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At the 1981 Tour de France, everyone believed Belgian sprinter Freddy Maertens was burnt out – a has-been. How wrong they were
Words: Giles Belbin
Photography: L Equipe
The opening day of the 1981 Tour de France didn’t go the way Freddy Maertens would have wanted. For just the third time in its history the race had headed to southern France for its Grand Départ, with Nice having the honour of hosting the big send-off for the first time.
To the bemusement of many observers, Maertens was among the riders assembling on the Mediterranean coast.
Maertens had suffered a terrible previous two seasons, finishing few races and winning nothing of importance. He was a shadow of his former self – a rider who had won 54 races and the rainbow jersey in 1976; who had led the Vuelta from start to finish in 1977, taking 13 stage wins along the way; who had won the green jersey at the Tour twice (1976 and 78). He seemed little more than a fast-fading memory.