This Tour Is No Cruise Tour De France Under Way In Six Days

Miguel Indurain won the Tour de France five consecutive times this decade, using explosive bursts in the time trials to make history.

But the Spaniard known as “Big Mig” stepped off his bicycle for good in January, leaving the sport’s premier race wide open this year, even with the return of defending champion Bjarne Riis of Denmark.

“Now I’m the one to beat,” Riis said, adding that he doesn’t mind the extra pressure. “I’ve learned to live with that. I’ll try to use that in a positive way instead of letting it nag me.”

The Tour begins Saturday in Rouen, northwest of Paris, and ends three weeks later after a decisive time trial around the Magic Kingdom of Disneyland Paris.

Indurain had turned the Tour into his own personal kingdom from 1991 to 1995, becoming the only rider to win the race five times in a row. After he won his first title when three-time winner Greg LeMond faded, it became a race of Indurain against the rest of the field - and Indurain came out ahead.

He won the four following years with a simple tactic: stay close on the flats and in the mountains, then annihilate them in the time trials.

Simple, but everyone else still feared it. Even in 1996, when Indurain fell behind, everyone waited and waited for him to come back. He never did and finished 11th, more than 14 minutes behind.

He announced his retirement on Jan. 2, saying he had dedicated enough time to professional cycling.

Riis took advantage of Indurain’s failure last year and held on for the victory ahead of Telekom teammate Jan Ullrich and Richard Virenque.

All three are back, but none of them have been outstanding this season. Riis, though, didn’t show much before last year’s Tour, either.

Riis, the first Dane to win the race, is surrounded by a good team in Telekom. He has helpers in the mountains, sprinters on flats and teammates willing to sacrifice themselves for the overall victory.

This year it may be difficult to convince Ullrich, who is doing well in the Tour of Switzerland. He is just 23 and became the first German since before World War II to be in the top three of the Tour, finishing barely a minute behind Riis.

Ullrich won one stage in Switzerland and finished second in two others.

“When we’re so near the Tour, it is always good to be reassured,” he said. “To win a stage represents for me a nice reward. A success that can mean something coming up in the Tour de France.”

During the early 1990s, there was Indurain and Italians Gianni Bugno and Claudio Chiappucci battling in the mountains. Then it was Indurain and Swiss riders Tony Rominger and Alex Zuelle in the time trials.

Now, Bugno is all but out of cycling, Chiappucci’s team didn’t qualify for this year’s race, Rominger is getting old and Zuelle is recovering from a broken collarbone.

Zuelle had surgery earlier this month and his team hopes he’ll be able to start the Tour. He was the runner-up in 1995 but has never really challenged for the title.

“He will be the one of the cyclists more rested, and that can be an advantage,” said Manolo Saiz, manager of Zuelle’s team.

Over the last few years, several up-and-comers had hoped to take Indurain’s place as the best in the sport: Russian Yevgeny Berzin, who beat Indurain in the Tour of Italy one year, and Laurent Jalabert and Virenque, two French riders.

Chris Boardman of England and Lance Armstrong of the United States were also mentioned as riders to watch. Boardman is a speed specialist who has had trouble holding the distance; Armstrong, who won the one-day world championship in 1993, is recovering from testicular cancer.

Abraham Olano was built up in Spain as Indurain’s successor, especially after Indurain helped him win the world title.

But in a race that lasts three weeks, a lot can happen and none of the hopefuls have been consistent.

In 1989 defending champion Pedro Delgado lost nearly three minutes when he arrived late for the start. Two years ago Boardman crashed on a rain-slicked road in the prologue.

Entire teams had to drop out after a number of riders were stricken with a mysterious illness, which some suspected had to do with doping. This year the Tour will be watched even more, with surprise blood tests sure to cause a lot of problems and maybe some dropouts.

The Tour’s opening time trial is five miles around Rouen, also the site of the 119-mile first stage. The second stage begins on the northern coast in St. Valery-en-Caux and sends the riders south. They’ll hit the Pyrenees by Bastille Day, July 14.

After the Pyrenees and a rest day, the second part begins with a time trial in St. Etienne on July 18. Then it’s off to the Alps and a quick trip through Switzerland.

A few more stages over eastern France and the riders head to Disneyland Paris, where there’s a 38.5-mile time trial the day before the final day.

When the cyclists cross the finish line on the Champs Elysees in Paris, they will have completed 21 stages - and 2,405 miles.

Riis is confident he can wear the yellow jersey again at the end.

“If I ride as powerful as I did last year, I’ll feel safe,” he said. “They can’t beat me (or else) they’ll have to ride damn fast.”