1979 Tour de France
The 66th Tour de France was held to 22 July 1979 by June 27. It led into 24 stages over 3720 km. Like last year, the Frenchman Bernard Hinault won after a battle with the Dutchman Joop Zoetemelk. It was attended by 150 racers participated in the tour, were classified 89 of them.
Race course
The unusual route of the Tour in 1979 called for the early visit to the Pyrenees already on the second and third stage. Hinault won on both days and took over early in the yellow jersey of the overall leader. The cobbled stage to Roubaix, however, brought a change in leadership after Zoetemelk had attacked and is benefiting from a defect Hinaults. After his victory in the tough mountain time trial in the Alps the Breton took over but again the yellow jersey and defended it in succession with two mountain top finishes in L' Alpe d' Huez. A dramatic last attack Zoetemelks on the final stage to Paris countered Hinault, with the top two overall crossed then, fittingly, the first to the finish line on the Champs- Elysées. After the last stage Zoetemelk tested positive for nandrolone and assigned a time penalty of 10 minutes.
The outstanding Hinault won three of the last four and a total of seven stages for itself. Zoetemelk was the fifth time second in the overall standings. Since, as in 1978, the already 36 -year-old Joaquim Agostinho took third place, were for the first time in the history of the Tour de France, the same as in the previous three drivers on the podium. The German Dietrich Thurau was tenth and won a stage.