Bernard Hinault - The Badger

A mud-spattered Bernard Hinault on his way to winning the 1983 Flèche Wallonne, a race which he controlled from start to finish. Hinault was on a tear that day, accelerating on the finishing circuit around the city of Huy and dropping most of his adversaries including Jan Raas, Giuseppe Saronni, and Hennie Kuiper.

Hinault wears an interesting black Renault jersey. This short sleeve jersey has nylon facing on the front and shoulder panels (note the teams normal yellow striped jersey visible in the background).

Note the badger patch applied to the front of Hinault's helmet. Early in his racing career Hinault earned the nickname "Le Blaireau" (The Badger) because of his stubborn tenacity. The badger design also appears on the plug of his Cinelli 1-R stem and below the "Gitane" label on the headtube.

From "Eddy Merckx - The Fabulous World of Cycling - 1983 Season", 1983, Offpress s.a., Brussels, Belgium.

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