TSP14: The 1992 Nice Triathlon
The video above is from the TF1 coverage of the 1992 Nice Triathlon. And this podcast episode and blog post is going to be the first of hopefully a three part series that will look at the Summer of 1992.
1992 was the first year that I raced in France on a family holiday. And from buying Triathlete magazines in French. Which I couldn't read at the time. I started to get interested in the triathlon scene over there.
The idea for this series comes from a video recently posted by Ben Bright. It’s a must-watch for anybody interested in triathlon history. Here it is.
Following Bright’s career in France from 1992 onward was one of the inspirations for me to figure out how to move to France and find a French triathlon club to race for. I spoke about my French ambitions in TSP10.
So we are going to look at Nice which took place on 14th June, Grenoble from the 28th June and Ironbridge which was organised on the 18th July. Ben Bright did all three. So the logical conclusion to the series would be to try and contact him to ask if he would agree to come on the podcast. To take us through those 5 crazy weeks in 1992.
In Nice, Bright led the race with Yves Cordier for half of the bike leg. Before exploding spectacularly on the run. Grenoble was the first time a triathlon had climbed Alpe d’Huez. And Ironbridge was incredible. I was there. As 17 year old Bright cycled away from Britain’s best.
Image: Triathlete (FR) Juillet 1992
The 1992 edition of Nice was a classic. Definitely in my top 5 editions of the race. My others are 1985, 1990, 1993 and 1995.
I’ve already blogged about the 1995 and 1993 Nice races. So today let's look a bit more at the event’s 1982 origins. There are lots of stories out there. But the one I really like is from Mark Allen’s blog post: The Epic History of Triathlon in Nice. Below.
The idea was conceived by International Management Group. IMG hopped on the wave of triathlon’s stardom status and brought that sparkle to Europe.
They wanted to stage a world-class triathlon on the Mediterranean. The race would also be aired on television in the US on CBS, which was a direct competitor of ABC where IRONMAN had its home at the time. So it appeared that they also wanted to be a direct competitor of IRONMAN!
The location for the inaugural Nice Triathlon was going to be the famed Principality of Monaco. Unfortunately, just two months before it was to take place, Princess Grace of Monaco died in a horrific car crash.
Monaco in mourning put a moratorium on holding any kind of celebratory sporting events like the triathlon for one year. IMG needed to immediately find a new home for its race. As only history can now see as a fortuitous twist of tragic events, the race was shifted a short distance west along the Mediterranean Sea to Nice.
The swim would be in the iconic blue waters at the base of Nice. The cycling leg would scale the Maritime Alps through tiny villages where it seemed time stood still. And then the run would start and finish on the Promenade des Anglais, a street as famous as any boulevard in the world.
The distances that very first year were awkwardly in favor of the runners. The swim was 1,500m. The cycling leg was 100km. But then the run would be a full marathon. The athletes knew it was run heavy, but didn’t complain a whole lot because we were going to be racing a world-class triathlon in Europe, in Nice, on the Cote d’Azur!
Why was that mix of distances selected? Perhaps the organizers felt anything less than a marathon for the final leg wouldn’t be grueling enough to match IRONMAN”s distances and challenges. Safe to say, if that was their intentions, they succeeded!
Of the 55 athletes that competed in 1982 were 20 British triathletes. In fact, Danny Nightingale was the first European finisher in 9th place. He’d won Modern Pentathlon Team Gold at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. And Mick Flaherty was first out of the swim. Mick would go on to lead swims on the UK triathlon scene throughout the 1980s.
The British Nice party was led by Mike Ellis. Also a former modern pentathlete and RAF PE instructor. To help athletes train for the race Mike organised a triathlon in Reading in September of 1982.
After Nice, the British competitors were very excited about the future of the sport. This included Dagenham newsagent Aleck Hunter. Who, with Mike Ellis founded the British Triathlon Association on 11th December 1982 at a meeting held at Mike’s gym, the Mall Health Club in Reading.
In 1983 the swim and bike were increased to 3 km and 120 km. But the run was reduced to 32 km at the request of the American pros. Who wanted semi-fresh legs for the upcoming Ironman in Hawaii.
There was a fairly big change in 1988 as the swim was lengthened to 4 km. And that is how it was in 1992. 4 km/120 Km/32 km.
So now let’s look closer at the course that was used in 1992.
In 1992 the swim course was on a big clockwise loop. And the water was 19°C. In 1987 (see map above) they used an anti-clockwise loop.
Once on the bike you have 15 flat km along the coast to St Laurent du Var. Then inland a few kilometres before heading through a kind of industrial estate to start climbing on the M2209 road. You pass through Gattieres and then Carros. Where you join the M1 towards Le Broc.
At Le Broc you’ve done 30km and climbed 450m. At an average gradient of 3-5%. From Le Broc it’s rolling terrain before the big descent into Roquesteron. Where you cross the bridge over the River Esteron. You are at an altitude of 350m. And at about the halfway point of your ride.
The next famous part of the course is Gilette. Which is the cobbled, perched village that you see on the helicopter shots. Roquesteron to Gillete is about 20 km. 12 of those are rolling. And around 8 are climbing. Again at 3-5%. In Gilette you are back up at 450m above sea level.
From Gilette the descent to the valley floor is about 10km long and brings you down to about 100m above sea level. All you then have left is the flat slash slightly descending 30km next to the Var River and back to the coast. To repeat the first 10km back to Ruhl Plage in central Nice.
Finally the run course is completely flat and mainly unshaded. 16 km out. Around some cones at La Plage de la Siesta and back. To finish you have to go up a little green-carpeted ramp. Which also serves as the transition area entrance and exit.
Images: Triathlete (FR) Juillet 1992
Now to get a real feel for how the Nice race unfolded on 14th June 1992. Let’s dive into the magazines. I have race reports from the UK’s 220 and Triathlete France. The report in French (above) was written by Max Malaurent. Who went on to start TED Mag. I spoke about it in TSP5.
Here’s a translation:
We believed, truly believed. Until the end. Until the end of the promenade. That the child from this very coast was going to do the impossible. And beat Mark allen. On his favourite terrain. The place where he first showed his talent with his first of eight wins in 1982.
The dream started to take shape with the very first pedal strokes. At the time check on La Cote de Broc near the 30km point, Cordier, racing for Monaco, passed through in the lead. And Cordier was accompanied by a young athlete, Ben Bright, racing for Macon. Who rode hard, seemingly without a care for the occasion or the distance.
There were significant gaps to the favourites. 1:50 over Wolfgang Dittrich. 5:00 to Rob Barel, Nick Croft and Mike Pigg. And astonishingly, 7:00 to 8 time winner Mark Allen. Kind of unexpected, especially as all these guys had come out of the water pretty close together. And traditionally being in the lead on the bike at Nice is Dittrich’s job.
Some of Mark’s gap to the lead could be explained by a bad swim due to the effects of a broken clavicle earlier in the year. But more astonishing was that he didn’t look great on the bike either. Here’s a quote:
I was swimming with Pigg and Barel. But they were going too quickly for me. Even if we came out together. I’d used way too much energy in the adventure. Then at the start of the bike I had really sore legs. No force. No power. That’s when I started thinking. It’s over. What will happen if I finish 10th or 15th? After the race. With all the friends that had travelled to see me race. I was convinced that I couldn't win.
With a seven minute lead over Allen, Cordier could maybe start thinking that this was the one. The day when his breakaway would stick. And he might win. Or at least go very, very close. Here’s Yves:
When I learnt of the time gaps I didn’t start dreaming of any extraordinary outcomes. Au contraire. I listened to my body, focused on my pedalling technique, my position on the bike and the trajectories through the corners. I was never pushing my limits and overall I felt very good.
So good in fact that after Roquesteron. The halfway point. And still in the company of Bright. The advantage had grown. 4:25 to Pigg, 4:46 to Dittrich, 5:30 to Barel and … more than 9 minutes to Allen.
The dream was still alive. But Cordier, who used to race for Nice, knows the local terrain very, very well and understands that the hardest is also yet to come. Here’s Yves again:
Usually it’s between Roquesteron and Gillette that I lose a good chunk of my lead. The rest of my day therefore depends on how I handle this 30km section.
But maybe having Ben Bright with him this year was good news. In previous editions Cordier had spent the first 60km alone. Trying to catch Dittrich. That he usually did near Roquesteron. To then lead the race while the others worked behind, let's say in coalition.
But today the regrouping of the favourites didn’t happen. The pursuit was a loyal slash legal one. And having the young Bright with him provided maybe more of a psychological than physical assistance. Even though they kept a legal drafting distance, constantly surveyed by race officials, they each took their turn at the front. Maybe more to try and break the other than cooperate. But whatever. A group of 2 is better than being alone.
But the Australien, maybe still a bit young and inexperienced for such a distance, started to lose touch on the climb to Pierrefeu. After losing 50 or so metres to Cordier. Bright managed to get back on. But on the 4th time the elastic broke. The beautiful pedalling style was gone. And by T2 Ben Bright was 11 minutes behind Cordier. Before being taken off the run course and straight to hospital. Should he even have been allowed to take these risks by starting to race such a long race?
So, unlike previous years, Cordier had not lost any of his lead in the second half of the bike. But Mark Allen also hadn’t lost any more time and was looking much better in the last 30 km. Here’s what he said:
When I hit the last climb, the last descent and then the flat bit into town. I thought. Maybe. May-Be. With a 10 minute deficit I could finish 2nd or 3rd. Behind Yves and Rob.
When Mark arrived in transition the countdown started. What had his mid-course slump cost him? 9 minutes. But at least it was only 9 minutes. Cordier knew now that it was going to be close. Very close. But between these two. Pigg was at 5 minutes and Barel and Dittrich at a little over 6.
I did some quick calculations said Yves Cordier. If Allen ran as fast as he usually does. Around 1:54 for the 32km. I needed to do at least 2:03 to take it. It was possible. But I was really hoping that Mark wasn’t going to find that normal form.
The first time check at 5km gave Yves some hope. The American had only pulled back 10 seconds per km. Strong running. But continuing at the same rate wouldn’t be enough. But for the 3 times ironman champion these kms were maybe just a warm-up after 4 hours of semi-lethargie digesting the day's starter that was a little too generous. Mark:
Even during the most difficult moments I always tried to stay positive. I never had negative thoughts. I know from experience that the triathlon is a long day. Even after the bike I was still convinced that Yves or Rob would win. But after a few kms of running I felt that my legs were getting better and better. And I started to think that I could win again. But that would depend on how Rob and Yves performed in the last few km.
Around the time that you’d usually take a sieste. The runners reached the turn-around point. Yves wasn’t wearing the habitual mask of a man who’d seen his lead disappear. He said: I was holding back in the first half. To give it everything from 16 km to the finish.
Because at halfway the situation was a favourable one for our leader. Barel had only gained 1:25 and although Allen had taken 3 minutes. He still had another 6 to find. Even the most timid of gamblers still had money on Yves.
But had the bookies poorly assessed the running qualities of the triathlete from San Diego. Up to the turning-point he’d only been in 5th gear. Now was the time to hit the turbo. 3 km later he’s with Barel and 4:50 behind Cordier. And there’s still 13km to go. The maths still says that it's Cordier’s race. But his challenger keeps accelerating. And as soon as he sees him, Allen’s cadence quickens.
As soon as I could see the troop of cyclists that had gathered around Yves. I knew victory was possible. But I was scared that I might not be able to pass as the group was so big. Or that someone might stop me from passing.
With less than 3 km to go, the odds were still in favour of the Frenchman. As his 1 minute lead should be enough. Right? Yet. Just inside the final km, the guy who’d animated the race for most of the day is struck down where he stands.
It was like in a nightmare, said Yves. Mark passed me at an incredible speed. I hardly had the time to notice. Actually, I really didn’t think he was that close. And it was right at the time I was getting ready to run the most important km of my life. The last 3km of Nice in 9:30. Unheard of.
But Mark also had plenty of compliments for Yves.
I went by him as fast as I could. Because I’d never run with Yves at the end of a race and I feared what he might be able to do in a sprint. This is the best race of my life, because it was the hardest. Even harder than Hawaii in 1989, when I beat Dave Scott for the first time.
Unfortunately, Triathlete gave the women's race only 2 paragraphs. After 5 pages of covering the men. Here’s the translation.
It looked like Paula didn’t really push herself and yet nobody it seemed was capable of stopping her winning. To balance out her 4 wins in Hawaii, Newby- Fraser now has 4 victories on the Cote d’Azur. She had the fastest bike and run times and she finished nearly 20 minutes ahead of Donna Peters in 2nd. Sylviane Puntous was 3rd.
The return of the Puntous sisters to triathlon was marked by a new tactic. Not spending most of the race together. Patricia was only 6th.
The French women, even more than the men, were saving themselves for the national short course championships in Toulouse. This was a shame as the Mouthon twins could have shaken up the ageing peloton.
Images: 220 (UK) August 1992
Now Let's look at what was in 220. Above. The race report was written by their foreign foreign correspondent and Eurosport commentator Ian Sweet. The opening was great. Here it is:
Have you ever been so sure of yourself that the outcome of whatever you are doing or watching is a foregone conclusion? I was at this year’s Nice triathlon, the 11th running of this premier sporting event. I had already written the article and was mentally filing the copy to my editor.
”The Sun Prince from Nice, Yves Cordier, wins on home soil and blows away 8 time champion Mark Allen...”
We also got some facts. There were 1300 athletes on the start line. And the race started at 8 AM. Mark Allen had spent a month out of the pool after his broken collar bone and also got stuck in the big ring on the bike.
Sweet also said that everybody knew it was only a matter of time before Bright would crack. And Ben commented later that the climbs were great. But the stressful descents meant he never recovered.
It was again noted that Paula Newby-Fraser won her fourth and final Nice title pretty easily. Even doing a radio interview for while running!
220 also highlighted Robin Brew’s 14th place. The best British male result for a few years. This time Brew did much better on the descents. Referring to 1987, Brew’s first serious season in triathlon, when he punctured and crashed hard on the descent into Roquesteron.
There were a total of 49 British athletes on the start line in 1992. Back then, with only one Kona qualifying race in Europe. Ironman Europe in Roth. Nice was the big international event that British athletes aimed for and measured themselves over.
The British entrants included one of my age group heroes at the time, Harry Webb, who was 3rd over-40. Welsh athlete Bill Pegler had actually won that title in 1987. Webb used to make his own bike frames and advertised his wheel-building services in the back of 220. Below.
Image: 220 (UK) October 1992
For some extra reading. Mark Allen has a blog post on his website titled The Ultimate Pass: Nice 1992. 1992 was Mark Allen’s 9th win in Nice. He didn’t race there in 1987 and 1988. Preferring to focus all his energy on Hawaii in an attempt to finally win. Spoiler alert. He didn’t.
Cordier’s 2nd was France’s highest ever male placing. Isabelle Mouthon had also finished 2nd in 1991. France’s first podium finish was by Herve Niquet. Who finished 3rd in 1987.
Note that Yves Cordier raced a middle distance event in Arcachon two weeks before Nice. Possibly leaving him a little fatigued. We’ll definitely be talking more about the volume of racing that French athletes were doing back then when we get more into stuff about Avignon.
Images: Triathlete (FR) Hors Serie. The Best Of 1992.
So what happened in Toulouse at those French Short Course Championships the week after Nice? That the Mouthon sisters were saving themselves for. It was only France’s second one day championship race. From 1985 onwards French Championships had been decided after a season-long points chase.
Isabelle Mouthon won. Anne-Marie Rouchon was 2nd. And Beatrice Mouthon was 3rd. Philippe Methion, who would go on to finish 4th at Nice in 1995, won the men’s race. Anne-Marie Rouchon was also a long-distance athlete. With probably her best performance being her win at the 1993 European Long Distance Championships in Embrun. Here’s a race report from TED Mag.
Yves Cordier is now the race director of Ironman France in Nice. The race was relinquished by IMG in 1994. And then managed by the French Triathlon Federation until 2003. In 2004 the race was taken over by Ironman. And the distances changed to 3.8 km/180 km/42 km.
Links:
1992 Triathlon de Nice
Nice Triathlon 1992 - Ben Bright
TSP10: Thinking Of France
Nice 1993
1995 Nice Triathlon
TSP5: UK Triathlon Magazines 1986-1990
The Epic History of triathlon in France, France by Mark Allen
Nice Videos: 1985. 1990. 1992. 1993. 1995.
Scott Tinley’s Winning Triathlon by Scott Tinley. With Mike Plant.
The Ultimate Pass: Nice 1992 by Mark Allen
TED (FR) Octobre 1993
Sources:
TED (FR) Août-Septembre 1992
220 (UK) September 1992
Triathlon: The Sporting Trinity by Aleck Hunter and Erik Kirschbaum
Tri-Athlete (FR) Octobre 1987
Triathlon International de Nice on Wikipedia
Tri-Athlete (UK) Nov-Dec 1987
Triathlete (FR) Aout 1992
