At that time, he took care of a small sports miracle. Milan Jurčo (64), silver and bronze medalist from the World Championships, became the first Slovak to start at the Tour de France.
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Photo: ARCHIVE OF MILAN JURČ
Milan Jurčo represented Czechoslovakia for many years.
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35 years have passed since its premiere. He recalls his performances on the French roads and also talks about Peter Sagan’s chances in the 109th edition of the famous bicycle race, which started on Friday in Copenhagen.
How has the Tour changed since your time?
The stages are shorter than before. I found only one in the itinerary that measures more than 200 km, we had eleven of them, the longest was 260 km. The 1987 Tour measured a thousand kilometers more than the current route.
In the past, stages used to be even longer, even more than 400 kilometers long. Their shortening is a trend that organizers have been pushing for a long time. I rate it as correct. The stages are more dynamic, there are fewer boring passages.
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How does technical progress make the situation easier for cyclists?
Of course, it is evident in cycling. Since the end of my career, I have been selling bicycles, their components, accessories, I can judge it. Today, even amateur riders have high-quality machines and equipment.
Top cyclists use helmets that are extremely light, they don’t even know they’re wearing them, plus quality goggles, clothing, trainers. Cycling is an extremely tough discipline, these things make the challenging races at least a little more enjoyable.
What about bikes?
Also – incomparable. I will give an example. In 1988 I had a bike with seven gears. Something incredible. Today’s are eleven or twelve. That’s a huge leap. I don’t want to go into details, we could find enough conveniences. They increase the comfort of cyclists, who even today often spend five to six hours in the saddle.
How has the weight of bikes changed?
That is a more difficult question. The bicycle has a prescribed minimum weight. The designers would also make a bicycle that would weigh five kilograms, they would save on material. But that is not allowed, it would endanger the safety of the competitor. We had bikes that weighed about nine kilograms, now they weigh about two less.
Do you still have the bike you rode in the 1987 Tour?
I only have a bike from the second Tour. But I experienced an interesting situation recently. I completed the prologue in West Berlin 1987, which also took place on July 1, on a special from the famous cyclist Francesco Moser. He was dedicated to world records in the watch. There is a rather long video of this premiere ride of mine. The bike is owned by a Czech collector, who bought it for 12,000 euros. He visited me the year before last, he wanted me to sign a jersey.
When you became a member of the profit team, you were in your thirties. Were you worried about something?
In the spring before the Tour, I did the Giro d’Italia. It was a tough race, but I managed it. I won the speed premium competition by a margin. She was not awarded a jersey, but a huge cup.
I persevered until the end. I would easily complete some extra stages as well. The last one was a time trial, I finished third. It was won by Stephan Roche, and the entire race. I kept the same time with him for a long time, but there was an unpleasant climb leading to the finish, where he got away from me. Also the German Thurau, nicknamed the pharmacist in the peloton…
Not long ago, you also joined the Tour. But you haven’t finished it. Have you overestimated your strength?
I caught some virus. I didn’t feel the best in the prologue, but I finished fifth. In the first days I had a high temperature, then the situation improved, but I felt rather tired. I lasted until the 19th stage, when I finished, I was seventh in the points competition, there were 3¤500 km on the speedometer, I would have been at the finish line by now. I experienced a special situation, the Italians call it “gambe vuoto”, empty legs. I felt good, but when the pace increased, the legs couldn’t take it, there was no energy in them.
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