A moment in time Freddy Maertens returns from the dead
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 Depart, 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
