1986 Tour de France stage winner picks his dream team
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Davis Phinney's cycling dream team
Cycling legend Davis Phinney takes the podium with his up-and-coming son, Taylor Phinney.(Image credit: James Huang/Cyclingnews.com)
Andy Hampsten savours victory in the 1988 Giro d'Italia (Image credit: Fotoreporter Sirotti)
Michael Engleman and Rebecca Much(Image credit: Rebecca Much)
1984 Worlds: Steve Bauer (Canada) had quite a year in 1984 by winning silver at the Olympic road race in Los Angeles then turning pro one month later to take bronze at Worlds in Barcelona, Spain - his first professional road race(Image credit: Sirotti)
Road Captain/All rounder: Steve Bauer, 7-Eleven. In our amateur days Steve and I duked it out all across the US, but following his silver medal ride in the 1984 Olympics, Steve turned pro and impressively found immediate success, scoring a bronze in the 1984 World Championship road race. He went on to wear the Yellow Jersey for numerous days at the Tour in both ’88 and ’90, won a stage (’88) and finished 4th overall in the infamous 1986 Tour de France where his then La Vie Clare teammates Greg Lemond and Bernard Hinault battled each other for the win. Competitive in any and all races from the Classics - like Paris-Roubaix, where he came agonizingly close to victory, judged 2nd on the line by mere millimeters to Eddy Planckaert in the closest finish in the race’s history (1990) - to Grand Tours, Steve’s unflappably calm, confident demeanor and astute tactical sense proved invaluable as a team leader.
Climber: Andy Hampsten, 7-Eleven. During the mid - late 1980s, Andy (with due respect to Lucho Herrera and Robert Miller) was arguably the best pure climber in the world. He won the stage to Gran Paradiso during the ’85 Giro - which happened to be his first ever pro race - and never looked back. He is most well known for being the only American ever crowned Giro Champion (’88) and his win on Alpe D’Huez ('92) was simply sublime. A resilient North Dakotan (he showcased his grit, riding into the Pink Jersey, during the infamous blizzard on Gavia Pass), Andy was a hard-working, unabashedly principled teammate, who set the highest standards for personal integrity.
All rounder: Raul Alcala, 7-Eleven. Raul was one of the most naturally talented riders I ever had the privilege to ride with. Easy going yet proud, he could do it all; from crushing TT rides, to climbing with the best (multi TdF stage and White Jersey winner), to doing the hard work at the front of a chase, Raul always stepped up. Tactically savvy, he had a feel for the races that can’t be taught. Easy to be around, with an infectious laugh and ready smile, Raul was an ace in our proverbial deck of cards.
