1981 Tour de France
Route of the 1981 Tour de France
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| Race details | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Dates | 25 June – 19 July | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Stages | 22 + Prologue, including two split stages | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Distance | 3,753 km (2,332 mi) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Winning time | 96h 19' 38" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Results | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Winner |
 Bernard Hinault (FRA)
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(Renault–Elf–Gitane) |
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| Second |
 Lucien Van Impe (BEL)
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(Boston–Mavic) | |
| Third |
Robert Alban (FRA)
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(La Redoute–Motobecane) | |
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Points |
Freddy Maertens (BEL)
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(Sunair–Sport 80–Colnago) |
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Mountains |
Lucien Van Impe (BEL)
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(Boston–Mavic) |
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Youth |
 Peter Winnen (NED)
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(Capri Sonne–Koga Miyata) |
| Combination |
Bernard Hinault (FRA)
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(Peugeot–Esso–Michelin) | |
| Sprints |
Freddy Maertens (BEL)
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(Sunair–Sport 80–Colnago) | |
| Team | Peugeot–Esso–Michelin | ||
| Team Points | Peugeot–Esso–Michelin | ||
The 1981 Tour de France was the 68th edition of the Tour de France, taking place between 25 June and 19 July. The total race distance was 24 stages over 3,753 km (2,332 mi). It was dominated by Bernard Hinault, who led the race from the sixth stage on, increasing his lead almost every stage, and winning the race with a margin of almost 15 minutes. Only Phil Anderson was able to stay close to him, until the seventeenth stage when he lost 17 minutes.
The points classification was won by Freddy Maertens, who did so by winning six stages. The mountains classification was won by Lucien Van Impe, Peter Winnen won the young rider classification, and the Peugeot team won the team classification.
Late 1980, there were plans to make the tour "open", which meant that amateur teams would also be allowed to join. This would make it possible for teams from Eastern Europe to join. The plan did not materialize, so only professional teams were invited. In January 1981, the organisation decided that there would be 15 teams with 10 cyclists, or 16 teams with 9 cyclists each. At that point, 16 teams had already submitted a request to join, and the organisation was in discussion with four additional Italian teams, and the American national team. In the end, the American team did not apply, and the Italian teams decided to focus on the 1981 Giro d'Italia. The organisation selected 15 teams, who each selected 10 cyclists, for a total of 150 participants.
The teams entering the race were:
Bernard Hinault, the winner of the 1978 and 1979 Tour de France and reigning world champion, was the main favourite. His knee problems, that caused him to leave the 1980 Tour de France, were solved, and he was in form: Hinault had won important races in the spring, and he had skipped the 1981 Giro d'Italia to focus on the Tour. His main rivals were 1980 Tour de France winner Joop Zoetemelk, 1976 Tour de France winner Lucien Van Impe and Joaquim Agostinho, although they had never been able to beat Hinault when he was in form, and of these rivals only Zoetemelk was ever able to keep Hinault within striking distance.
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