Watch the closing 5km of the 1980 edition of Liège-Bastogne-Liège and, as the camera settles on Bernard Hinault, you soon realise the huge margin of victory about to be enjoyed by the Frenchman.
The patron of the peloton is out front alone and wearing number 44 on the back of his famous yellow and black Renault team jersey, and as he enters the outskirts of Liège a motorcycle pulls alongside and there, etched on the blackboard carried by the motorcycle’s pillion passenger, are the bare details that confirm Hinault has smashed his competition: No44: 8’ 30”.
It’s a huge gap of course – one that would ultimately grow into a winning margin of more
