakes, but I would have been very happy to have. Because I could have made even faster descents. Technologies, the training methods that are put in place today, are much more computerized, but already, we, we knew that with Paul Köchli [ndlr : renowned trainer of Bernard Hinault]. He is truly a forerunner of knowledge, and I think he was the first of all this.
C.T. : In conclusion, you really did what you wanted in the teams. You were the boss ?
B.H. : Yes, here is the boss and we need one. And I became the boss, I imposed my law.
C.T. : thanks Mr. Hinault
