Bernard Thevenet (1973)

A truly prescient cover page if there ever was one, this issue of L’Equipe Magazine dated Wednesday, June 27th of 1973 was published three days in advance of the start to the 60th edition of the Tour de France. In consideration of Eddy Merckx’ decision to not ride in that year’s Tour, there was great speculation as to just who might prevail in his absence given that Merckx had won the event the last four years in a row. Despite having enjoyed a strong run in the early part of the 1973 season, Luis Ocana was by no means an odds-on favorite to win given his Tour de France specific resume to that point (...he had crashed out in 1969, 1971 albeit while holding a strong lead over everyone in the peloton including Merckx, and 1972, having only a thirty-first placing in 1970 to show after four attempts). As for Bernard Thevenet, while it was true that he had finished fourth and ninth in the general classification of the Tour in 1971 and 1972 respectively, and he had recently added the title of 1973 French National Road Race Champion to his palmarès, he too was one of several that might have only been considered mild favorites. In the end, however, it was Luis Ocana who shattered the field of the 1973 Tour over a brutal course of 4150 kilometers, crossing the finish line just shy of 16 minutes ahead of second place rider Bernard Thevenet of team Peugeot-BP-Michelin.