Cyclist: Can we check your pulse?
Miguel Induráin: Let me see if I can find it. I think it’s 45.
How does it feel to have been regarded as a specimen on display because of your low resting heart rate (28bpm), huge lung capacity and high VO2 max?
Specimen? I suppose it’s true I was. But actually, in my time we were all tested regularly and there were lots of other riders who were in great physical condition too. But they didn’t have the mental capacity to make the most of those attributes so their results were never reported.
You have to be very strong mentally. A lot of riders are prepared physically but it’s the mental side that gives you the edge. These days riders have all kinds of sports psychologists to help them but in my day we had to prepare on our own as best we could.
You were renowned for looking serene and effortless on the outside. But what was going on inside?
What you saw on the outside was pretty much what was on the inside too. I had faith in my training and preparation so once I was in the race I was focussed on the job. I didn’t have anything else going on in my head.
What about equipment, especially for a time-trial specialist such as yourself? Are you envious of the technology available to riders today?
No, because you’ve got to have all the physical qualities – you can’t buy them. If you don’t have the engine you haven’t got anything. All the gains from aerodynamics and technology are added extras. Also, we had the best equipment that was available to us at that time, and I was happy with it.
Some of the biggest technological changes in cycling happened while I was racing, including tri-bars, which were first used by Greg LeMond in the 1989 Tour, and clipless pedals. The development that made the biggest change to my style of riding was when they switched the gear shifters from the down tube to the brake levers.
Compared to your era, there are significantly fewer time-trial kilometres in Grand Tours these days. Do you think that’s fair?
It’s a shame because time-trials are a sport within a sport and a really important part of cycling that takes as much mental skill as physical. People who think TTs are boring should find another sport to watch.
Do you think it’s possible for a rider to ever win five Tours again?
I think there are riders who are good enough to do so but it’s about much more than that. Winning five Tours is as much about luck – not crashing, not getting sick, not having a bad day. I had a lot of luck in five consecutive Tours.
What do you think about the big names in the current peloton?
I haven’t met any of them personally but based on what I’ve seen I think Tadej Pogačar is a brave racer – he’s not afraid to get in the mix, fight and attack. He’s the complete cyclist, strong in time-trials as well as the mountains, but he has a lot of rivals.
I like how Primož Roglič has ‘recycled’ his career – from ski-jumping to cycling. He’s a hard worker who would have had better results if he hadn’t had such bad luck with crashes. Jonas Vingegaard won the Tour because he rode well within his team but I’m not sure he responds well to pressure. This year we have to wait and see how he manages the stress. He has to remember to enjoy the sport.
Wout van Aert is a big talent with a big engine. He can win what he wants: Classics, cross or sprints. Mathieu van der Poel is similar. He can choose whatever type of race he wants, but I don’t think his mentality suits a three-week Grand Tour.
Remco Evenepoel is young and on the rise, and has shown great strength to come back from his crash at Lombardia [in 2020].
Who will win this year’s Tour?
Vingegaard will be the favourite because he won it last year, but any of those other riders could cause him problems. It will be a very open race and there may even be a surprise winner.
There are currently some great rivalries in the peloton: Pogačar v Vingegaard, Van Aert v Van der Poel, Roglič v Remco. How important is rivalry within sport?
If someone dominates easily without having to fight, it’s not good for them or the sport. You almost have to be your own rival because you have to keep challenging yourself. But your biggest rival is the race itself. I never took anything or anyone for granted. Potentially every other rider was my rival.
Your physique would have suited the cobbled Classics and yet you never raced them. Any regrets?
No. I actually raced Paris-Roubaix once, in 1989 I think, and only managed half of it. Everyone told me I’d be good at it because of my size and strength, but it wasn’t for me, I didn’t like anything – the pavé, the cold, the rain. I wouldn’t have been a very good cyclist if I had been born in England.
You live near Pamplona, where they hold the ‘running of the bulls’ every July. Since retiring from bike racing, have you ever been tempted?
Every July I was riding the Tour, and that was just like riding with 200 bulls, so I’ve never felt the need.
How does a five-time Tour winner spend his days now?
I live on my farm and still really love riding my bike but in a completely different way. Movistar are based in Pamplona but I’ve never been tempted to go into team management. I don’t have the patience. I am invited to sportives and events where I meet people from all over the world and from different backgrounds, so I combine cycling with socialising and fun.
We spoke to Miguel Indurain at the Hotel Marqués de Riscal in Rioja, Spain, where he was the lead rider of the LeBlanq Legendary Joyriding Experience. LeBlanq offers luxury accommodation, gourmet dining and rides with cycling icons at destinations all over the world from Scotland to South Africa. Details at leblanq.com
• This article originally appeared in issue 140 of Cyclist magazine. Click here to subscribe