winnar tour 1996

1996 Tour de France

83rd edition: june 29 - july 21, 1995, results, stages with running gc, photos and history.

1995 Tour | 1997 Tour | Tour de France database | 1996 Tour Quick Facts | Final 1996 Tour GC | Stage results with running GC | The Story of the 1996 Tour de France

Map of the 1996 Tour de France. The race started at 's-Hertogenbosch at the top of the map.

Les Woodland's book Sticky Buns Across America: Back roads biking from sea to shining sea is available as an audiobook here .

1996 Tour Quick Facts:

The 1996 Tour de France was 3,764.9 kilometers long and was ridden at an average speed of 39.236 km/hr.

There were 198 starters of whom 129 made it to Paris.

The 1996 Tour had two major revelations.

First, Miguel Indurain, who was thought to be a shoo-in for a record-setting sixth Tour win bonked near the end of stage seven.

From there through the rest of the Tour he struggled.

Secomd, winner Bjarne Riis clearly tired towards the end of the Tour but his superb domestique, Jan Ullrich, grew stronger with every passing day and was clearly the race's strongest rider by the time the Tour reached Paris.

• Bjarne Riis (Telekom): 95hr 57min 16sec
• Jan Ullrich (Telekom) @ 1min 41sec
• Richard Virenque (Festina) @ 4min 37sec
• Laurent Dufaux (Festina) @ 5min 53sec
• Peter Luttenberger (Carrara) @ 7min 7sec
• Luc Leblanc (Polti) @ 10min 3sec
• Piotr Ugramov (Roslotto) @ 10min 4sec
• Fernando Escartin (Kelme) @ 10min 26sec
• Abraham Olano (Mapei) @ 11min
• Tony Rominger (Mapei) @ 11min 53sec
• Miguel Indurain (Banesto) @ 14min 14sec
• Patrick Joncker (ONCE) @ 18min 58sec
• Bo Hamburger (TVM) @ 22min 19sec
• Udo Bolts (Telekom) @ 25min 56sec
• Alberto Elli (MG-Technogym) @ 26 min 18sec
• Manuel Fernandez-Gines (Mapei) @ 26min 28sec
• Leonardo Piepoli (Refin) @ 27min 36sec
• Laurent Brochard (Festina) @ 32min 11sec
• Michele Bartoli (MG-Techogym) @ 37min 18sec
• Evgeni Berzin (Gewiss) @ 38min
• Viatschleslav Ekimov (Rabobank) @ 43min 58sec
• Stefano Cattai (Roslotto) @ 48min 3sec
• Laurent Madouas (Motorola) @ 53min 15sec
• Arsenio Gonzales (Mapei) @ 55min 28sec
• Massimiliano Lelli (Saeco) @ 55min 35sec
• Alex Zulle (ONCE) @ 56min 47sec
• Giuseppe Guerini (Polti) @ 1hr 5min 12sec
• Rolf Sorensen (Rabobank) @ 1hr 11min 28sec
• Jesper Skibby (TVM) @ 1hr 11min 36sec
• Marco Fincato (Roslotto) @ 1hr 11min 51sec
• Michael Boogerd (Rabobank) @ 1hr 13min 45sec
• José Luis Arrieta (Banesto) @ 1hr 13min 48sec
• Paolo Salvoldelli (Roslotto) @ 1hr 15min 20sec
• Erik Breukink (Rabobank) @ 1hr 20min 3sec
• Aitor Garmendia (ONCE) @ 1hr 20min 42sec
• Oscar Camenzind (Panaria) @ 1hr 25min 27sec
• Claudio Chiappucci (Carrera) @ 1hr 27min 23sec
• Melchior Mauri (ONCE) @ 1hr 27min 28sec
• Chris Boardman (Gan) @ 1hr 27min 44sec
• Federico Echave (Mapei) @ 1hr 29min 25sec
• José-Roberto Sierra (ONCE) @ 1hr 30min 11sec
• Pascal Hervé (Festina) @ 1hr 33min 1sec
• Mirko Gualdi (Polti) @ 1hr 34min 59sec
• Laurent Roux (TVM) @ 1hr 36min 11sec
• Andrea Tafi (Mapei) @ 1hr 38min 54sec
• Andrea Ferrigato (Roslotto) @ 1hr 39min 23sec
• Pascal Richard (MG-Technogym) @ 1hr 40min 56sec
• Felix Manuel Garcia (Festina) @ 1hr 42min 13sec
• Neil Stephens (ONCE) @ 1hr 43min 33sec
• Davide Perona (Gewiss) @ 1hr 43min 40sec
• Maurizio Fondriest (Roslotto) @ 1hr 45min 44sec
• Valentino Fois (Panaria) @ 1hr 45min 58sec
• Herminio Diaz (ONCE) @ 1hr 47min 8sec
• Orlando Sergio Rodriguis (Banesto) @ 1hr 47min 15sec
• Bruno Thibout (Motorola) @ 1hr 49min 2sec
• Bruno Cenghialta (Gewiss) @ 1hr 49min 19sec
• José Maria Jimenez (Banesto) @ 1hr 51min 30sec
• Prudencio Indurain (Banesto) @ 1hr 52min 30sec
• Paolo Lanfranchi (Mapei) @ 1hr 54min 42sec
• Flavio Vanzella (Motorola) @ 1hr 54min 52sec
• Massimo Podenzana (CArrera) @ 1hr 55min 18sec
• Thierry Bourguignon (Aubervilliers) @ 1hr 56min 38sec
• Fabio Baldato (MG-Technogym) @ 1hr 57min 8sec
• Maarten Den Bakker (TVM) @ 1hr 58min 25sec
• Marcello Siboni (Carrera) @ 2hr 0min 52sec
• Marino Alonso (Banesto) @ 2hr 0min 55sec
• Jean-Pierre Bourgeot (Agrigel) @ 2hr 1min 22sec
• Wladimir Belli (Panaria) @ 2hr 1min 42sec
• Cédric Vasseur (Gan) @ 2hr 2min 5sec
• Massimo Donati (Saeco) @ 2hr 2min 53sec
• José Joaquim Castelblanco (Kelme) @ 2hr 3min 1sec
• Marco Saligari (MG-Technogym) @ 2hr 3min 1sec
• Marco Zen (Roslotto) @ 2hr 4min 3sec
• Erik Dekker (Rabobank) @ 2hr 5min 3sec
• Christophe Moreau (Festina) @ 2hr 7min 20sec
• Christian Henn (Telekom) @ 2hr 7min 33sec
• Andrei Tchmil (Lotto) @ 2hr 9min 38sec
• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Refin)
• Paolo Fornaciari (Saeco) @ 2hr 10min 4sec
• Bruno Boscardin (Festina) @ 2hr 10min 12sec
• Julio César Aguirre (Kelme) @ 2hr 10min 23sec
• Erik Zabel (Telekom) @ 2hr 10min 26sec
• Rolf Aldag (Telekom) @ 2hr 12min 16sec
• Danny Nelissen (Rabobank) @ 2hr 12min 25sec
• Oscar Pelliccioli (Carrera) @ 2hr 13min 14se
• François Simon (Gan) @ 2hr 16min 19sec
• Sergei Uslamin (Refin) @ 2hr 16min 30sec
• Jens Heppner (Telekom) @ 2hr 17min 17sec
• Federico Muñoz (Kelme) @ 2hr 17min 25sec
• Rolf Järmann (MG-Technogym) @ 2hr 20min 28sec
• François Lemarchand (Gan) @ 2hr 21min 15sec
• José Ramon Uriarte (Banesto) @ 2hr 23min 59sec
• Mariano Piccoli (Brescialat) @ 2hr 24min 29sec
• Cristian Salvato (Refin) @ 2hr 36min 59sec
• Johan Museeuw (Mapei) @ 2hr 29min 2sec
• José Jaome Gonzalez (Kelme) @ 2hr 29min 13sec
• Rossano Brasi (Polti) @ 2hr 30min 20sec
• Fabio Roscioli (Refin) @ 2hr 31min 6sec
• Bart Voskamp (TVM) @ 2hr 31min 31sec
• Francesco Frattini (Gewiss) @ 2hr 32min 6sec
• Scott Sunderland (Lotto) @ 2hr 32min 54sec
• Francisco Cabello (Kelme) @ 2hr 36min 22sec
• Cristiano Frattini (Brescialat) @ 2hr 37min 56sec
• Thiery Laurent (Agrigel) @ 2hr 37min 57sec
• Omar Enrique Pumar (Brescialat) @ 2hr 38min 10sec
• Frédéric Mncassin (Gan) @ 2hr 38min 57sec
• Brian Holm (Telekom) @ 2hr 39min 51sec
• Frédéric Guesdon (Polti) @ 2hr 42min 49sec
• José Angel Vidal (kelme) @ 2hr 42min 58sec
• Wilfried Peeters (Mapei) @ 2hr 46min 47sec
• Frankie Andreu (Motorola) @ 2hr 48min 46sec
• Alessandro Baronti (Panaria) @ 2hr 52min 37sec
• Tobias Steinhauser (Refin) @ 2hr 54min 34sec
• Thierry Gouvenou (Auberbilliers) @ 2hr 54min 35sec
• Jacky Durand (Agrigel) @ 2hr 54min 39sec
• Peter Van Petegem (TVM) @ 2hr 56min 10sec
• Dario Bottaro (Gewiss) @ 2hr 56min 38sec
• Gilles Talmant (Aubervilliers) @ 2hr 57min 35sec
• Gerrit de Vries (Polti) @ 3hr 4min 45sec
• Paul Van Hyfte (Lotto) @ 3hr 6min 43sec
• Ivan Cerioli (Geweiss) @ 3hr 7min 50sec
• Peter Farazijn (Lotto) @ 3hr 14min 6sec
• Nico Mattan (Lotto) @ 3hr 14min 49sec
• Marc Wauters (Lotto) @ 3hr 15min 46sec
• Mario Chiesa (Carrera) @ 3hr 18min 2sec
• Simone Biasci (Saeco) @ 3hr 22min 16sec
• Eros Poli (Saeco) @ 3hr 34min 38sec
• Jeroen Blijlevens (TVM) @ 3hr 35min 12sec
• Jean-Luc Masdupuy (Agrigel) 2 3hr 49min 52sec
• Richard Virenque (Festina): 383 points
• Bjarne Riis (Telekom): 274
• Laurent Dufaux (Festina) : 176
• Laurent Brochard (Festina): 168
• Luc Leblanc (Polti): 158
• Erik Zabel (Telekom): 335 points
• Frederic Moncassin (GAN) : 284
• Fabio Baldato (MG-Technogym): 255
• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov (Refin): 204
• Jeroen Blijlevens (TVM): 158
• Jan Ullrich (Telekom): 95hr 58min 57sec
• Peter Luttenberger (Carrera) @ 5min 26sec
• Manuel Fernandez (Mapei) @ 24min 47sec
• Leonardo Peipoli (Refin) @ 25min 55sec
• Michael Bogerd (Rabobank) @ 1hr 12min 4sec
• Festina: 287hr 46min 20sec
• Telekom @ 15min 14sec
• Mapei @ 51min 26sec
• Roslotto @ 1hr 22min 29sec
• ONCE @ 1hr 36min 10sec

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Individual Stage Results with running GC

Prologue: Saturday, June 29, 's Hertogenbosch 9.4 km individual time trial.

• Alex Zulle: 10min 53sec
• Chris Boardman @ 2sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 3sec
• Abraham Olano @ 7sec
• Tony Rominger @ 10sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 11sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 12sec
• Laurent Jalabert @ 15sec
• Melchior Mauri @ 21sec
• Alexander Gontchenkov @ 22sec

Stage 1: Sunday, June 30, 's Hertongenbosch - 's Hertogenbosch, 209 km.

• Frederic Moncassin: 5hr 1sec
• Jeroen Blijlevens s.t.
• Jan Svorada s.t.
• Nicola Minali s.t.
• Erik Zabel s.t.
• Fabio Baldato s.t.
• Arvis Piziks s.t.
• Stefano Colage s.t.
• Christophe Capelle s.t.
• Mario Traversoni s.t.

GC after Stage 1:

• Alex Zulle: 5hr 10min 54sec
• Frederic Moncassin @ 9sec
• Chris Boardman @ 17sec
• Tony Rominger @ 19sec

Stage 2: Monday, July 1, 's Hertogenbosch - Wasquehal, 247.5 km.

• Mario Cipollini : 6hr 29min 22sec
• Frederic Moncassin s.t.
• Andrea Ferrigato s.t.
• Claudio Camin s.t.
• Kaspars Ozers s.t.

GC after stage 2:

• Alex Zulle: 11hr 40min 16sec
• Frederic Moncassin @ 1sec
• Laurnet Jalabert @ 15sec

Stage 3: Tuesday, July 2, Wasquehal - Nogent sur Oise, 195 km.

• Erik Zabel: 5hr 29min 21sec
• Mario Cipollini s.t.

GC after Stage 3:

• Frederic Moncassin: 17hr 9min 30sec
• Alex Zulle @ 7sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 10sec
• Abraham Olano @ 14sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 18sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 19sec
• Laurent Jalabert @ 22sec
• Chris Boarman @ 24sec
• Tony Rominger @ 26sec
• Melchior Mauri @ 28sec

Stage 4: Wednesday, July 3, Soissons - Lac de Madine, 232 km.

• Cyril Saugrain: 5hr 43min 50sec
• Danny Nelissen s.t.
• Rolf Jaermann s.t.
• Stephane Heulot s.t.
• Mariano Piccoli s.t.
• Claudio Camin @ 4min 33sec
• Emmanuel Magnien s.t.
• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov s.t.

GC after Stage 4:

• Stephane Heulot: 22hr 53min 20sec
• Mariano Piccoli @ 22sec
• Cyril Saugrain @ 34sec
• Danny Nelissen @ 1min 35sec
• Frederic Moncassin @ 3min 54sec
• Alex Zulle @ 4min 5sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 4min 8sec
• Abraham Olano @ 4min 12sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 4min 16sec

Stage 5: Thursday, July 4, Lac de Madine - Besançon, 242 km.

• Jeroen Blijlevens: 6hr 55min 53sec
• Zbigniew Spruch

GC after Stage 5:

• Stephane Heulot: 29hr 49min 48sec
• Mariano Piccoli @ 20sec
• Fredric Moncassin @ 3min 32sec

Stage 6: Friday, July 5, Arc et Senans - Aix les Bains, 207 km.

17 riders abandoned including Lance Armstrong, who thought he had bronchitis. He quit after 70 kilometers during the rainy stage with a sore throat and back pains. He later learned his body was riddled with cancer.

• Michael Boogerd: 5hr 5min 38sec
• Erik Zabel @ 1sec
• Laurent Jalabert s.t.
• Andrei Tchmil s.t.
• Jesper Skibby s.t.
• Andrea Tafi s.t.
• Rolf Sorensen s.t.
• Paolo Fornaciari s.t.
• Zbigniew Spruch s.t.

GC after Stage 6:

• Stephane Heulot: 34hr 55min 27sec
• Laurent Jalabert @ 4min 6sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 4min 17sec
• Rolf Jaermann @ 4min 20sec
• Chris Boardman @ 4min 22sec

Stage 7: Saturday, July 6, Chambery - Les Arcs, 200 km.

• Luc Leblanc: 5hr 47min 22sec
• Tony Rominger @ 47sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 52sec
• Richard Virenque s.t.
• Laurent Dufaux s.t.
• Abraham Olano s.t.
• Bjarne Riis @ 56sec
• Fernando Escartin s.t.
• Jan Ullrich s.t.
• Piotr Ugramov s.t.

GC after Stage 7:

• Evgeni Berzin: 40hr 47min 53sec
• Tony Rominger @ 7sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 8sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 30sec
• Richard Virenque @ 31sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 37sec
• Piotr Ugramov @ 40sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 59sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 1min 2sec

Stage 8: Sunday, July 7, Bourg St. Maurice - Val d'Isère 30.5 km Individual Time Trial

• Evgeni Berzin: 51min 53sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 35sec.
• Abraham Olano @ 45sec
• Tony Rominger @ 1min 1sec
• Miguel Indurain s.t.
• Jan Ullrich @ 1min 7sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 1min 36sec
• Chris Boardman @ 2min 30sec
• Alex Zulle @ 2min 36sec
• Udo Bolts @ 2min 52sec

GC after Stage 8:

• Evgeni Berzin: 41hr 39min 46sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 43sec
• Tony Rominger @ 1min 8sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 1min 37sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 2min 35sec
• Richard Virenque @ 3min 56sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 4min 8sec
• Piotr Ugramov @ 4min 25sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 4min 50sec

Stage 9: Monday, July 8, Le Monetier les Bains - Sestriere, 46 km.

• Bjarne Riis: 1hr 10min 44sec
• Luc Leblanc @ 24sec
• Richard Virenque @ 26sec
• Tony Rominger @ 28sec
• Udo Bolts @ 41sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 42sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 44sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 46sec
• Abraham Olano @ 54sec

GC after Stage 9:

• Bjarne Riis: 42hr 51min 13sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 40sec
• Tony Rominger @ 53sec
• Abraham Olano @ 56sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 1min 38sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 2min 38sec
• Richard virenque @ 3min 39sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 4min 38sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 4min 49sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 5min 3sec

Stage 10: Tuesday, July 9, Torino - Gap, 208.5 km.

• Erik Zabel: 5hr 8min 10sec
• Emmanuel Mangien s.t.
• Alessandro Bertolini s.t.
• Francesco Frattini s.t.
• Viatscheslav Ekimov s.t.
• Maurizio Fondriest s.t.

GC after Stage 10:

• Bjarne Riis: 47hr 59min 23sec
• Richard Virenque @ 3min 39sec

Stage 11: Thursday, July 11, Gap - Valence, 202 km.

• Chepe Gonzalez: 5hr 9min 12sec
• Manuel Fernandez-Gines @ 1sec
• Alberto Elli s.t.
• Laurent Brochard s.t.
• Marco Fincato s.t.
• Laurent Roux s.t.
• Stefano Cattai @ 6sec
• Laurent Madouas s.t.
• Erik Zabel @ 2min 51sec

GC after Stage 11:

• Bjarne Riis: 53hr 11min 26sec

Stage 12: Friday, July, 12, Valence - Le Puy en Velay, 143.5 km.

• Pascal Richard: 3hr 29min 19sec
• Mirko Gualdi s.t.
• Felix Garcia-Casas s.t.
• Flavio Vanzella s.t.
• Erik Breukink s.t.
• Melchor Mauri s.t.
• Laurent Roux @ 9sec
• Erik Zabel @ 15min 14sec

GC after Stage 12:

• Bjarne Riis: 56hr 55min 59sec

Stage 13: Saturday, July 13, Le Puy en Velay - Superbesse, 177 km.

• Rolf Sorensen: 4hr 3min 56sec
• Orlando Rodrigues s.t.
• Luc Leblanc @ 2sec
• Paolo Savoldelli @ 23sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 23sec
• Chris Boardman s.t.
• Laurent Dufayx s.t.

GC after Stage 13:

• Bjarne Riis: 61hr 0min 18sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 1min 8sec
• Tony Rominger @ 1min 21sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 2min 6sec
• Richard Virenque @ 3min 16sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 5min 17sec

Stage 14: Sunday, July 14, Besse en Chandesse - Tulle, 186.5 km.

• Djamolidine Abdoujaparov: 4hr 6min 29sec
• Mirco Gualdi @ 7sec
• Laurent Madouas @ 9sec
• Didier Rous @ 16sec
• Bo Hamburger @ 31sec
• Thierry Bourguignon @ 3min 56sec
• Rolf Jaermann @ 4min 12sec
• Bruno Boscardin s.t.
• Andrea Tafi @ 4min 15sec
• Stefano Cattai @ 4min 17sec

GC after Stage 14:

• Bjarne Riis: 65hr 11min 40sec

Stage 15: Monday, July 15, Brive La Gaillarde - Villeunve sur Lot, 175 km.

• Massimo Podenzana: 3hr 54min 52sec
• Giuseppe Guerini @ 37sec
• Peter Van Petegem @ 50sec
• Michele Bartoli s.t.
• François Lemarchand @ 1min 16sec
• Neil Stephens @ 1min 41sec
• Frederic Moncassin @ 5min 38sec

GC after Stage 15:

• Bjarne Riis: 69hr 12min 10sec

Stage 16: Tuesday, July 16, Agen - Lourdes/Hautacam, 199 km.

• Bjarne Riis: 4hr 56min 16sec
• Richard Virenque @ 49sec
• Luc Leblanc @ 54sec
• Leonardo Piepoli @ 57sec
• Tony Rominger @ 1min 33sec
• Laurent Brochard @ 1min 41sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 1min 46sec

GC after stage 16:

• Bjarne Riis: 74hr 8min 26sec
• Abraham Olano @ 2min 42sec
• Tony Rominger @ 2min 54sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 3min 39sec
• Richard Virenque @ 4min 5sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 4min 7sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 5min 52sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 5min 59sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 7min 3sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 7min 6sec

Stage 17: Wednesday, July 17, Argelès Gazost - Pamplona, 262 km.

• Laurent Dufaux: 7hr 7min 8sec
• Bjarne Riis s.t.
• Richard Virenque @ 20sec
• Luc Leblanc s.t.
• Peter Luttenberger s.t.
• Massimiliano Lelli @ 8min 28sec
• Paolo Savoldelli s.t.

GC after stage 17:

• Bjarne Riis: 81hr 15min 34sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 3min 59sec
• Richard Virenque @ 4min 25sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 6min 19sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 7min 23sec
• Piotr Ugramov @ 7min 48sec
• Luc Leblanc @ 8min 1sec
• Abraham Olano @ 11min 12sec
• Tony Rominger @ 11min 24sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 15min 36sec

Stage 18: Thursday, July 18, Pamplona - Hendaye, 154.5 km.

• Bart Voskamp: 4hr 11min 2sec.
• Christian Henn @ 2sec
• Alberto Elli @ 27sec
• Bruno Thibout s.t.
• Bruno Boscardin @ 32sec
• Andrea Ferrigato @ 1min 26sec
• Pascal Herve s.t.
• Valentino Fois s.t.
• Davide Perona s.t.

GC after stage 18:

• Bjarne Riis: 85hr 43min 32sec

Stage 19: Friday, July 19, Hendaye - Bordeaux, 226.5 km.

• Frederic Moncassin: 5hr 25min 11sec
• Simone Biasci s.t.
• Ivan Cerioli s.t.
• Thierry Gouvenou s.t.

GC after stage 19:

• Bjarne Riis: 91hr 8min 43sec

Stage 20: Saturday, July 20, Bordeaux - St. Emilion 63.5 km individual time trial.

• Jan Ullrich: 1hr 15min 31sec
• Miguel Indurain @ 56sec
• Abraham Olano @ 2min 6sec
• Bjarne Riis @ 2min 18sec
• Laurent Dufaux @ 2min 19sec
• Chris Boardman @ 2min 29sec
• Richard Virenque @ 2min 30sec
• Tony Rominger @ 2min 47sec
• Evgeni Berzin @ 2min 56sec
• Laurent Brochard @ 2min 57sec

GC after Stage 20:

• Bjarne Riis: 92hr 26min 32sec
• Jan Ullrich @ 1min 41sec
• Richard Virenque @ 4min 37sec
• Laurent dufaux @ 5min 53sec
• Peter Luttenberger @ 7min 7sec
• Luc Leblanc @ 10min 3sec
• Piotr Ugramov @ 10min 4sec
• Fernando Escartin @ 10min 26sec
• Abraham Olano @ 11min 0sec
• Tony Rominger @ 11min 53sec

21st and Final Stage: Sunday, July 21, Palaiseau - Paris (Champs Elysées), 147.5 km.

• Fabio Baldato: 3hr 30min 44sec
• Eric Zabel s.t.
• Frankie Andreu s.t.

Complete Final 1996 Tour de France General Classification

The Story of the 1996 Tour de France:

This excerpts is from "The Story of the Tour de France", Volume 2. If you enjoy it, we hope you will consider purchasing the book, either print, eBook or audiobook. The Amazon link here will make the purchase easy.

Why shouldn't Miguel Indurain be considered a shoo-in for a record-breaking sixth Tour win? He was the reigning World Time Trial Champion. In June he won the Dauphiné Libéré against most of the riders he would face in July, winning 2 of the 8 stages along the way. Tony Rominger was second to the Spaniard in that race and Richard Virenque was third. Fernando Escartin and Luc Leblanc were excellent racers but they came in far behind Indurain. Indurain's other major threat, Telekom's Bjarne Riis, didn't finish the Dauphiné. 1994 Giro winner Evgeni Berzin could not be ignored, but having come in tenth in the 1996 Giro, over 14 minutes behind winner Pavel Tonkov, he seemed like an unlikely man to topple Indurain.

Alex Zülle, who came closest to Indurain in 1995 didn't ride the Dauphiné. Riding for the Spanish ONCE outfit his efforts were centered on Iberian races, of which he won 2.

Riis, like Indurain, had been slow to mature. He rode his first Tour de France in 1989 and came in an undistinguished ninety-fifth. He didn't finish the next year and in 1991 he was 107th. 1993 was his breakout year with a stage win and fifth overall in the Tour. The next year he slid to fourteenth but still captured a stage win. 1995 was even better with a very fine third place and a day in Yellow. In the winter, tired of friction with Evgeni Berzin, he moved from Gewiss to the well-financed and organized German Telekom team, managed since 1992 by Belgian tough-guy Walter Godefroot. As a racer Godefroot had been an entirely self-motivated champion with 150 pro victories to his name. He expected his riders to be filled with the same discipline that drove him to win Paris–Roubaix, the Tour of Flanders, Liège–Bastogne–Liège and 10 Tour stages. He was not the right manager for men of a gentler mentality and as the years progress we'll see him squander some of the finest talent in the world. But for now Riis, also a man of drive and self-confidence, was the man Godefroot was looking for. His team was lacking a first-class Grand Tour man, someone who could unseat Indurain. Riis' leaving the Gewiis team was the answer to Godefroot's prayers.

The 1996 Tour started with a prologue in 'S Hertogenbosch in Holland, headed south to the Alps, then into the Massif Central, followed by the Pyrenees. After the mountains the Tour headed north through Aquitaine on the southwest coast of France. From there, the riders would endure a transfer for the final stage into Paris. This was one of those rare Tours that didn't go through either Normandy or Brittany. While there were 103.4 kilometers of individual time trialing, there were no team time trials.

Zülle showed that he was one of the finest riders in the world when racing against the clock (he became World Time Trial Champion that fall) when he won the prologue in wet, rainy, slippery roads, beating time trial specialist Chris Boardman by 2 seconds. Riis and Indurain were almost tied, being 11 and 12 seconds slower, respectively. Indurain said that he rode carefully, wanting to avoid an accident.

The first 5 stages, with the exception of stage 4, were the playground of the sprinters. Frédéric Moncassin, Mario Cipollini and Erik Zabel, the fastest men in the world, each won stages. Only in stage 4 were they unable to control events when a 5-man break won with a 4½ minute lead. GAN team member Stéphane Heulot was the highest placed of the escapees and therefore took the lead, which he held until stage 7 when the Tour hit the Alps.

Stage 6 had one notable and famous abandon. In miserably wet and cold conditions Lance Armstrong climbed off his bike, feeling poorly, thinking he had bronchitis. Full of optimism, he said he would concentrate on preparing for the Olympics in Atlanta. His Olympic performances in the fall were well below what a man soaring to the top of cycling's best should have done. Indicative of the expectations others had for him, the professional team Cofidis signed him for a $2.5-million, 2-year contract. It was during that fall that he was diagnosed with testicular cancer that had metastasized all over his body. We'll pick up his story in 1999.

Before the climbing started, the General Classification after stage 6 looked like this:

1. Stéphane Heulot 2. Mariano Piccoli @ 20 seconds 3. Alex Zülle @ 4 minutes 5 seconds 4. Laurent Jalabert @ 4 minutes 6 seconds 5. Evgeni Berzin @ 4 minutes 8 seconds 6. Abraham Olano @ 4 minutes 12 seconds 7. Bjarne Riis @ 4 minutes 16 seconds 8. Miguel Indurain @ 4 minutes 17 seconds

The major contenders were all clustered at or near 4 minutes. Heulot and Piccoli would surely be dispatched on stage 7—200 kilometers with the hors category Madeleine, the first category Cormet de Roseland and a first category climb up to Les Arcs. The stage started taking its toll almost from the start. Jalabert was dropped about 8 kilometers from the summit of the Madeleine, which was enveloped in a thick, wet mist. The top contenders were together over the top with Riis willing to descend a bit faster than the others on the slippery roads. With no company and lots of climbing left he slowed and waited for the others. Heulot was able to go with the leaders on the Madeleine but could not keep up on the Roseland and abandoned, suffering horribly from tendinitis pain in his right knee. Descending the Roseland, Zülle crashed twice but refused to give up and managed to rejoin the leaders with help from his teammate Aitor Garmendia. On the climb to Les Arcs, Luc Leblanc, who was well back on the General Classification because of a stage 6 crash, attacked and but did not draw a response from the group with Virenque, Riis, Indurain, Olano and Rominger. Indurain himself looked good on the first 2 major climbs of the day, surely signaling to the others that they were competing for second place.

Then, just near the end of the climb, with about 3 kilometers to go to the finish, the unbelievable happened. Indurain was in trouble! He came off the back of the Riis group and probably for the first time in anyone's memory looked to be truly suffering. He signaled for a feed by wiggling a phantom bottle. He had ran out of food and had the "bonk". Other riders took pity on him and gave him food but it was a shock to all that such an error could be committed by an otherwise faultless rider. Indurain struggled in over 4 minutes behind the stage winner Leblanc. Zülle, paying the price of his earlier crashes, finished only 50 seconds ahead of Indurain. Both of them had given up so much time in the first hard day in the mountains that the other challengers felt that for the first time since 1990, the Tour was really in play. Berzin became the first Russian in Tour history to wear the Yellow Jersey.

The General Classification after stage 7:

1. Evgeni Berzin 2. Abraham Olano @ same time 3. Tony Rominger @ 7 seconds 4. Bjarne Riis @ 8 seconds 5. Jan Ullrich @ 30 seconds 6. Richard Virenque @ 31 seconds 11. Alex Zülle @ 2 minutes 30 seconds 14. Miguel Indurain @ 3 minutes 32 seconds

That was Saturday. Sunday, July 7 was a 30.5-kilometer uphill individual time trial to Val d'Isère. Berzin showed that his ownership of the Yellow Jersey was not a fluke. Indurain, a time trialist who could usually climb very well lost more ground to Riis and Berzin.

Results of the Val d'Isère time trial:

1. Evgeni Berzin: 51 minutes 53 seconds 2. Bjarne Riis @ 35 seconds 3. Abraham Olano @ 45 seconds 4. Tony Rominger @ 1 minute 1 second 5. Miguel Indurain @ same time 6. Jan Ullrich @ 1 minute 7 seconds

Indurain was now sitting in eleventh place, 4 minutes, 53 seconds behind the Russian.

Monday was expected to be the big day that would really sort things out with the Iseran, Galibier, Montgenèvre and a climb to Sestriere on the menu. The weather didn't cooperate. Winds clocked at over 100 kilometers an hour blew at the summits of the Iseran and the Galibier. The Tour organization shortened the stage to just 46 kilometers leaving the riders to contest the Montgenèvre and the final ascent to Sestriere. Almost from the start Riis started shooting. 3 times he attacked and was brought back. The fourth attack Riis unleashed was too much for the others and up the Montgenèvre he flew. He crested the top 20 seconds ahead of the about 15 riders left in the front chase group. On the final climb Riis extended his lead while Berzin couldn't take the pace set by Leblanc, Indurain and the others. When the smoke had cleared, Riis was the new leader. Riis rode over the 2 mountains at an incredible average speed of 39.019 kilometers an hour.

Here are the results of the stage:

1. Bjarne Riis 2. Luc Leblanc @ 24 seconds 3. Richard Virenque @ 26 seconds 4. Tony Rominger @ 28 seconds 5. Miguel Indurain @ same time 14. Evgeni Berzin @ 1 minute 23 seconds

The stage yielded a new General Classification, with Riis' young teammate Jan Ullrich looking awfully good. Indurain was in a deep hole that, given his normal Anquetil-type defensive tactics, looked hard to overcome:

1. Bjarne Riis 2. Evgeni Berzin @ 40 seconds 3. Tony Rominger @ 53 seconds 4. Abraham Olano @ 56 seconds 5. Jan Ullrich @ 1 minute 38 seconds 6. Peter Luttenberger @ 2 minutes 38 seconds 7. Richard Virenque @ 3 minutes 39 seconds 8. Miguel Indurain @ 4 minutes 38 seconds

The hardest Alpine climbing was completed and now the riders had to face the Massif Central. The French had hoped that Laurent Jalabert, the current world number-1 ranked rider, would be the man to wear Yellow in Paris but he had to abandon during stage 10 with gastroenteritis. While stage 10 had the Montgenèvre (again), it came too early in the stage for the climbers to stay away. In the end Telekom's Erik Zabel won the stage and secured the Green Sprinter's jersey. Telekom now had both the Green and the Yellow. During the next couple of stages Riis' Telekom squad controlled the race, letting breaks of non-contenders get away but carefully policing the real threats. On the hard thirteenth stage Riis' men set a tough pace that caused both Rominger and Berzin to lose more time. Indurain was able to stay with the leaders until he flatted. Then, showing that he both good form and courage, he made his way back to the Riis group.

That left things to be settled in the Pyrenees, which started with the stage 16 ride and its single major climb, the final ascent to Lourdes/Hautacam. This stage ended up being one of the most astonishing stages in racing history. I saw it on television and its defining moment is still clear in my mind. It was a 200-kilometer stage that had the best riders together at the start of the final climb, with Laurent Roux—who had been away for 160 kilometers—still slightly off the front. As soon as the climb began in earnest Zülle took off like a rocket and steamed right past Roux. Virenque dragged the elite climbers up to him and lost Rominger in the process. With 9 kilometers to go Riis tested the others with a probing attack and Indurain was able to stay with him. Riis turned the power down a bit. He went again and this time only 4 riders could stay with him. Now he did what I've never seen before or since. He eased a bit at first as if he were in trouble and rode next to the others, looking carefully at each of them. Convinced that they were all riding at their limits he went again and rocketed up the hill, leaving the others to their only option, limiting their losses to the super-strong Dane. He came in alone, almost a minute ahead of Virenque, 2 minutes, 28 seconds ahead of Indurain and almost 3 minutes ahead of Berzin. Riis gave what can only be called an unusual performance, giving up position and momentum on a steep mountain surrounded by the finest climbers in the world. Only the most profound confidence could have allowed him to do what he did. And Indurain, who was hoping to celebrate his thirty-second birthday with something more than another time loss to the Dane was clearly not the man he had been the year before.

If there were to be any chance of breaking Riis' grip on the lead it would have to come on stage 17 with its 7 climbs, of which 5 were second category or better: the Soulor, the Aubisque, the Marie-Blanque, the Soudet and the steepest, the Port de Larrau. On the Soudet Riis kept the pace high and there the first real selection occurred with 11 of the best riders surviving. The Festina team's Virenque and Laurent Dufaux hammered the remaining riders, putting Indurain out the back door. In the final run-in to Pamplona Dufaux and Riis escaped with Dufaux outsprinting the almost invulnerable Dane. With the finish in Pamplona, Spain, Indurain's fans were out in force, hoping for a miracle. The day's route even took the riders past Indurain's childhood home. Both the public and Riis paid tribute to the man who had hoped for better that year.

In interviews that afternoon Riis said that in addition to being directed by Godefroot, he was getting tactical advice from Laurent Fignon. It was Fignon who spotted the young Riis' talents and talked him into changing teams and riding for the Frenchman. With his 1989 narrow loss to LeMond still burned into his memory, Fignon told Riis to beware of playing with fate by being content with a 1-minute lead. Knowing that such a small margin can evaporate, Fignon advised Riis to continue being aggressive and to increase his margin over his competitors. But, after stage 17, look who was sitting in second place, his young domestique from the East German sports machine:

1. Bjarne Riis 2. Jan Ullrich @ 3 minutes 59 seconds 3. Richard Virenque @ 4 minutes 25 seconds 4. Laurent Dufaux @ 5 minutes 52 seconds 11. Miguel Indurain @ 15 minutes 36 seconds

Telekom now had the first 2 places on the podium, the Green Jersey, and in Jan Ullrich, the Best Young Rider.

The only way Riis could not win the Tour now was to stumble during the Tour's penultimate stage, a 63.5-kilometer individual time trial. Riis didn't stumble but he faltered. Looking tired after 3 hard weeks, he turned in a time that was sufficient to allow him to keep the lead. The real surprise was Ullrich who stormed the course at 50.452 kilometers per hour beating second place Indurain by 56 seconds and his team leader by 2 minutes, 18 seconds. Ullrich's performance showed that he was one of those rare, titanically talented men, like Greg LeMond, who grow stronger during even the hardest Tour. Indurain praised him with words that, as we'll see in the Armstrong years, had a touch of prophecy, "He is as strong as an ox and his performances in the mountains and in the time-trials makes him a definite winner, as long as he stays fit".

It took Riis 11 years as a pro to attain this level. It was a performance that the 32-year old would not repeat. Since that Tour victory, Riis has been dogged by accusations of EPO use, accusations that Riis steadfastly denies. His young charge, Ullrich, became the first German since Kurt Stoepel in 1932 to make the Tour's podium.

Final 1996 Tour de France General Classification:

• Bjarne Riis (Telekom): 95 hours 57 minutes 16 seconds
• Jan Ullrich (Telekom) @ 1 minute 41 seconds
• Richard Virenque (Festina) @ 4 minutes 37 seconds
• Laurent Dufaux (Festina) @ 5 minutes 53 seconds
• Peter Luttenberger (Carrera) @ 7 minutes 7 seconds

Climbers' Competition:

• Richard Virenque: 383 points
• Bjarne Riis: 274 points
• Laurent Dufaux: 176 points

Points Competition:

• Erik Zabel: 335 points
• Frédéric Moncassin: 284 points
• Fabio Baldato: 255 points

© McGann Publishing

Home > Events > Cycling > Tour de France > Tours > 1996

1996 Tour de France

• The 1996 Tour de France event was the 83rd held. The event started in the Netherlands.
• Bjarne Riis has admitted to the use of doping during the 1996 Tour. The Tour de France organizers have stated they no longer consider him to be the winner, although Union Cycliste Internationale has so far refused to change the official status due to the amount of time passed since his win. Jan Ullrich was placed second.

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’96 Winner of the Tour Loses Title for Doping

By Ian Austen

• June 8, 2007

The organizer of the Tour de France declared yesterday that the 1996 version of cycling’s most important race no longer had a winner.

The decision, announced a month before the start of this year’s Tour, follows an admission by Bjarne Riis that he used performance-enhancing drugs when he won in 1996.

The statement from the Amaury Sport Organisation, which runs the Tour de France, came on the same day that the federal police in Belgium seized drugs in a series of cycling-related raids. It was also reported yesterday that a prominent Belgian cyclist, and convicted drug user, was admitted to a hospital after a suicide attempt.

The confession from Riis, who is retired and now runs the CSC team, came after the expiration of an eight-year period in which he could have been sanctioned under International Cycling Union rules. But A.S.O. said that his drug use meant that Riis “is no longer considered the winner of the Tour.”

As a result, the official history of the race, a reference book produced mainly for journalists, will now have a blank space instead of a winner’s name for 1996. That will make it the only year without a victor for the race, which has been run 93 times.

That unique status may change. The statement said that if an arbitration panel sanctioned the 2006 winner, Floyd Landis, for the use of performance-enhancing drugs, he would also be stripped of his title.

Richard W. Pound, the chairman of the World Anti-Doping Agency, said the elimination of Riis from the record book might discourage other riders from confessing.

“If I were king of the world, I would be encouraging anyone who knows anything about doping to come forward and only then decide what sanctions to apply,” he said. “If you take the half-empty view of this, it could be seen as an effort to shut everyone up. On the half-full side, I’m sure they’re going to say, ‘We don’t condone doping.’ ”

Cycling’s drug problem has become so messy, Pound added, that it might be time to grant riders and team officials, both past and present, an amnesty in exchange for their complete testimony about doping.

“It sounds like doping is just so pervasive, that may be the only practicable solution,” Pound said.

Pat McQuaid, president of the cycling union, was dismissive of the action against Riis. “They need to be consistent and less hypocritical,” he said. “He’s not the first winner of the Tour to admit to using drugs.”

While Riis is the first rider to acknowledge using drugs to win a specific Tour, other winners have generally admitted to doping. As a result, McQuaid said that the Tour organizers should also strike out victories by such stars as Fausto Coppi and Jacques Anquetil from decades ago, even though drug testing did not exist at that time.

Christophe Marchadier, a spokesman for the cycling operations of A.S.O., said that no Tour officials were available for comment.

In Belgium, the state prosecutors office said at a news conference that the police had seized banned substances and detained 13 people after raiding the homes of cyclists and support workers.

The government did not identify any of the people involved and no charges were filed. Much of the personnel for the Discovery Channel team are Belgian and the team’s European operations are based there. But P. J. Rabice, a spokesman for the team, said that no one from the group was involved in the raids.

Patrick Lefévère, manager of the top-ranked Quick Step-Innergetic team, told Belgian television that a member of its medical staff had been questioned. A spokesman for the team said the investigation did not involve any of its riders, who include Tom Boonen, a leading sprinter and former world champion.

A former member of the Quick Step team, Frank Vandenbroucke, was admitted to a hospital near Milan on Wednesday after a suicide attempt. He was with Quick Step in 2002 when the police seized several performance-enhancing drugs on his property.

He was suspended from cycling for six months and sentenced to 200 hours of community service. But an appeals court overturned a $336,000 fine against him, saying he should be “judged as a drug addict, not as a doped sportsman.”

Vandenbroucke was once was the third-ranked cyclist in the world, but he has not won a race since 2004 and rides for a second-tier Italian team.

The team’s director, Palmiro Masciarelli, told The Associated Press that Vandenbroucke had attempted to slit a vein but ended up only making “harmless cuts” on his arm. Vandenbroucke, who has a history of erratic behavior, was despondent because his marriage had collapsed, Masciarelli said.

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Hardwood and Hollywood

The oral history of happy gilmore’s victory at the 1996 tour championship.

Image Courtesy of Fandango

21 years ago the sports world was forever altered when Happy Gilmore left behind a dead end and virtually non-existent hockey career to join the PGA Tour. Even though Gilmore did not achieve much success on the tour early on, his controversial and wild demeanor allowed him to  gain a massive, rabid and demographically unique fanbase in a very short amount of time. Happy Gilmore quickly became the  popular golfer in the world, and he soon solidified himself as one of the biggest draws in the history of the sport. 

Meanwhile, the #1 ranked golfer in the world in 1996 was 11-year veteran Shooter McGavin. McGavin had been racking up tournament wins throughout the 90’s, and 1996 was one of his best years ever, but a Tour Championship still eluded him. Golf fans began wondering, “Can Shooter win the big one?” 

Though Gilmore was rarely near McGavin on tournament leaderboards, a feud between the two had been building beneath the surface ever since  McGavin was on hand to witness Gilmore win the Waterbury Open, an amateur tournament that rewarded a spot on the professional tour to whomever the winner was.  McGavin (the traditionalist) and Gilmore (the rebel) were nature foils and bitter enemies, and their rivalry came to a head at the 1996 Tour Championship. The highly coveted Gold Jacket was not the only prize being played for; the longtime home of Happy Gilmore’s grandmother, bragging rights, and the golfing career of Happy Gilmore were on the line as well. 

This is the oral history of the 1996 Tour Championship, as told by the individuals who were a part of it. 

Verne Lundquist (Former CBS Sports Commentator):  I have had the privilege of being on the call for so many unbelievable sports moments in a career that has spanned five decades. Multiple golf tournaments, high stakes college football games, the NCAA Tournament. I say with complete certainty that the 1996 Tour Championship was easily the most memorable sporting event I’ve ever been involved with. Never,  in my life,  did I expect things to go down as they did. There was no way to anticipate that we were about to be the firsthand witnesses to  the craziest  tournament in the history of professional golf.

Part I: The Build-Up

Doug Thompson (Former PGA Commissioner):  Before Happy joined the tour in the spring of 1996 we were facing an identity crisis. We were struggling to transition from the era of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus to whoever the next generation would bring us. Guys like Greg Norman and Nick Faldo and Seve Ballesteros did a fine job bridging that gap, but nobody on the tour in 1996 was able to make solid connections with our fanbase, and our fanbase as a whole was dwindling.

Mike Tirico (Former ESPN Golf Commentator, Current NBC Sports Golf Commentator):  It was rarely mentioned at the time, but the PGA was on the verge of facing a full-blown crisis in the mid-nineties. Attendance was down all across the board and broadcast numbers were slipping as well. The problem wasn’t the product. There were plenty of talented golfers on the tour, but the fans just never got behind any of them the same way they did with guys like Palmer and Nicklaus, or later on Happy or Tiger or even Phil.

Doug Thompson:  At that time we weren’t putting much of an emphasis on our brand, or rather, our golfer’s brands. I suppose that’s our own fault, but in all honesty we didn’t have much to work with. The best golfer in the world from the early nineties well into 1996 was Shooter McGavin, but for whatever reason, Shooter just couldn’t relate to the fans of golf.

Virginia Venit-Gilmore (Former PGA PR Director, Wife of Happy Gilmore):  Shooter McGavin was a pompous asshole. Impossible to work with, and I’m sure he hasn’t changed. He said all the right things to the media, but it was all B.S. But I’m admittedly biased given who my husband is.

Shooter McGavin (Former Pro Golfer, 1996 Tour Championship Runner Up):  I didn’t care about making friends on the tour or being liked. I cared about winning. And nobody won more than Shooter.

Shooter McGavin is 14th All-Time in PGA Tour Tournament Victories. 

Scott Van Pelt (ESPN Golf Analyst):  I think people just hated those patented Shooter Pistols. It got old really quick.

Jim Nantz (CBS Sports Golf Commentator):  Shooter McGavin was an amazing golfer. He was a three-time All-American in college and he had a great deal of success as soon as he turned pro. Everyone in the media expected him to be passed the torch at some point in time, but it just kept getting pushed back.

Virginia Venit-Gilmore:  1994 was my first year involved with the PGA, and everyone was expecting it to be Shooter’s year. It didn’t happen. Then everyone said 1995 was going to be Shooter’s year. Didn’t happen. I was promoted to Director of Public Relations in 1996, right when Shooter started getting hot.

Doug Thompson:  Shooter got off to such an incredible start in 1996, and we thought it was finally happening. We started prepping him to be our guy. Sending him to promotional shoots, setting him up with additional sponsors. It seemed like our problem was finally solved. Then Happy Gilmore showed up on the tour and we had a completely new problem to manage.

Verne Lundquist:  Happy Gilmore was … eccentric. (Chortling)

Jason Kapps (Former Amateur Golfer):  Happy Gilmore is the reason why I never made the pro tour, so I’m a bit jaded. But he was entertaining, and he was so powerful off the tee, I’ll give him that much.

Image Courtesy of Golf Channel

Jason Kapps finished second to Happy Gilmore in the 1996 Waterbury Open. This was the closest he ever came to securing a full-time spot on the professional tour.  

Daniel Lafferty (Former Amateur Golfer):  I was paired with Happy during the Waterbury Open, and even then people were mesmerized by him. That was before anyone in the sports world even knew his name.

Gary Potter (Former Pro Golfer):  Happy was a character. Great, infectious energy. Rough around the edges, but all in all he was a fantastic addition to our sport. I loved that bull dance and so did the fans, and that’s what matters the most.

Jim Nantz:  People absolutely loved Happy Gilmore. I was on the call at a few events he participated in before he was contending in any tournaments, and he was massively popular. People flocked to him. And that wasn’t always a good thing because he was getting himself into some unsavory predicaments on the course.

Shooter McGavin:  Gilmore was a disgrace to the game of golf. Just look at what he did in Portland.

Gary Potter:  Happy and I were paired together at the AT&T Invitational in Portland, and being a veteran I tried to give him some advice throughout the day. He was playing a phenomenal round of golf, but then when he missed that short putt on 17, he came unglued.

Happy Gilmore finished last in the 1996 AT&T Invitational 

Doug Thompson:  I wanted to kick Happy off of the tour after the AT&T Invitational, but Virginia Venit convinced me otherwise. Our TV numbers were huge and all of our upcoming events were selling out when fans found out Happy would be there. From a business perspective it was a risky proposition, but there was an undeniable amount of upside as well.

Virginia Venit-Gilmore:  My husband was a headache when he joined the tour, but I saw a certain untapped demographic that we at the PGA could appeal to by highlighting him. Doug made it my sole responsibility to contain him and mold him, and I had my hands full. He became so popular so fast, but he was always getting himself in trouble. And it didn’t help that he didn’t even really want to be a golfer.

Happy Gilmore (Former Pro Golfer, 1996 PGA Tour Champion):  I hated golf. I thought it was a stupid game. I was only planning to play until I made enough money to buy my Grandma’s house back, and then I was going to start training for the upcoming hockey season again. But money stopped being my only motivation when I met Shooter McGavin.

Mark Lye (Former Pro Golfer):  Shooter was immediately threatened by Happy’s presence. That’s why he roped him into meeting on the 9th Green at 9 o’clock. Had Shooter not done that I don’t think Happy would have had any problem with him. Happy felt like it was a personal attack.

Shooter McGavin:  It’s not my fault that Gilmore couldn’t take a joke. It’s also not my fault that he went ballistic on Bob Barker at the Pro-Am.

Bob Barker (Former host of  The Price is Right ):  I was Happy’s partner in the 1996 Pepsi Pro-Am, and I have to admit, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to play with him. I thought between his ability to drive the ball and my short game, we would have a real chance to win the whole thing. Nick Faldo and I had won the previous year, so I was expecting to repeat as champion. I did not repeat as champion.

Doug Thompson:  We purposely paired Happy with Bob Barker to try to build some momentum for him. Mr. Barker was one of our better celebrity golfers, and we saw this as a possible point in time where we could push Happy as our guy. He had been tremendously well-behaved in the handful of tournaments leading to that one. Then this deranged fan, this Donald Reilly shows up and ruins everything.

Shooter McGavin:  Like I told the PGA Board of Directors and the police already, I don’t know who Donald Reilly is.

Donald Reilly relentlessly taunted Happy Gilmore throughout the 1996 Pepsi Pro-Am, and eventually hit Gilmore with a car during the final round of the 1996 Tour Championship. Reilly claimed that Shooter McGavin paid him to interfere both times; Shooter McGavin has not only denied these claims, and but also denied knowing who Donald Reilly was numerous times since. Reilly declined to comment for this feature. 

Happy Gilmore:  I always figured Shooter put that jackass up to it.

Mark Lye:  Based on what I know about Shooter McGavin, and Shooter’s feelings towards Happy Gilmore, it wouldn’t surprise me if he was in some way associated with that guy (Donald Reilly). I mean, Shooter bought Happy Gilmore’s grandmother’s home in an auction that Happy was bidding in. You can’t tell me he did that for any other reason than to needle Happy.

Mike Tirico:  Whether anyone put Reilly up to interfering or not, there was no possible way the PGA could go without reprimanding Happy Gilmore. He was involved in an all-out brawl on national television with one of the most respected and well-known game show hosts ever.

Jim Nantz:  I was shocked when I found out Happy Gilmore wasn’t going to be thrown off the pro tour. The entire sports world watched as he assaulted Bob Barker. What a moment.

Shooter McGavin:  Gilmore should have received a lifetime ban from pro golf. Instead he got a slap on the wrist and a Subway sponsorship. And then he murdered Chubbs Peterson and got away with it too.

Chubbs Peterson was a former pro golfer who was forced to retire from Golf in the middle of his prime after an alligator bit his right hand off during a tournament. For months before his death, Peterson served as a mentor to Happy Gilmore. Peterson’s death, which came three days before the 1996 Tour Championship, was ruled an accident. 

Virginia Venit-Gilmore:  Happy was really broken up when Chubbs died. They had gotten extremely close. I was concerned that if Happy did play in the Tour Championship, he would suffer a setback if things weren’t going his way.

Happy Gilmore:  I owe all of my success to Chubbs. If it weren’t for him I would probably still be going to NHL tryouts.

Verne Lundquist:  We honored Chubbs Peterson over the course of the weekend, giving him the respect any beloved member of the golf community absolutely deserves. But very quickly we all realized that we had a doozy of a tournament on our hands, and our focus shifted to the memorable duel between Shooter McGavin and Happy Gilmore.

Part II: The Tournament 

Ricky Denegri (Former Pro Golfer, 1996 Tour Championship 2nd Runner-Up):  Everybody seems to forget that I was right there in contention too. I was three strokes off the lead heading into the final round, and only one stroke back when Happy and Shooter teed off on 18. But of course, everyone just wants to talk about those two.

Doug Thompson:  We purposely paired Happy and Shooter together on the very first day of the Tour Championship. We didn’t know how close they would be later on in the tournament, so we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to get them playing together on Thursday.

Daniel Lafferty:  CBS definitely geared their coverage towards Happy and Shooter. It was almost as if the other 61 guys in the tournament didn’t exist. I know if I were playing in the tournament I would have been upset.

Verne Lundquist:  I was criticized by some fans for emphasizing the Gilmore/McGavin pairing a little too much throughout the day. But these same fans are likely the ones who say that the 1996 Tour Championship is the greatest golf tournament ever. And if it weren’t for those two, that wouldn’t be the case.

Brett Armstrong (Pro Golf Caddy) : I was Shooter’s caddy for the Tour Championship, and being there witnessing those two go back and forth with trash talk throughout the day was remarkable. They were jawing at each other the entire time. I’ve never seen anything like it.

Happy Gilmore:  Shooter started talking before we teed off on day one. He was making comments about Grandma’s house and how he was going to turn my old bedroom into his trophy room. I wanted to tell him he should shove all those trophies up his ass, but I didn’t.

Image Courtesy of Boston Magazine

Mark Lye:  I’m not surprised Shooter talked about Gilmore’s family. Shooter had a way of digging deep with his trash talk, and then acting like it was just business after the fact. And that was with guys he didn’t necessarily hate. Shooter hated Happy Gilmore.

Gary Potter:  I think Happy let his play do the talking. He had a great aura about him during the first few days of the tournament. Solid energy. Very confident.

Virginia Venit-Gilmore:  I know that Happy was talking back to Shooter, but the most damaging thing he did to Shooter was learn how to putt. I think that probably got in Shooter’s head more than anything else.

Brett Armstrong:  When Happy sunk that long putt on the very first hole of the tournament with that hockey stick putter, Shooter was definitely rattled. He looked right at Shooter and said “Happy learned how to putt.” I think at that moment Shooter knew he would really have to bring his A game if Happy wasn’t going to be three-putting every time he was on the green. Once Happy nailed a few putts he would typically miss, he was all over Shooter.

Shooter McGavin:  People act like Gilmore got in my head. That just wasn’t the case. I was in the lead after the first two rounds of the tournament. Shooter’s confidence was just fine.

Verne Lundquist:  Happy’s improved short game was not something I expected to be commenting on throughout the tournament. He was sensational.

Doug Thompson:  We had no clue that Happy had worked on his putting during that month suspension. It was a surprise to all of us, so at that point we felt very good about our decision to pair Happy with Shooter.

Happy and Shooter stayed paired throughout the duration of the tournament. At the end of the first round, Gilmore and McGavin were co-leaders of the field. McGavin took a one stroke lead after the second round, and heading into the final round of the tournament, Happy Gilmore led Shooter McGavin by one stroke. 

Virginia Venit-Gilmore:  Happy felt good on Sunday morning. He was having fun and playing the best golf of his life. I think if Donald Reilly didn’t hit him with his car he would have pulled away from Shooter and won easily.

Shooter McGavin:  I was shaken up by the fact that some crazed fan drove his car right onto the course and hit a golfer. It could have just as easily been me, or anyone else that was injured.

Doug Thompson:  This was a public relations nightmare. How on earth did we allow a man to drive his car onto the course in the first place? What would have happened if Happy Gilmore couldn’t have continued playing, or God forbid, if he suffered serious, life-threatening injuries? Our TV ratings for the first three days of the tournament were as high as they’d ever been, and Happy was our most popular golfer. I was freaking out.

Dr. Simon Webb (Former PGA Physician):  I advised Mr. Gilmore to stay off his feet for the next week or so in order to let his injuries heal. He wasn’t seriously injured immediately after the incident, but if he continued to play it was likely that he would aggravate his shoulder injury to the degree that it may require surgery after the tournament. And that’s exactly what happened.

Bob Barker:  I was watching the tournament from home, and I thought that was the end of Happy Gilmore. I figured if I could knock him out then a car would definitely be able to.

Happy Gilmore:  I knew I had to keep playing. Play through the pain. If I dropped out of the tournament Grandma wouldn’t get her house back.

Verne Lundquist:  I knew Happy had to be a tough guy, coming from a hockey background and all. But he got hit by a car! Are you kidding me? I thought there was no way he’d be able to play after this!

Happy did continue to play, but he struggled. After the 9th hole, he trailed Shooter McGavin by four strokes. 

Ricky Denegri:  Heading into the final round we all felt like Happy had a better chance of pulling away from the pack than Shooter did. When all of us other golfers saw Happy sliding down the leaderboard we thought we had a legitimate chance to win this thing.

Brett Armstrong:  Shooter thought he had it in the bag. Not only did Happy no longer have the power to drive the ball from tee to green, he was in his own head too.

Happy Gilmore:  Before he died, Chubbs told me I had to go to my Happy Place when I was faced with tough situations. I was trying to get there, but I just couldn’t do it.

Shooter McGavin:  I genuinely felt bad that Gilmore got hit by the car, but I didn’t feel bad that he was losing it on national television … again.

Doug Thompson:  Happy started unraveling, and I made the call to shift some of the coverage’s focus onto other golfers in contention. I didn’t want to highlight any sort of breakdown Happy may have, because it felt like it was coming.

Virginia Venit-Gilmore:  I was trying to calm Happy down in between holes, but he wasn’t mentally with it. I knew the only way he could turn things around was if he talked to his Grandma.

Happy Gilmore:  When Virginia brought Grandma over to talk to me that’s when I got all the momentum back. Grandma took a lot of the pressure off me, and having those two there together made me realize that everything was O.K.

Verne Lundquist:  Happy shanked one into the woods off the tee at the 10th hole, but then he came back with an unbelievable shot through he trees onto the green. As Happy walked out of the woods he said something to Shooter McGavin. I don’t know what was said, but right then I turned to my broadcast partner Jack Beard and told him that Happy wasn’t out of it yet.

Scott Van Pelt:  It was really easy to root for Happy Gilmore. Shooter McGavin was the typical smarmy, upper-class golf snob that a lot of fans were tired of, and Happy was the exact opposite of that. He was the every man, and he faced a ridiculous amount of adversity in that final round. Fans love watching athletes overcome adversity.

Brett Armstrong:  The crowd really got into it when Happy started surging, and Shooter didn’t handle it well.

Ricky Denegri:  The entire final round was chaotic. All of the other golfers could hear the crowds cheering for Happy and trying to distract Shooter on every hole. It was distracting for us.

Jim Nantz:  Shooter and Happy approached the 18th hole and they were tied atop the leaderboard. I was very envious of Verne Lundquist for having the privilege to call that final hole.

Happy Gilmore:  I know Shooter was feeling way more pressure than I was when we teed off on 18. He was about to blow a four stroke lead in the tour championship to a hockey player who had gotten hit by a car three hours earlier.

Mike Tirico:  Shooter McGavin’s forte as a golfer was his control of the ball, and he had no control whatsoever when he teed off on the final hole. He was reeling.

Verne Lundquist:  Happy’s shot off the tee on 18 was just magnificent. 15 feet short of the hole, and considering how he had been putting, it looked like he’d birdie the hole and become Tour Champion.

Shooter McGavin:  I have never been a part of such an embarrassing tournament as the 1996 Tour Championship. The crowd was whistling and screaming and hollering every time I was about to shoot. I had an over-sized beach ball thrown at me when I was putting on the 16th green, and I still made the putt by the way. And on 18, I had to hit it off of the foot of one of Gilmore’s fans. This same fan then threatened to be waiting for me in the parking lot after the tournament was over. It’s no wonder Doug Thompson isn’t the PGA Commissioner anymore.

Doug Thompson  resigned as PGA Tour Commissioner in 1999 amid many complaints by fans and golfers alike. However, he was not fired or formally relieved of his duties. Shooter McGavin ended up shooting for par on the 18th hole. Happy Gilmore was faced with a birdie putt for the championship when another obstacle got in his way. 

Doug Thompson:  Happy had a chance to putt for a victory on the 18th hole, and it would have been a beautiful end to an otherwise disastrous tournament. But I was foolish for thinking that things end in such smooth fashion if the entire tournament had been so unpredictable from start to finish.

Virginia Venit-Gilmore:  You could see the TV tower start to sway back and forth when Happy and Shooter were approaching the 18th green. There had to be ten to fifteen fans who climbed it to try to get a better view.

Verne Lundquist:  We hadn’t gotten any word in the booth that the TV tower near the 18th hole might come down. We obviously knew it had been hit by the car that Donald Reilly was driving, but no one had told us that it was that unstable. So I, just like the millions of fans watching on television around the world, was absolutely shocked when it came down just feet in front of Happy Gilmore.

Brett Armstrong:  I remember immediately looking at Happy when the tower came down, and he didn’t flinch. He was unusually calm considering he was nearly crushed by thousands of pounds of steel for the second time that day.

Happy Gilmore:  I didn’t really panic. It was disbelief more than anything else. I just thought to myself, well how the hell can I make this shot?

Doug Thompson:  My one big regret, and I have many, of the 1996 Tour Championship was not delaying the finish in order to remove the TV tower from the 18th green. Regardless of what happened after the fact, I think that was my biggest error of judgment.

Shooter McGavin:  There was no way in hell I was going to let Doug get that green cleared off for Gilmore’s shot. Not if I had to shoot it off of a spectators foot. No way.

Scott Van Pelt:  It’s laughable that Happy Gilmore was forced to have to make that putt with the tower on the green. Are you kidding me?

Charles Barkley (Former NBA Player, NBA Analyst, Occasional Golfer) : Listen, Happy Gilmore’s my guy, but first of all, it was just terrible that he had to shoot with that jungle gym lookin thing on the course. I mean, that’s just crazy. Second, look, that guy Doug Thompson, I never met the guy, but he deserved to be fired as Commissioner of the PGA Tour because so many things just went wrong during that tournament. He’s a damn fool.

Virginia Venit-Gilmore:  I wanted Happy to try to two-putt his way into a tie with Shooter. They would have went to a sudden death playoff if they were tied after the 18th hole, and I knew he could have beaten him there.

Ricky Denegri:  Nobody in the clubhouse thought Happy would try to shoot through the tower to birdie the hole. We all thought he was going to try to force a playoff.

Shooter McGavin:  What happened after that tower fell is proof that Gilmore had a horseshoe stuck up his ass.

Gary Potter:  Happy had such incredible energy on the back nine and momentum was on his side. I would have advised him to do exactly what he did. He sent the ball home.

Brett Armstrong:  Before he shot, Happy told Shooter straight up that he was about to beat him. I thought he was crazy. It didn’t seem like there was any way he could beat Shooter on one shot.

Verne Lundquist:  Happy took his shot, and it was like a slap shot, and the ball went right into the windshield of the very same Volkswagen that ran him down just hours earlier. That was such a risky shot. What would have happened if the ball broke the glass and landed in the drivers seat?

Mike Tirico:  Happy has since claimed that he envisioned exactly how the ball would roll around that TV tower and end up in the hole. I just don’t see how that’s possible.

Jim Nantz:  From the time Happy Gilmore made contact with the ball, it took exactly 30 seconds until the ball found the bottom of the cup, and within half a second of that improbable shot going down, the entire crowd was in a frenzy. Now that’s what I call a Happy Ending!

Skip Bayless (Co-Host of FS1’s  Undisputed) : Personally, I’ve always believed that Happy Gilmore’s shot on the 18th hole at the 1996 Tour Championship is one of the most overrated, over-hyped and downright lucky moments in sports history. There have been at least fifty more impressive shots in my lifetime than that one!

Happy Gilmore:  The night Chubbs died we played mini-golf together because he wanted me to learn how to putt. I had to make a shot almost exactly like the one at the Tour Championship on one of the holes there. It was like he knew I was going to have to make a shot like that, and then I made it. It was a perfect ending. I won the Gold Jacket. Grandma got her house back. I ended up marrying Virginia. And I beat Shooter McGavin.

Shooter McGavin:  Gilmore never golfed again after the 1996 Tour Championship. You know why? Do you? It’s because he knew I would beat him every single time. He beat Shooter once. Everyone loves a guy who wasn’t a loser one time in his life. Congratulations Gilmore, one hell of a career ya had!

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Former Tour Winner Admits to Doping in 1996 Win

Tom Goldman

A Danish Tour de France champion acknowledged Friday that he used performance-enhancing drugs to win the prestigious cycling title in 1996.

The news comes as an Italian racing champion faces a 21-month ban for attempted doping, and the current Tour de France champion, American Floyd Landis, awaits an arbitration ruling that could strip him of his championship. Landis tested positive for synthetic testosterone during last year's race.

The admission by Bjarne Riis is the latest blow to the elite levels of bicycle racing. Now, many in the sport are trying to hold on as cycling staggers from one doping scandal to the next.

Riis said that from 1993 to '98, he took EPO, an oxygen-boosting substance favored by cyclists. He also took cortisone and human growth hormone.

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Golf compendium, 1996 u.s. open winner and scores, popular posts from this blog, golfers with the most wins in major championships, 2024 masters tournament winner and final scores.

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Tour of Romandie win is career-best title for Carlos Rodriguez through rain-slicked final stage

The winner of the Tour de Romandie, Carlos Rodriguez, right, from Spain of team Ineos Grenadier, celebrates on the podium after the fifth and final stage, a 150,8 km race between Vernier and Vernier at the 77th Tour de Romandie UCI World Tour Cycling race, in Vernier near Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

The winner of the Tour de Romandie, Carlos Rodriguez, right, from Spain of team Ineos Grenadier, crosses the finish line of the fifth and final stage, a 150,8 km race between Vernier and Vernier at the 77th Tour de Romandie UCI World Tour Cycling race, in Vernier near Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

The winner of the stage, Dorian Godon from France of team Decathlon AG2R La Mondiale, crosses the finish line to win the fifth and final stage, a 150,8 km race between Vernier and Vernier at the 77th Tour de Romandie UCI World Tour Cycling race, in Vernier near Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, April 28, 2024. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)

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VERNIER, Switzerland (AP) — Carlos Rodriguez protected his yellow jersey through a rain-soaked final stage Sunday to win the six-day Tour of Romandie for the biggest race victory of his career.

Four previous winners in the French-speaking region of Switzerland went on to win that season’s Tour de France, including Chris Froome in 2013. Rodriguez placed fifth in cycling’s marquee event last year and won a stage.

Rodriguez started Sunday’s flat stage that looped round the suburbs of Geneva — won in a sprint finish by Dorian Godon — with a seven-second lead he took by placing third in a mountain stage Saturday.

The 23-year-old Ineos Grenadiers rider kept that winning margin over runner-up Aleksandr Vlasov, the 2022 Romandie winner. Third-placed Florian Lipowitz was third, trailing Rodriquez by nine seconds.

Godon sealed his second stage win this week, edging Simone Consonni with Dion Smith third.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

25 - 28 Apr 2024

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2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans money: Purse, winner’s share, updated prize money payout

T he 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans prize money payout is from the $8.9 million purse, with 80 professional players who complete four rounds at TPC Louisiana in the Avondale, La., earning PGA Tour prize money this week.

The winner's share of Zurich Classic of New Orleans prize pool is $2,572,100 ($1,286,050 to each player on the team), with the second-place finishers taking home $1,050,200 ($525,100 each) in PGA Tour prize money today. The Zurich Classic of New Orleans prize-money payout breakdown shows a payout of 18 percent of the purse to the winner, and how much each PGA Tour player earns is guaranteed down to the last-place professional team, which is $32,218 ($16,109 each). Prize money is updated after the cut is made to guarantee all professional players who make the cut earn cash.

The Zurich Classic of New Orleans field is headed by Rory McIlroy , Shane Lowry , Zac Blair, Patrick Fishburn, Nick Taylor, Adam Hadwin and more. The PGA Tour leaderboard is topped by Blair and Fishburn, who seek a huge win toward helping their status on the PGA Tour -- particularly for Fishburn.

This tournament started with 160 players, and a cut was made this week after two rounds. Every professional player in the field is paid for completing the event, but how much each player is paid at the 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans from the correct 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans full-field payout is based on their finish.

The 36-hole cut is typically made to the top 65 players and ties, with every player able to move up in the final round. However, in this unique event, the cut was made to the top 33 teams (66 players) and ties.

The 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans prize money payout is set ahead of the event, with the PGA Tour adding money to the purse if more than 65 professionals make the cut to ensure all players are paid, as is the case this week.

What else is on the line

Beyond money, there are important points, perks and benefits on the line for the field -- in particular, the tournament winner.

The winner of this event will each get 400 FedEx Cup points, as is the practice for this team event, splitting the combined first- and second-place FedEx Cup points for an individual event.

There are no Official World Golf Ranking points on the line for the winners, as team events cannot be rated for points.

While this event offers a significant payday, the win comes with enhanced PGA Tour status. The winner gets berths into the PGA Championship and the remaining Signature events this year, along with a two-year PGA Tour exemption.

2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans prize money, winner's share, first-place payout

The post 2024 Zurich Classic of New Orleans money: Purse, winner’s share, updated prize money payout first appeared on Golf News Net .

Copyright, Golf News Net. All rights reserved.

Tour of Romandie win is career-best title for Carlos Rodriguez through rain-slicked final stage

VERNIER, Switzerland — Carlos Rodriguez protected his yellow jersey through a rain-soaked final stage Sunday to win the six-day Tour of Romandie for the biggest race victory of his career.

Four previous winners in the French-speaking region of Switzerland went on to win that season’s Tour de France, including Chris Froome in 2013. Rodriguez placed fifth in cycling’s marquee event last year and won a stage.

Rodriguez started Sunday’s flat stage that looped round the suburbs of Geneva — won in a sprint finish by Dorian Godon — with a seven-second lead he took by placing third in a mountain stage Saturday.

The 23-year-old Ineos Grenadiers rider kept that winning margin over runner-up Aleksandr Vlasov, the 2022 Romandie winner. Third-placed Florian Lipowitz was third, trailing Rodriquez by nine seconds.

Godon sealed his second stage win this week, edging Simone Consonni with Dion Smith third.

AP sports: https://apnews.com/sports

Winner's Bag: Rory McIlroy/Shane Lowry, Zurich Classic of New Orleans

Winner's Bag

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Rory McIlroy and Shane Lowry used a 4-under round of 68 on Sunday and one playoff hole to win in their PGA TOUR team debut at the Zurich Classic of New Orleans.

Check below for the clubs that they used to win at TPC Louisiana:

Rory McIlroy

Driver: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 6 X

3-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 8 X

5-wood: TaylorMade Qi10 (18 degrees) Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Black 9 X

Irons: TaylorMade Proto (4), TaylorMade Rors Proto (5-9) Shaft: Project X 7.0 (4-9)

Wedges: TaylorMade MG4 (46-09SB, 50-09SB, 54-11SB), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58-K bent to 59 degrees) Shafts: Project X 6.5 (46-54), Project X 6.5 Wedge (60)

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour X3 Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour

Grips : Golf Pride MCC

Ball: 2024 TaylorMade TP5x

Shane Lowry

Driver: Srixon ZX5 Mk II (8.5 degrees) Shaft: Mitsubishi Diamana D+ White 70 TX

5-wood: TaylorMade Stealth Plus (18 degrees) Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD DI 8 X

Irons: Srixon ZX Utility (3), Srixon ZX5 Mk II (4, 5), Srixon ZX7 Mk II (6-PW) Shafts: Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 Tour 120 X (3), KBS Tour 130 X (4-PW)

Wedges: Cleveland RTX 6 ZipCore Tour Rack (50-10 MID, 54-10 MID), Cleveland RTX Full Face (58-8) Shafts: KBS Tour Wedge X Black

Putter: TaylorMade Spider Tour Z Grip: SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0

Grips: Golf Pride Tour Velvet

Ball: Srixon Z-Star XV

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Winners' bags: shane lowry and rory mcilroy, 2024 zurich classic of new orleans, share this article.

A complete list of the golf equipment Shane Lowry and Rory McIlroy used to win the PGA Tour’s 2024 Zurich Classic :

Shane Lowry

DRIVER: Srixon ZX5 MkII (8.5 degrees), with Mitsubishi Diamana White D+ 70 TYX shaft

FAIRWAY WOOD: TaylorMade M5 (19 degrees), with Graphite Design Tour AD DI-8 X shaft

IRONS: Srixon ZX Utility (3), ZX5 Mk II (4) with Nippon N.S. Pro Modus3 120 X shafts, ZX5 MkII (5), ZX7 Mk II (6-PW), with KBS Tour X shafts

WEDGES: Cleveland RTX6 (50, 54 degrees), RTX ZipCore Full Face (58 degrees), with KNS Tour Custom X shafts

PUTTER: TaylorMade Spider Tour Z

BALL: Srixon Z-Star XV

GRIPS:  Golf Pride Tour Velvet (full swing) / SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol 1.0 (putter)

Rory McIlroy

DRIVER: TaylorMade Qi10 (9 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 6X shaft

FAIRWAY WOODS: TaylorMade Qi10 (15 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 8X shaft, (18 degrees), with Fujikura Ventus Black 9X shaft

IRONS: TaylorMade P Series Proto (4)  TaylorMade RORS proto (5-9), with Project X 7.0 shafts  

WEDGES:   TaylorMade MG4 (46, 50, 54 degrees), Titleist Vokey Design WedgeWorks (58 degrees bent to 59), with  Project X 6.5 shafts 

PUTTER:   TaylorMade Spider Tour X

BALL:   TaylorMade TP5x

GRIPS: Golf Pride New Decade Multicompound (full swing) / SuperStroke Zenergy Pistol Tour (putter)

See more equipment: Best drivers for 2024 | Best irons for 2024 | Best putters for 2024 | Best golf balls for 2024

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Tour of Romandie win is career-best title for Carlos Rodriguez through rain-slicked final stage

The winner of the Tour de Romandie, Carlos Rodriguez, right, from Spain of team Ineos Grenadier, celebrates on the podium after the fifth and final stage, a 150,8 km race between Vernier and Vernier at the 77th Tour de Romandie UCI World Tour Cycling race, in Vernier near Geneva, Switzerland, Sunday, April 28, 2024. Credit: AP/Jean-Christophe Bott

VERNIER, Switzerland — Carlos Rodriguez protected his yellow jersey through a rain-soaked final stage Sunday to win the six-day Tour of Romandie for the biggest race victory of his career.

Four previous winners in the French-speaking region of Switzerland went on to win that season's Tour de France, including Chris Froome in 2013. Rodriguez placed fifth in cycling's marquee event last year and won a stage.

Rodriguez started Sunday's flat stage that looped round the suburbs of Geneva — won in a sprint finish by Dorian Godon — with a seven-second lead he took by placing third in a mountain stage Saturday.

The 23-year-old Ineos Grenadiers rider kept that winning margin over runner-up Aleksandr Vlasov, the 2022 Romandie winner. Third-placed Florian Lipowitz was third, trailing Rodriquez by nine seconds.

Godon sealed his second stage win this week, edging Simone Consonni with Dion Smith third.

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