killer instincts wrote:
I disagree. It's normal for an athlete to want to win. Hinault helped LeMond and LeMond helped him, but at the end of the race, if they are close and each has a chance to win, it's normal/fair/expected to go for it. And what about the fans? Should we tell them, Greg is the leader this year, he will win no matter what? Why bother to watch Le Tour then? It's like fixing a game.
And yes, I understand that LeMond didn't go for it in 85, but I believe it was his mistake.
You might want to watch the documentary again. In 1985 LeMond was a domestique whose job it was to support Hinault to the win. Despite the fact LeMond was the better rider that year and WANTED to go for the win, he was instructed NOT to do so. LeMond did his job and supported Hinault. LeMond showed character, loyalty and responsibility to his job.
The agreement related to the above was that Hinault would support LeMond in 1986. Whether or not it was the result of his competitive nature is beside the point; the bottom line is that Hinault did not keep his word. Hinault showed zero character, zero loyalty, zero gratitude and zero responsibility to his job as a supporting domestique. And even now, he shows zero accountability for his behavior. Hinault was a both a world class cyclist and world class scumbag.
The only saving grace is that LeMond kicked Hinault's a$$ even though Hinault's actions fractured the team dyanamic and forced LeMond to earn victory without total support of the domestiques.