Reliving the Scottish cyclist's triumph through the race's gripping stages.
Every July, France becomes obsessed with a seemingly crazed exercise in athletic endurance. Around 150 lean, toned pro-cyclists set off on the Tour de France.
Epic stages in stifling heat, over asphalt and juddering 'pavé', up muscle muscle-aching cols, over freezing, misted passes, risking terrifying descents at outrageous speeds on roads with no barriers — this isn't a race for the faint-hearted. Riders burning up kilometres in the hundreds, and calories in thousands, day after day, through pretty, ancient towns and mundane suburbs, provincial and bucolic France, and ending up in the Champs-Élysées in Paris three gruelling weeks later, inevitably reduced by the injured and abandoned. To the victor the spoils.
Despite the recent frenzy of British success, not too many riders from the UK had seriously bothered the Tour in the past. There were always talented 'domestiques', support riders working for the glory of team leaders, and there was a smattering of stage victories for British riders over the years. Famously, there was Tom Simpson during the 1960s who finished sixth in the general classification in 1962, and tragically died on Mont Ventoux in 1967. And until the 1980s, Scots did not have any reputation for performances in the Tour.
Then in 1983 a small and incredibly wiry Scot turned up finishing 14th in that year's Tour. But in 1984 they single-handedly (alright, aided by a team) upped the best performance in the Tour de France by a UK rider by a considerable notch. That team was snappily called Peugeot–Shell–Michelin, and that Scot was then known as Robert Millar — but now known as Philippa York.
York was born and grew up in Glasgow and was a member of the Glenmarnock Wheelers and Glasgow Wheelers cycling clubs. A successful amateur career in the United Kingdom and France led York to turn professional in 1980, joining the Peugeot–Esso–Michelin team (who then replaced their sponsorship deal with one petrochemical giant for another — Shell — in 1982).
By 1983 York was building a reputation as a contender and in that year finished second to Greg LeMond in the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré. 1983 also saw her debut in the Tour de France, crowned by an impressive victory in a stage in the Pyrénées pipping Pedro Delgado by seconds — the stage was frightening, with monster climbs on the Col d'Aubisque, the Col du Tourmalet, the Col d'Aspin and the Col de Peyresourde. Third place in the Mountains Classification and 14th overall was certainly progress.
The 1984 Tour started routinely enough with York finishing in the peloton. Her placement in the overall standings between the prologue on 30 June until stage 10 on 7 July yo-yoed between 86th and a lofty 34th. However, stage 11 was the first mountain stage of the 1984 Tour, from Pau to Guzet-Neige, a ski resort in the Pyrénées 226.5 kilometres and seven hours later.
York, quoted in 'The Times', 10 July 1984, said that after 'the Portet d'Aspet climb I knew I was going to win' — and that was the first major climb of the day: four more followed. On the descent from the Col de Portet d'Aspet, a breakaway group of eight including York escaped the peloton — York gradually dropped the group and managed to remain ahead of counter-attacks from Spain's Pedro Delgado and Colombian climber Luis Herrera, finally finishing 41 seconds ahead of the latter in second place. It was an astounding victory in blazing heat — and York was now seventh overall.
York consolidated her position through stages 12 to 16, with consistent performances that meant she was placed in ninth overall in anticipation of the first Alpine stage, stage 17. During stage 14, York had impressively accumulated climbing points on the Côte de Vignes, a little reminder that she was in decent climbing form. But the next real chance to build on the climbing prowess proved in the Pyrénées would be on the stage from Grenoble to Alpe d'Huez — and the decisive battles for the honours in the Tour would begin.
The finish at Aple d’Huez was not the most challenging on the stage but the effort of this climb, the accessibility of the town to spectators and the 21 hairpin bends makes it a cauldron of dramatic and epic sporting achievement. The four-time winner of the Tour, Bernard Hinault, knew this was his chance to wrest the overall leadership from his (relatively) young compatriot and defending champion Laurent Fignon. Hinault attacked on the first of the main climbs, the Col du Coq. The peloton was stretched, but Hinault was caught by his pursuers. He struck again on the Rampe Laffrey, and in the reaction riders like Sean Kelly and Greg LeMond were dropped. But Fignon and Herrera, with York in pursuit, hauled him back, with much attacking and counter-attacking on the way to the final climb. Hinault attacked for a final time at the start of the climb to Alpe d'Huez but his lead was brief as he was overtaken by Herera who took the stage victory, Fignon who drove home his dominance in overall classification, Spanish climber Arroyo who finished third — and York, who arrived fourth.
Fourth place in this company was impressive climbing — and impressive climbing moved York to fourth overall in the Tour. Significantly, she also took the lead in the Mountains Classification, the best overall performance in climbing. Going into stage 18, still in the Alps, York donned the prestigious red and white polka-dot jersey. A stage of attacks and counter attacks over the massive Col du Galibier and Col de la Madelaine saw York again among the top finishers, coming in fifth place behind the imperious Fignon, who was ramming home his advantage as Tour leader, Grezet of Switzerland, LeMond and Delgado; more points in the Mountains Classification and consolidation in fourth place overall.
Stage 19 was a stage of crashes with LeMond and Delgado both going down — the latter breaking his collar bone on rapid descent in an attempt to overtake LeMond and York in the General Classification — a risk that put him out of the Tour completely. York finished ninth, and her position in the race was maintained. However, her accumulated points total in the Mountains Classification meant that her victory in that competition was assured — thanks to her supreme efforts and with hard work from her Peugeot team mates. Arroyo took the stage victory with all the main contenders finishing in the top 10 that day, including crasher LeMond.
The last stage in the mountains saw the usual suspects gather at the foot of the final ascent to Crans-Montana, Switzerland — Hinault and Fignon battling out the top spot, LeMond and York aiming to maintain their overall position in the Tour, and a clutch of specialist climbers, all in pursuit of a couple of breakaway riders.
York attacked first, followed by groups including Fignon and Hinault and in all the jockeying two riders were left in front, Fignon and Arroya. Fignon won again, but York had maintained her form in the mountains arriving only one minute 26 seconds later.
Cycling up mountains for days on end tends to settle the outcome of the Tour de France. In 1984, the top four in the General Classification at the end of stage 20 was the same as that which paraded through Paris and on to the Champs-Élysées three days later. All prizes except the Points Classification (Maillot Vert) had been settled. York achieved another top 10 finish, a very creditable seventh, in the individual time-trial on stage 22. However, overall she had accomplished astounding things: the Mountains Classification had never before been won by anyone from the United Kingdom, and with an overall position of fourth this was the best performance by a British rider in the Tour de France at that time.
It is often overlooked that the Tour is a team event and York insisted she had gone into the Tour as Peugeot's main support for their lead rider Pascal Simon. However, brilliant performances in the mountains including that stage victory Guzet-Neige propelled York to the team's main focus of attention. In 'Cyclist monthly' David Walsh reported that York did not think she was good enough to win Tour, a statement that Walsh put down to York's genuine modesty.
And so it transpired: York did not win the Tour, but had an amazing career, with fabulous performances in Grand Tours, with two second placings in the Vuelta a España, a second in her only appearance in the Giro d'Italia (while winning the Mountain Classification there too) and a further four top-20 finishes in the Tour de France. But in 1984 York conquered the Tour's mountains and elevated UK cycling to new heights.
