I think this is from the 1986 TdF when Hinault attacked Lemond. Are they climbing Galibier from the Briancon Side ?
http://grahamwatson.com/dublin/lemond/image8.html
Dev
I would guess that it is from the infamous stage to AdH where they crossed the line hand in hand, but Hinault was given the victory (and the time bonus).
Thanks for answering my question. I noticed the caption at the bottom of the photo shortly after posting. That was an epic stage. Did they come up from to Alpe d’huez from Grenoble that day, or did they come down from Lauteret ?
For some reason, I have this vision of Lemond in Yellow and Hinault wearing that “all purpose pts jersey” attacking each other on Galibier with the North America La Vie Claire guys (Baue, Hampsten) riding for Lemond and the Euros riding for Hinault. I think in that Tour they had Lemond 1st, Hinault 2nd, Hampsten 4th, Bauer 9th, Ruttiman 10th. They may have even had another rider in the top 10.
Wow, that was 19 years ago. My age is showing 
The stage started in Briancon, climbed the Galibier where Hinault attacked on the descent. Somewhere along the line Lemond, Bauer and Ruiz-Cabasteny sp? joined him in the Marienne valley and Bauer destroyed himself into the wind to the foot of the Croix de Fer. The others were dropped and Lemond and Hinault continued on while the rest of the field crumbled behind.
La Vie Claire had Lemond, Hinault and Hampsten as you said with Ruttiman in 8th or 9th, Jean-Francois Bernard in 12 and Bauer in 22nd.
I was 16 that year.
Chad
OK, so I am not out to lunch, they did climb Galibier from the Briancon side that day. Croix de Fer from the St. Jean de Maureanne side has to be insanely difficult as a “warmup” to Alpe d’Huez.
While Lance might be the greatest TdF rider of all time, Lemond won his first two tours with minimal team support (in fact, with team leader attacking him in 86). Lemond could have won 85, 87, 88, if events in life had been more in his favour. Then again, you “make your own luck” and Lance has.
Wasn’t Zimmerman with them at first as well? And he almost lost it in a descent and decided to ride for thirs spot.
I believe he went with Lemond initially, lost contact as you said and then got no help from anyone the rest of the day. He was simply the last victim to be run over by the la vie claire train. A super-fast Robert Millar did so much work in the Pyrrenees that we was toasted by the Alpes, got sick and dropped out. Zimmerman benefitted riding with Lemond the day before to the top of the Col de Granon (a lesser known climb than Alpe d’Huez, but even tougher IMO), but when it came time to chase on the way to Alpe d’Huez there was no one to help.
Chad
Right, there is quite a bit of (false) flat there and he was all by himself, must be strange to be in a race and see absolutely nobody in front or behind you for hours.
Sounds like a long distance Tri !!!
In an ideal draft-free world.
Quite.
CG just range me and said you may be at Dorchester Tri. That could be a draft nightmare…
Was it not in the 89 Tour that “super domestique” Miguel Indurain, pull Pedro Delgado back to the group in between Madeleine and the foot of Telegraphe. It seems that there have been some serious motorpacing session in that valley between St Jean and St Michel over time !
“While Lance might be the greatest TdF rider of all time, Lemond won his first two tours with minimal team support (in fact, with team leader attacking him in 86). Lemond could have won 85, 87, 88, if events in life had been more in his favour. Then again, you “make your own luck” and Lance has”
Dev,
I think that Lance Armstrong has redefined, big tour racing. Not to take anything away from Lance, but he has had the total support, from start to finish of his teams in every tour win and the main teams with a focus on GC at the big Tours have built similar type of teams. As you point out, Greg Lemond won the Tour de France twice with minimal if any team support. I am not sure if a rider could do that these days.
Fleck
To amplify on this, Lemond won in 1986, in spite of half his team. There is one thing winning with minimal team support. It is totally another thing when your own teammates are attacking you.
Lemond blazed the trail for the current North American bike studs.