1983 Vuelta a España

1983 Vuelta a España

Route map
Race details
Dates	19 April – 8 May
Stages	19 + Prologue, including 1 split stage
Distance	3,398 km (2,111 mi)
Winning time	94h 28' 26"
Results
Winner Bernard Hinault (FRA) (Renault–Elf–Gitane)   Second Marino Lejarreta (ESP) (Alfa Lum–Olmo)   Third Alberto Fernández (ESP) (Zor–Gemeaz) Points Marino Lejarreta (ESP) (AAlfa Lum–Olmo) Mountains José Luis Laguía (ESP) (Reynolds–Galli)   Sprints Sabino Angoitia (ESP) (Hueso)   Team Zor–Gemeaz

The 38th Vuelta a España (Tour of Spain), a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the three grand tours, was held from 19 April to 8 May 1983. It consisted of 19 stages covering a total of 3,398 km (2,111 mi), and was won by Bernard Hinault of the Renault–Elf–Gitane cycling team. The foreign favourites for the race included Bernard Hinault who had won the Vuelta once before in 1978 and World Champion Giuseppe Saronni. The Spanish favourites for the race included the de facto defending champion Marino Lejarreta, Julián Gorospe and Alberto Fernández.

Hinault took the leadership of the race after the fifth stage only to lose it the following day to Lejarreta. Lejarreta then won the stage 8 38 km (24 mi) mountain time trial and increased his lead over Hinault. On the stage from Zaragoza to Soria that was won by Saronni, Lejarreta had a fall and lost the jersey to Gorospe. Fernández took the leadership the following day. Lejarreta came back and won the stage 13 to Lagos de Covadonga. However Fernández kept the leader's jersey. On the following stage Álvaro Pino took the jersey and wore it for two days. Hinault won the individual time trial but did not win by enough time to take the jersey which passed again to Gorospe. Two days later Hinault's pace on the climb to Puerto de Serranillos was too hot for his opponents and he won the stage in Ávila and took back the leader's jersey to win his second Vuelta and his eighth grand tour with Lejarreta second and Fernández in third. The great battle waged between Hinault and the Spanish riders has led to the 1983 race being described as its most spectacular edition. In addition to this the start list for the 1983 Renault team at the Vuelta included Hinault, Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon, the only time they rode on the same team in a Grand Tour.

This victory proved costly for Hinault however, as due to a recurrent tendinitis issue that had developed in his knee, which he greatly aggravated on the climb to Puerto de Serranillos, Hinault was unable to ride in that year's Tour, where Fignon took over Team Renault.

Teams and riders

Main article: List of teams and cyclists in the 1983 Vuelta a España

Route

List of stages

Stage	Date	Course	Distance	Type		Winner
P	19 April	Almussafes – Almussafes	6.8 km (4 mi)		Individual time trial	Dominique Gaigne (FRA)
1	20 April	Almussafes – Cuenca	235 km (146 mi)			Juan Fernández (ESP)
2	21 April	Cuenca – Teruel	152 km (94 mi)			Eric Vanderaerden (BEL)
3	22 April	Teruel – Sant Carles de la Ràpita	241 km (150 mi)			Giuseppe Petito (ITA)
4	23 April	Sant Carles de la Ràpita – Sant Quirze del Vallès	192 km (119 mi)			Laurent Fignon (FRA)
5	24 April	Sant Quirze del Vallès – Castellar de n'Hug	195 km (121 mi)			Alberto Fernández (ESP)
6	25 April	La Pobla de Lillet – Viella	235 km (146 mi)			Marino Lejarreta (ESP)
7	26 April	Les – Sabiñánigo	137 km (85 mi)			Jesús Suárez Cueva (ESP)
8	27 April	Sabiñánigo – Balneario de Panticosa	38 km (24 mi)		Individual time trial	Marino Lejarreta (ESP)
9	28 April	Panticosa – Alfajarín	183 km (114 mi)			Giuseppe Saronni (ITA)
10	29 April	Zaragoza – Soria	174 km (108 mi)			Giuseppe Saronni (ITA)
11	30 April	Soria – Logroño	185 km (115 mi)			Eric Vanderaerden (BEL)
12	1 May	Logroño – Burgos	147 km (91 mi)			Noël Dejonckheere (BEL)
13	2 May	Aguilar de Campoo – Lakes of Covadonga	188 km (117 mi)			Marino Lejarreta (ESP)
14	3 May	Cangas de Onís – León	195 km (121 mi)			Carlos Hernández (ESP)
15a	4 May	León – Valladolid	134 km (83 mi)			Pascal Poisson (FRA)
15b	4 May	Valladolid – Valladolid	22 km (14 mi)		Individual time trial	Bernard Hinault (FRA)
16	5 May	Valladolid – Salamanca	162 km (101 mi)			José Luis Laguía (ESP)
17	6 May	Salamanca – Ávila	216 km (134 mi)			Bernard Hinault (FRA)
18	7 May	Ávila – Palazuelos de Eresma (Destilerías DYC)	204 km (127 mi)			Jesús Hernández Úbeda (ESP)
19	8 May	Palazuelos de Eresma (Destilerías DYC) – Madrid	135 km (84 mi)			Michael Wilson (AUS)
	Total		3,398 km (2,111 mi)

Results

Final General Classification

Rank	Rider	Team	Time
1	Bernard Hinault	Renault–Elf–Gitane	94h 28' 26"
2	Marino Lejarreta	Alfa Lum–Olmo	+ 1' 12"
3	Alberto Fernández	Zor–Gemeaz	+ 3' 58"
4	Álvaro Pino	Zor–Gemeaz	+ 5' 09"
5	Hennie Kuiper	Jacky Aernoudt–Rossin	+ 10' 26"
6	Eduardo Chozas Olmo	Zor–Gemeaz	+ 11' 11"
7	Laurent Fignon	Renault–Elf–Gitane	+ 11' 27"
8	Pedro Muñoz Rodríguez	Zor–Gemeaz	+ 12' 25"
9	Vicente Belda	Kelme	+ 13' 28"
10	Faustino Rupérez	Zor–Gemeaz	+ 13' 36"
11	Guillermo de la Peña	Hueso–Motta
12	Julián Gorospe	Reynolds–Galli
13	Alain Vigneron	Renault–Elf–Gitane
14	Claudio Bortolotto	Del Tongo–Colnago
15	Pedro Delgado	Reynolds–Galli
16	José Antonio Cabrero	Hueso–Motta
17	Faustino Cueli Arce	Teka
18	Leonardo Natale	Del Tongo–Colnago
19	Lucien Didier	Renault–Elf–Gitane
20	Angel De Las Heras	Kelme
21	Jesús Rodríguez Magro	Zor–Gemeaz
22	Jesús Hernández Úbeda	Reynolds–Galli
23	Roberto Ceruti	Del Tongo–Colnago
24	José Luis Laguía	Reynolds–Galli
25	Martial Gayant	Renault–Elf–Gitane