Slaying the Badger: LeMond, Hinault and the Greatest Ever Tour de France
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- Author：Richard Moore
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Summary
The Tour de France is sport's most compelling battle -- an annual cauldron of heroism and treachery， spectacle and controversy， mind-games and endurance。
But the 1986 Tour stands out as the year in which a show-stopping rivalry had spectators across the world gripped。
When Greg LeMond -- a blue-eyed， blonde-haired Californian boy， dubbed 'L'American' -- won the 1986 Tour， he made history。 The first non-European to win the Yellow Jersey， he broke the Old World stranglehold and changed the face of the competition。
But LeMond's victory was hard won。 It was seemingly snatched from the jaws of the man ominously dubbed 'The Badger'。 Frenchman Bernard 'Le Blaireau' Hinault was five times winner of the Tour and as tough as boots。 After winning the 1985 Tour， in which LeMond came a close second， Hinault vowed to return for one final Tour， and with a single purpose: to help LeMond win。
But could Hinault be trusted？ As the race circled France， he repeatedly attacked LeMond。 Hinault claimed to the press that his apparent treachery was merely intended to make LeMond stronger。 But LeMond， who didn't believe him， became increasingly fearful， anxious and paranoid。
The Tour is renowned for its psychological complexity - but what played out in 1986 was unheard of。 Why was Hinault putting his own teammate in jeopardy？ Would LeMond crack under the pressure？ Something sinister was going on but no one - not even LeMond -- knew quite what。
Slaying the Badger relives the adrenaline， the agony， the camaraderie， the betrayals， and the pure exhilaration of the 1986 Tour。 Richard Moore has interviewed all the key players including the story's two enigmatic， eccentric and fiercely different protagonists。 As he delves behind the scenes， the biggest conundrum of Tour history is finally laid bare。
But the 1986 Tour stands out as the year in which a show-stopping rivalry had spectators across the world gripped。
When Greg LeMond -- a blue-eyed， blonde-haired Californian boy， dubbed 'L'American' -- won the 1986 Tour， he made history。 The first non-European to win the Yellow Jersey， he broke the Old World stranglehold and changed the face of the competition。
But LeMond's victory was hard won。 It was seemingly snatched from the jaws of the man ominously dubbed 'The Badger'。 Frenchman Bernard 'Le Blaireau' Hinault was five times winner of the Tour and as tough as boots。 After winning the 1985 Tour， in which LeMond came a close second， Hinault vowed to return for one final Tour， and with a single purpose: to help LeMond win。
But could Hinault be trusted？ As the race circled France， he repeatedly attacked LeMond。 Hinault claimed to the press that his apparent treachery was merely intended to make LeMond stronger。 But LeMond， who didn't believe him， became increasingly fearful， anxious and paranoid。
The Tour is renowned for its psychological complexity - but what played out in 1986 was unheard of。 Why was Hinault putting his own teammate in jeopardy？ Would LeMond crack under the pressure？ Something sinister was going on but no one - not even LeMond -- knew quite what。
Slaying the Badger relives the adrenaline， the agony， the camaraderie， the betrayals， and the pure exhilaration of the 1986 Tour。 Richard Moore has interviewed all the key players including the story's two enigmatic， eccentric and fiercely different protagonists。 As he delves behind the scenes， the biggest conundrum of Tour history is finally laid bare。
Reviews
Brian
，
Having heard of the author’s recent death， and being a fan of cycling back during my teens， I thought it would be fun to read about hinault and lemond。 This was a great read， lots of fun revisiting a tour I didn’t really remember， and learning about hinault in particular， someone I was unfamiliar with。Battles between Renault team leader guimard and hinaultLemond’s early successes， creation of la vie Claire team and influence of owner Bernard tapieBattles in 1984 between fignon and hinaultHinault Having heard of the author’s recent death， and being a fan of cycling back during my teens， I thought it would be fun to read about hinault and lemond。 This was a great read， lots of fun revisiting a tour I didn’t really remember， and learning about hinault in particular， someone I was unfamiliar with。Battles between Renault team leader guimard and hinaultLemond’s early successes， creation of la vie Claire team and influence of owner Bernard tapieBattles in 1984 between fignon and hinaultHinault reclaiming tour victory in 1985 with lemond close behind as teammate， supposed promise by hinault to support lemond in 19861986 tour and lemond victory 。。。more
Nigel Kotani
，
There is something about cycling road-racing which lends itself to great literature。 Perhaps it is the sheer length of the Grand Tour events and the consequent changes in fortune that can occur within them。 Perhaps it is the complexity of the tactics in an event popularly known as 'chess on wheels'。 Perhaps it is the sheer level of suffering which the competitors have to endure - Tyler Hamilton broke his arm in the 2002 Giro d'Italia and still managed to finish second， but had to have eleven tee There is something about cycling road-racing which lends itself to great literature。 Perhaps it is the sheer length of the Grand Tour events and the consequent changes in fortune that can occur within them。 Perhaps it is the complexity of the tactics in an event popularly known as 'chess on wheels'。 Perhaps it is the sheer level of suffering which the competitors have to endure - Tyler Hamilton broke his arm in the 2002 Giro d'Italia and still managed to finish second， but had to have eleven teeth capped because of the damage he had done to them gritting them against the pain。 Most likely， it is a combination of all of these factors。The opening page of this book describes Greg LeMond having chronic diarrhoea during a stage of the 1986 Tour de France and ending up relieving himself into a giant box of Bernard Hinault postcards。 Having launched itself off the start-ramp in such memorable style the book simply doesn't let up in its sheer brilliance。 This is a relentlessly good book which races forward Merckx-style and pulls the reader along in its slipstream。The story of the 1986 Tour， as told by Richard Moore， begins with the stories of the two main protagonists themselves， LeMond and Hinault， starting with their early lives， moving on through their cycling careers until they eventually became team-mates at La Vie Claire， and telling the story of how LeMond sacrificed his own chances in the 1985 Tour to help Hinault win， with Hinault promising to return the favour in 1986。 It hardly constitutes a spoiler to say that that's not how things panned out in 1986。The book works on so many levels。 It is littered with anecdotes - like LeMond's stomach upset - which are both entertaining and meaningful。 It is written by someone who knows what they're talking about， the author having been a professional road-racing cyclist himself。 The detail is fascinating and the broad picture is enlightening。 He manages to portray individuals， team dynamics and peleton culture with equal vividness and clarity。 He also manages to interview nearly all the main protagonists in the book in considerable depth: Hinault， LeMond and team coach Paul Kochli。 The only main player whom he doesn't meet is team owner Bernard Tapie， who actually died while I was reading the book。One of the things I really like about the book is that it leaves readers having to make their own minds up as to what even now remains the enduring question about the 1986 Tour: did Hinault try and help LeMond in 1986， albeit in his own peculiar way， or did he break their pact？ The only person who really knows the answer to that question is Hinault， whose comments on 1986 have not exactly remained consistent over the years or even consistent with the facts， and who plays his cards very close to his chest anyway。If I have one minor quibble with the book it is that it could really do with an update。 At the time it was written Lance Armstrong hadn't made his admission of drug use and therefore hadn't yet been stripped of his seven yellow jerseys， with LeMond having become something of an outcast in the cycling world because of the accusations he had made about Armstrong。 Knowing the truth about Armstrong colours some of the content of the book， and I'd love to know what's happened to LeMond since he was proven right。 It just feels wrong to be reading about Armstrong without an enormous caveat being included。That said， the fact that my only complaint about the book is that I would like there to be more of it tells you all you need to know。 I loved it。 。。。more
René
，
Veel interessante achtergrondverhalen， goede observaties， en vlot geschreven！
Brian
，
I liked this book a lot， but largely because this was the first Tour de France that I really followed closely。 It was a lot of fun to relive it again via audio book。 Well written and very good narration。
Andre
，
Written like a TV documentary， sometimes like a thriller
Glyn
，
Some sports seem to encourage good writing （cycling， cricket being two good examples） while others are notable only for the pile of ghost-written dross they vomit out for the Christmas market every year （hello soccer， rugby - I'm looking at you！）。Thankfully， Slaying the Badger by Richard Moore falls into the first category。 It dates back to 1986 and the epic duel between two La Vie Claire teammates， Bernard Hinault or 'Le Blaireau' （the badger） and Greg LeMond to the top spot on the podium in Pa Some sports seem to encourage good writing （cycling， cricket being two good examples） while others are notable only for the pile of ghost-written dross they vomit out for the Christmas market every year （hello soccer， rugby - I'm looking at you！）。Thankfully， Slaying the Badger by Richard Moore falls into the first category。 It dates back to 1986 and the epic duel between two La Vie Claire teammates， Bernard Hinault or 'Le Blaireau' （the badger） and Greg LeMond to the top spot on the podium in Paris。 Le Blaireau at this stage was in his final season of pro cycling and was one of the all-time greats of the sport， maybe even the greatest， having won Le Tour a record-equalling five times already - including a comeback win the previous year when LeMond sacrificed his own chances to help Hinault to the win， despite arguably being the stronger rider of the two。 In return， Hinault promised that he would repay the favour in 1986 by playing his part to help LeMond win the crown。 So far， so uncomplicated。。。。Moore traces back the lifestory of two compelling and very different characters， examining their very different backgrounds - Hinault the domineering Breton who crushed his rivals through sheer physical force and willpower， and LeMond， the American tyro whose New World attitudes were a study in contrast with many of the European riders who still made up the vast majority of the peloton in those days。 Both are fascinating characters and what makes the book such a standout is that they both gave freely of their time to Moore， as well as a wide range of the riders， team managers， sponsors and soigneurs who also played their parts in the wild drama that was to unfold across France in the summer of 1986。Hinault， without ever quite going to far as to explicitly admit it， reneged on his word and the Tour became something unheard of - a battle between two riders from the same team for the fabled maillot jaune - that stretched across Normandy， Brittany and down into the mountains of the Pyrenees before reaching a shattering crescendo on the mountain tops of the French Alps。 Treachery， loyalty， xenophobia， physical and psychological torture。。。this book has it all in a sporting context。 It's very well paced and beautifully written - the story of a race but also more importantly the story of the men who pushed each other to the edge in a sport that is infamous for going beyond the limits of what is acceptable。No French rider has won the Tour since the great Le Blaireau。 。。。more
Evrim Bingül
，
muhteşem bir fransa turu hikayesi。。
Chris Howland
，
Well researched， very readable account of the 1986 Tour， where Bernard Hinault 'honoured' his promise to support Greg LeMond。 A book for everyone - you don't need to be a cyclist to appreciate the mind games being played out over the 4000+ km of the route。 And by the way， the nice guy did win at the finish！ Well researched， very readable account of the 1986 Tour， where Bernard Hinault 'honoured' his promise to support Greg LeMond。 A book for everyone - you don't need to be a cyclist to appreciate the mind games being played out over the 4000+ km of the route。 And by the way， the nice guy did win at the finish！ 。。。more
Jay
，
In this year of adjusted schedules， the long delayed Tour de France didn’t feel the same。 Everything felt a bit off， from the crowds to the weather to the weariness of the riders。 I have enjoyed watching this sports spectacle since I found how entertaining it could be in the post Lance era。 It’s become my summer trip via TV。 This is to say that I didn’t follow cycling in the year covered in this book。 I’ve heard the names， but that’s about it。 Having come at this story fresh， I really enjoyed it In this year of adjusted schedules， the long delayed Tour de France didn’t feel the same。 Everything felt a bit off， from the crowds to the weather to the weariness of the riders。 I have enjoyed watching this sports spectacle since I found how entertaining it could be in the post Lance era。 It’s become my summer trip via TV。 This is to say that I didn’t follow cycling in the year covered in this book。 I’ve heard the names， but that’s about it。 Having come at this story fresh， I really enjoyed it。 The counterpoint of the always worried young American phenom paired up with the grizzled and unpredictable French veteran was very entertaining。 You don’t often see this kind of dynamic。 The American can’t trust the French guy， yet at points he must。 While you can see how a race like the Tour can be as complex in moves as a chess game， this story added a new dynamic – in addition to the inter-team plotting and scheming， here you see some intra-team strategy。 The author goes deep on explaining the events and the backgrounds of the decisions made by the riders。 LeMond， the American， is presented sharing his inner thoughts on each day and each tactic in the campaign。 For Hinault， you really get a couple of different thoughts on his actions and his reasons – what he was probably thinking， and what he says now – often not the same thing。 LeMond comes across as unexperienced， which he was， but with the ability to think things through。 Hinault comes across as wily。 The author includes details on other parts of the story， including team management and the tour in general。 At times the story becomes a bit too repetitive， as the author approaches race tactics from slightly different viewpoints that come to the same conclusion。 I found it a minor slog in the middle of the book that dissipated as the racing stories took over。 As others have mentioned， the opening story concerning some gastric distress during the race， is unforgettable， for better or worse… 。。。more
mark feenan
，
Thoroughly enjoyed this book。 The build up to the 1986 tour then the story as the race unfolded。 Brilliant。
Jeff Kim
，
2021 is upon us， and what a brilliant book to close out the year 😊。 As an avid cyclist and cycling fan， this was pure brain candy for me。
Chip Redihan
，
Fantastic
Brettsinclair70
，
Terrific account of old world versus new on 1986 Tour
Kubilay Özdemir
，
Bisiklet sporuna olan hayranlığım kitaptan aldığım zevki birkaç kat daha arttırdı。 Bazı Türkçe kullanım hataları olsa da çevirisi iyi olan， rahat okunan akıcı bir kitaptı。
Robert Ritzinger
，
This book was captivating in its story but simple when you boiled it down to one simple truth。 Even that one simple truth belies an easy， pithy explanation。 The truth is Bernard Hinault lied。 Bernard Hinault went back on his word。 Bernard Hinault wanted it both ways。Hinault wanted to go for a record sixth Tour de France win but not be faulted if he fell short。 He “promised” Greg LeMond he would help LeMond win the 1986 Tour de France after LeMond sacrificed his own ambitions in 1985 so Hinault c This book was captivating in its story but simple when you boiled it down to one simple truth。 Even that one simple truth belies an easy， pithy explanation。 The truth is Bernard Hinault lied。 Bernard Hinault went back on his word。 Bernard Hinault wanted it both ways。Hinault wanted to go for a record sixth Tour de France win but not be faulted if he fell short。 He “promised” Greg LeMond he would help LeMond win the 1986 Tour de France after LeMond sacrificed his own ambitions in 1985 so Hinault could win his fifth。 The truth however is that while LeMond clearly let Hinault win his fifth Tour de France in 1985， it’s just as clear that Hinault did not let LeMond win his first Tour a year later。Hinault did not let LeMond win the 1986 Tour de France。 This is absolutely clear。 The truth as to why is less clear because people are complicated。 Hinault was simply telling LeMond what he wanted to hear during the 1985 Tour so LeMond would back off and help Hinault win。 It was nonetheless a “promise” and certainly others – LeMond in particular – interpreted it as such。 Hinault clearly did not view it as such， and he indicated this if not in his words then in his actions。If it was a promise， then why did Hinault go back on his word in 1986？ The answers are obvious if not explicit。 Hinault wanted to win his sixth Tour。 Hinault is a champion incapable of doing anything other than going all out to win。 Hinault wanted to appease the majority French， majority pro-Hinault crowd who did not want the first native English speaker， much less American， Tour de France champion to succeed。 More than anything else however， Hinault is a very proud man。Hinault’s pride gets displayed over and over again throughout the book， and rarely in a positive light。 There’s a reason it’s one of the seven deadly sins。 One of the best quotes in the book is: “During a champion’s career， the cruelest moment comes when he realizes the extent of his weakness in the face of the attacks of insolent youth。” LeMond and others represented that insolent youth and challengers to Hinault’s thrown。 It’s simply human nature to not want to give it up without a fight。 If Hinault had simply rolled over he wouldn’t have been the champion he was in the first place。Understanding where this pride comes from gave me a certain amount of empathy towards Hinault。 I can see the underlying truth to every contradictory thing he says and does， both back in 1986 and in the present day when he’s interviewed for the book。 The fact that Hinault is unable to admit， see or acknowledge those truths about himself is what makes the story so compelling。 That theme is encapsulated by another excellent quote from the book， which I believe the author attributes to Bono: “Sometimes， my friend， the lie is ugly， but the truth is unbearable。”Beyond the complicating factors of general human nature， the other factors contributing to the compelling story were just the unique aspects of cycling itself。 I’ve never been the biggest cycling fan， and sometimes that led me to literally scratch my head at some of the unwritten rules that compelled the riders to make certain decisions。First and foremost， it’s the unique case of cycling being both an individual and team sport simultaneously。 Individuals win the Tour de France and other major races， but they don’t do so without the help of their team。 There is also a unique hierarchy of contributors within a team。 Being called a “domestique” has to be one of the more emasculating terms I’ve ever heard for an athlete。 This also of course contributed to the drama between Hinault and LeMond。 They weren’t only competitors but also teammates。 One of the more fascinating aspects of the book was learning about cyclists switching teams in large part because they were not going to be the designated leader on their current team。 Also fascinating were the dynamics between teams during a race。 Most even casual fans have heard of a peloton but Hinault was the “patron” of the peloton and wielded his control to his advantage。 The fact that competing teams would fall in line with this control was amazing to me。This control also extended to when individuals broke free from the peloton。 At one point in the book Hinault breaks free – without consulting his teammates by the way – but nonetheless LeMond can’t “chase” him because they’re teammates。 LeMond tries to get other cyclists on other teams to “chase” Hinault and then that would allow LeMond to “ride” with them。 Huh？There was also a moment in the 1985 Tour where LeMond broke with another top rider， Roche， and was told not to “ride” with Roche – by his own team。 My guess is that to “ride” together essentially means they could work together， and take turns drafting， to break free from the group rather than against each other and “attack” each other and thus use more energy and increase the risk the peloton might catch up。 Roche claims in the book that if they had been allowed to “ride” together they could have finished 1-2 in the 1985 Tour。 I also think this control as the patron led Hinault to believe – either openly or not – that the rules did not apply to him。 He demonstrated this in examples large and small that were cited in the book。 Hinault attacked in the “feed zone”， which the peloton looked the other way at， and he attacked on a descent， which for some reason was not typically done previously。 If you think the rules don’t apply to you， why would you not break your promise and go for another tour win？Hinault would also never admit this， but I think his pride also contributed to playing both sides because he didn’t want to appear as the “bad” guy。 By playing both sides， if he won his sixth Tour， well then LeMond lost it， and anything can happen。 If Hinault lost but admitted that he was going for the win the whole time， then he is someone who can’t be trusted and broke his promise to someone who had kept his word the year before。Nothing demonstrates this more than during the famous mountain stage in 1986 where they rode to the finish line virtually hand in hand。 Hinault “protects” LeMond from the pro-Hinault crowd by riding first and not letting any spectators knock LeMond off his bike （another crazy aspect of the sport） while getting the stage win and passing the overall Tour “baton” to LeMond。 Hinault wants to appear noble even if his real ambitions are more straightforward。This duality was also rationalized by Hinault’s background and upbringing。 Hinault came from a poor， rural， tough background in the Brittany region of France。 While the nature argument has some validity to it， you’re ultimately responsible for your actions regardless。 This doesn’t even begin to broach what LeMond was going through during the 1986 Tour。 Greg LeMond is one of the most recognizable sports icons from my childhood。 I remember him appearing on numerous Sports Illustrated covers during his prime。 I was amazed to read about all the obstacles LeMond had to overcome， besides the race itself， to win his first Tour de France。One of the most dramatic parts of the book is when LeMond describes the Tour Director telling LeMond he’s rooting for LeMond to win but to nonetheless “watch out” for people attempting to sabotage LeMond。 LeMond became obsessed with watching what he drank and what he ate in fear of being poisoned。 That’s absolutely crazy – and believable。Also intriguing to me was simply reading about the nature of the sport itself。 Again， I’ve never been the biggest cycling fan， but I’ve always been amazed by them as athletes。 Their devotion to essentially unending pain is astonishing。Any time I’ve tuned into a Tour they all always look absolutely miserable。 I think they’re amazing athletes， able to ride for hours on end at top speed， often straight up the Alps and then back down at breakneck， life-threatening speed。 In fact， Hinault’s life- and career-threatening crash earlier in his career was also one of the more captivating parts of the book。 Overall a great book and I highly recommend it。 。。。more
Ballan Campeau
，
Droned on a bit but interesting look into the psychology of top flight athletics。Was Hinault a absolute jerk or was LeMond expecting too much。 Yogi Berra would have agreed， "It ain't over 'till it's over。" Droned on a bit but interesting look into the psychology of top flight athletics。Was Hinault a absolute jerk or was LeMond expecting too much。 Yogi Berra would have agreed， "It ain't over 'till it's over。" 。。。more
Tom Fish
，
This is one of my favourite books and was a re-read， something I'm doing a lot of at the moment。I love the way this book tells the story of the various protagonists of that 1986 Tour， and provides context。 It might not be what you expect when you go into the book， you might think most of it would be about the race， but having the context means even though I knew the ending it still felt exhilarating。 What a race 1986 was， I wish I could have seen it。 It had everything， but I can't decide whether This is one of my favourite books and was a re-read， something I'm doing a lot of at the moment。I love the way this book tells the story of the various protagonists of that 1986 Tour， and provides context。 It might not be what you expect when you go into the book， you might think most of it would be about the race， but having the context means even though I knew the ending it still felt exhilarating。 What a race 1986 was， I wish I could have seen it。 It had everything， but I can't decide whether it was the greatest Tour ever。 Maybe after a few more re-reads and new cycling books I'll make up my mind。Probably not though。 。。。more
Bob
，
Excellent explanation of tactics
Aysegul Birlik
，
“Tekrar ikinci olmaktansa yarışı bırakmayı tercih ederim “ ~ Greg Lemond
Jason
，
Good read。 Sometimes the drama makes way for facts but overall an enjoyable read。A full book on one race is a tall order， but this is a excellent attempt to keep the drama going all the way through。 Worth a read。
Jim Miller
，
For cycling fans this is an outstanding look at the inner battles of the 1986 tour and the battle between Hinault and Lemond
John
，
A brilliant and well researched story of the intrigue surrounding on of the World’s greatest sporting events， and the rivalry between two of its most enigmatic characters
Sharoon Saleem
，
Brilliantly written， plausibly the best cycling book I have read。 An autopsy of team dynamics in cycling and the rise of a future champion。
Mikkel Krupa
，
3，5。 Rigtig spændende historier om to af de største ryttere， men bogen er undertiden meget rodet skrevet。
Vassilis
，
"slaying"？？？ that's not really accurate。 It's an eye-catching title。 What the book describes has nothing to do with slaying。 It's more about toxic drama inside the La Vie Claire team。 The writing is mediocre overall。 It's a long version of a sport beat article。 While a short text that is hosted on website that might be ok， it doesn't really work well on a book。 It's rather lazy， and it gets tiring。 Furthermore， the writer does not analyze deep enough the conflict despite that he is trying。 It is "slaying"？？？ that's not really accurate。 It's an eye-catching title。 What the book describes has nothing to do with slaying。 It's more about toxic drama inside the La Vie Claire team。 The writing is mediocre overall。 It's a long version of a sport beat article。 While a short text that is hosted on website that might be ok， it doesn't really work well on a book。 It's rather lazy， and it gets tiring。 Furthermore， the writer does not analyze deep enough the conflict despite that he is trying。 It is not because of the bad writing but mostly because his interviewing skills （weak）。Still， if you don't know a lot about the tour， and especially the tour in the 80s， the books has a good overview。 。。。more
JohnnyB
，
Brilliant。 The author passionately describes in detail the nuances and psycho-drama of these two elite athletes。 You don’t have to be a cyclist to enjoy this enthralling story。
Bram Wijngaarden
，
More like a documentary than research journalism - talking heads interspersed with race reports - and just before my time （I started taking an interest in cycling in Indurain's last tour）， but thoroughly interesting nonetheless More like a documentary than research journalism - talking heads interspersed with race reports - and just before my time （I started taking an interest in cycling in Indurain's last tour）， but thoroughly interesting nonetheless 。。。more
David
，
Good story， great characters， most enjoyable
Owen
，
A Very interesting and well researched look at the 1986 Tour de France。 This race had two great riders， and lots of controversy。 It looks at things from many different angles。 You learn a lot about the complexities of bicycle team stage races。 You also learn a lot about the two superstars， and their coaches and directors。The book is not limited to this one race but looks in greater detail at many of the races， and several of the main riders in this and other races。
pianogal
，