Bernard Hinault is one of the greatest cyclists of all time.
Here, William Fotheringham shows that while France may one day find a new champion, there will never be another Bernard Hinault..
Three decades on from his retirement, Hinault remains the last French winner of the Tour de France.
His battles with teammates Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond in the 1986 Tour resulted in one of the greatest races of all time.
Nicknamed the '
Badger' for his combative style, he led a cyclists' strike in his first Tour and instigated a legendary punch-up with demonstrators in 1982 while in the middle of a race.
Hinault is the last 'old-school' champion: a larger-than-life character from a working-class background, capable of winning on all terrains, in major Tours and one-day Classics.
He is a five-time winner of the Tour de France and the only man to have won each of the Grand Tours on more than one occasion.
Bernard Hinault is one of the greatest cyclists of all time
