“Vélo d’Or” is an award given annually to the cyclist considered to have performed the best over the year. Here is a gallery of Vélo d’Or winners from 1992, the year the award was created, to 1999.
Miguel Induráin (1992, 1993)
Miguel Induráin (Spain) won the Vélo d’Or award twice (in 1992 and 1993). He was also second in 1993 and 1994.
Induráin won the Tour de France five times, from 1991 to 1995, becoming the fourth cyclist to achieve this (Jacques Anquetil, Eddy Merckx, and Bernard Hinault).
In 1992, Induráin achieved the prestigious Giro-Tour double, which is considered the most difficult combination of any races in pro cycling (no rider has ever won all three grand tours in a single year).
He also won the Volta a Catalunya and became the Spanish national road champion. He was the 1st Overall UCI Road World Rankings.
In 1993, he repeated the Giro-Tour double, another first in cycling history. He also won the Vuelta Castilla y Leon and became second in the UCI Road World Championships.
In 1994 he set a world hour record of 53.040 kilometers (32.958 mi), beating Graeme Obree.
Tony Rominger (1994)
The Swiss cyclist Tony Rominger won the Vuelta a España in 1992, 1993, and 1994 and the Giro d’Italia in 1995.
In 1994, he broke the Hour Record twice (October 24 – 53.832 km and November 5 – 55.291 km). He won the Vuelta a España, Tour of the Basque Country, Paris-Nice, Grand Prix Eddy Merckx, and Grand Prix des Nations (an individual time trial that was held annually in Cannes, France between 1932 and 2004, often regarded as the unofficial time trial championship of the world).
Laurent Jalabert (1995)
Laurent Jalabert is one of only five riders to win the points classification in all three grand tours, with Alessandro Petacchi, Eddy Merckx, Djamolidine Abdoujaparov, and Mark Cavendish.
In 1995, he won the overall classification of Vuelta a España (he also won the points and the mountains classification along with five stages), Tour de France points classification, Paris-Nice, Volta a Catalunya, Milan-San Remo, La Flèche Wallonne, GP de Toulouse, and GP Amore-Bieta.
Johan Museeuw (1996)
Museeuw is considered one of the best classic races specialists in the 1990s.
In 1996, he won the UCI Road World Cup, UCI Road World Championships Road race, National Road Championships, Paris–Roubaix, Brabantse Pijl, and Omloop Mandel-Leie-Schelde.
Jan Ullrich (1997)
In 1997, Ullrich won the overall classification and the young rider classification of the Tour de France. He also won National Road Championships, HEW Cyclassics, and the Luk Cup.
Marco Pantani (1998)
Pantani is widely considered one of the best climbers in cycling history. His attacking style and aggressive riding turned him into a fan favorite in the late 1990s.
In 1998, he won both Giro d’Italia and the Tour de France (he is the last cyclist to achieve the Giro-Tour double as of 2019).
Lance Armstrong (1999, annulled)
In 1999, Armstrong won the Tour de France, including four stages. It was the first of his seven consecutive Tour wins.
His all results from August 1998 onward, including seven Tour de France titles are voided by the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency).
Sources
- Vélo d’Or on Wikipedia
- “Julian Alaphilippe wins Vélo d’Or prize as the top rider of 2019” on Velonews
- Miguel Induráin on Wikipedia
- Tony Rominger on Wikipedia
- Laurent Jalabert on Wikipedia
- Johan Museeuw on Wikipedia
- Jan Ullrich on Wikipedia
- Marco Pantani on Wikipedia
- Lance Armstrong doping case on Wikipedia
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