1987 Tour de France - La Plagne

Stephen Roche's amazing comeback against Pedro Delgado at La Plagne in the 1987 Tour de France. Roche collapses after crossing the line and is given oxygen.

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  Sports

[TonyBananas101]

why does the commentator say "surely now Stephen Roche will win the Tour De Francathe" when at that stage he was behind Delgado??

[Matteomjb]

Because Delgado was the better climber but Roche was the better time triallist and descender. This was the last mountain top finish, there was one mountain stage to go (which had a descent to the finish) and a 40km time trial. Delgado needed a bigger lead at this point if he was going to beat Roche overall.

[kevin fee]

Roche got up that mountain by hanging onto his team car.simple as that.it wasnt possible any other way.

[Matteomjb]

Rubbish. He never hung on to any car. I was there and saw him chasing.

There are a number of factors that made it seem more dramatic than it really was. Delgado cracked; he was caught and passed by Parra and was visibly slowing in the final kms. Roche accelerated over the final 4 or 5 km, but not by enough to drop Roux and Loro who stayed with him until the final few hundred meters.

[Matteomjb]

The gap had been coming down over the final 5 km, but either the lack of time gaps or Liggetts lack of knowledge of them surprised him when Roche finished. I timed him at 40 seconds behind Delgado with about 2.5km to go.

[thesmiths42]

"...and just who is that rider coming up behind, because that looks like Roche!. That looks like Steven Roche!! IT'S STEVEN ROCHE COME OVER THE LINE..."

[eckeren]

The brilliant phil liggott commentary on a pure piece of cycling bravery. Roche road himself into the ground.....what a fantastic piece of footage

[Philip Britton]

you talk out of your arsehole back it up with proof before you make allegations like that .

[dubcindub15]

That's a completely slanderous allegation unless you have absolute proof to back up your accusation. Publish in a professionally recognised cycling journal/website, or show your proof for all to see, or else fuck off trolling.

[TheKerrynuts]

keep telling yourself that sky are doped to the gills they just have more money than other teams to pay off all the mafia who control it. Believe me when there is money involved sponsors dont want second place!

[kevin fee]

Right up there with michelle du bruin as a moment of poor bullshit

[kevin fee]

the cameras were told to disappear.he hung on to the team car all the way up the mountain