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Hinault's attacking style brought him five Tour wins
Farmer's son Bernard Hinault won on his Tour debut in 1978. And the fiery Frenchman went on to equal Merckx and Anquetil's record of five wins. Hinault was a brave, exciting all-rounder with an infamously short-temper. He endeared himself to the French public with his attacking style and never-say-die spirit. In the 1980's English speaking riders, like Ireland's Sean Kelly and Australia's Phil Anderson, began to make their mark. Scotland's Robert Millar won the polka-dot jersey for best climber and finished 4th overall in the 1984 race.
The American rider Greg Lemond spearheaded this invasion. Lemond won the race three times between 1986 and 1990 to become the first non-European winner of the Tour. He beat Laurent Fignon of France by 8 seconds in 1989 - the narrowest winning margin in Tour history! Lemond could have won more but missed the race in 1987 and 1988 due to a shooting accident. The Irishman Stephen Roche won in 1987. In Lemond's last win in 1990 a quiet Spaniard finished 10th. He was to become the star of the 1990's.
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