Michel Laurent (1977)

At the steps of the Pyrenees during the 1977 Tour de France (from left to right): Dietrich "Didi" Thurau (...TI-Raleigh - wearing the Maillot Jaune, who led the race from the prologue through stage 15a - he captured four stage wins and would eventually finish fifth, earning the Maillot Blanc as Best Young Rider), Eddy Merckx (...Fiat - Tour de France winner in 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, and 1974 - he would finish sixth overall for 1977 in this his last Tour appearance), Hennie Kuiper (...TI-Raleigh - who prevailed in stage 17 Chamonix to Alpe d’Huez after stage leader Van Impe was hit by a television car - Kuiper would ultimately finish second overall), Lucien Van Impe (...BP-LeJeune - defending Tour de France champion from 1976, who saw his chance for a repeat dashed in the 17th stage when he was run off the road by a careless driver, surely costing him the Maillot Jaune - he would finish third overall and win the Maillot a Pois Rouges as Best Climber), Joop Zoetemelk (...Miko-Mercier - he would finish eighth overall, taking a 10 minute penalty for failing a drug test after having the fastest time up the Avoriaz in stage 15b), Bernard Thevenet (...Peugeot-Esso-Michelin - winner of the 1975 Tour de France, he would assume the Maillot Jaune in stage 15b and go on to repeat that feat in 1977, much to the thrill of the French populace), and Michel Laurent (...Peugeot-Esso-Michelin - Thevenet’s teammate, he would finish seventh place in the general classification that year).