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ORCIERES MERLETTE 1971
THE MYTHICAL STAGE OF LUIS OCANA
The 1971 season will remain Ocana's challenge against Merckx.
Maurice de Muer, the sports director of the BIC team, had asked its leader Luis Ocana to be less fiery in his races at the beginning of the calendar in order to reserve for the Tour de France.
Ocana had nevertheless taken its revenge on Poulidor by winning the Tour of the Basque Country.
During the Dauphiné, Ocana rocked Merckx and understood that the ogre was vulnerable.
The main objective of the year came with the Tour and Luis Ocana was among the outsiders of the great Eddy, holder of the last two editions of the Tour (1969 and 1970).
The first week of Round 71 allowed Eddy Merckx's rivals to preserve their chances by conceding him very little time.
The first mountain stage was in the Auvergne, it was the Puy de Dôme and gave the first lessons on the strong men of this Tour:
1st Ocana, 2. Zoetemelk at 7 sec; 3. Agostinho at 13 sec; 4. Merckx at 15 sec; 5. G.Petterson at 49 sec; 6. Tamams at 1mn10sec; 7. Guimard at 1mn 15sec; 8. Thévenet at 1mn21sec ; 9. Motta at 1mn7sec ; 10. Paolini at 1mn52 sec
Ocana was getting closer to Merckx and the Alps were on the horizon.
The 10th stage St Etienne-Grenoble led by the Bic d'Ocana team and won by our Frenchman Bernard Thévenet in front of his three runaway companions G.Petterson, Zoetemelk and Ocana saw the great Eddy give up more than a minute and thirty seconds: he lost the leader's jersey and Zoetemelk put on the yellow jersey for a second ahead of Ocana.
The 11th stage of July 8, 1971 will remain in the legend of all the Tours de France and world cycling.
This 134 km Grenoble-Orcières-Merlette stage included the 2nd category côte de Laffrey, the 2nd category Col du Noyer and the unpublished 1st category climb of Orcières-Merlette at an altitude of over 1800 metres.
Luis Ocana had planned to attack from afar and the côte de Laffrey was the first ally of the Spanish champion with very steep slopes: Agostinho was the first to attack and then Ocana decided to go on the offensive he took with him the yellow jersey Zoetemelk, Van Impe and Merckx had already given in.
This group of four riders reached the second difficulty of the day on the Col du Noyer. Ocana always set the pace of the breakaway and irremediably let go these three companions: a huge feat was beginning to be written as they heard the encouragement of the public in the twists and turns of this climb and looked at the gaps at the top of this 1664-metre high pass: Zoetemelk, Agostino and Van Impe at 4 minutes and Eddy Merckx's group at 5 and a half minutes with 5 Bic d'Ocana riders and no riders from the great Eddy's Molténi .
All those who thought that Luis Ocana, the Frenchman from Mont De Marsan, was going to collapse in the ascent of Orcières-Merlette were at their expense.
The Spanish champion continued his great effort and concluded this great ride with a victory with a gap of one stage of legend:
1. Luis Ocana in 4h02mn49 sec for the 133 Km; 2. Van Impe at 5mn 52 sec; 3. Merckx at 8 mn 42 sec; 4. Zoetemelk 5. G.Petterson; 6. Thévenet; 7.Labourdette; 8. Guimard at 8'46"; 9. T.Petterson; 10. Agostinho at 8'50".
The organisation had to increase the finish times from 12% to 15% (otherwise they would only have stayed in the race for the first 38 classified riders).
There were only 3 riders eliminated.
The general classification on the evening of this legendary stage:
1- Ocana; 2. Zoetemelk at 8mn 43sec; 3. Van Impe at 9'20; 4.G.Petterson at 9mn 26sec; 5. Merckx at 9mn 46sec; 6. Thévenet at 10 minutes 46 seconds; 7. Mortensen at 13mn 22sec; 8.T.Petterson at 14mn 50sec; 9.Agostinho at 20mn 31sec; 10.Guimard at 21mn 35sec; 11. Danguillaume at 22mn 49sec ; 12.Labourdette at 25mn 35sec ; 13.
You read correctly at the exit of the Alps Luis Ocana had put King Eddy Merckx nearly ten minutes away.
Everybody thought the Tour was over, but unfortunately Luis Ocana had to give up in the Pyrenees after a terrible crash on the descent of the Col de Mente.
This Orcières-Merlette stage of the 1971 Tour is the legend of the Tour where Ocana took ten minutes from the great Eddy Merckx.
