The last few editions have been dry, but in 1981 it rained, turning the cobbles to slippery, treacherous mud, with Hinault, who wasn’t a fan of the race, crashing three times, the last with 13km to go being caused by a dog which ran in front of his bike. He had earlier had to run through a field to avoid a crashed motorbike that blocked the road.
At the time world champion too, Hinault chased back to the front group and won the race from a six man sprint in the Roubaix velodrome. Like many riders at the time, Hinault was on Mavic’s box section SSC alloy tub rims.
Jersey comes with limited edition series number in the collar
In celebration of Hinault’s win – the first by a Frenchman in 25 years – Mavic has released a limited edition set of kit. It’s part of Mavic’s les héros du cyclisme range, joining the Sean Kelly jersey, cap and socks launched last month. Naturally, it’s dark coloured, so it doesn’t show the dirt.
The Bernard Hinault Limited Edition jersey is made of a merino wool blend for its light weight, anti-bacterial properties and insulation. There are reflective highlights front and rear, including a reflective front zip. Other highlights include embroidered lettering and a series number inside the collar. Price is £135.
You can pair the jersey with a limited edition polyester cap with Hinault’s image on the peak, priced at £28 and matching socks for £16, so you're all ready to hit the cobbles or dirt roads in style this weekend.
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Paul started writing for Cycling Weekly in 2015, covering cycling tech, new bikes and product testing. Since then, he’s reviewed hundreds of bikes and thousands of other pieces of cycling equipment for the magazine and the Cycling Weekly website.
He’s been cycling for a lot longer than that though and his travels by bike have taken him all around Europe and to California. He’s been riding gravel since before gravel bikes existed too, riding a cyclocross bike through the Chilterns and along the South Downs.
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