The Pollentier Affair

After that strike day, racing is in full swing again. Peter Post no longer believes in Hennie’s chances of winning. ‘Maybe he should try to become the king of the mountains,’ he suggests. But first, l’Alpe d’Huez awaits. The mountain has played a prominent role for Kuiper in the two previous years; in 1976 a negative one, in 1977 a positive one. He feels great at the start of stage 16, which leads from Saint-Étienne to l’Alpe d’Huez. The usual scene unfolds: the weaker riders have to drop out even before the real climbs begin. At the front, the Belgian champion Michel Pollentier is particularly active. It’s a great year for the man from the village of Keiem. In addition to the national title, he also won the Giro d’Italia and the Tour of Switzerland in 1978. Just after Grenoble, heading towards the first serious climb, the Col de Luitel, the Belgian attacks. ‘I could easily go with him at that moment, but I decided to stay with the other climbers,’ says Hennie. Pollentier opens up a gap of a minute. Behind him, the group falls apart. Three riders come together in pursuit of Pollentier during the climb of l’Alpe d’Huez: Zoetemelk, Hinault, and Kuiper.

Bernard Hinault is riding his first Tour. He makes a big impression. On the Alp, he accelerates, pushes on, and drops Joop Zoetemelk. Pollentier remains out of reach. But behind the Belgian, a beautiful duel unfolds between the rookie Hinault and the veteran Kuiper. ‘I still had some reserves.’ He taps into those reserves when they are close to the finish line. Hennie drops Hinault from his wheel. ‘But I was so strong that I let him catch up and immediately after that I attacked again. It’s the first and only time I have beaten Bernard Hinault in a mountain stage. And that too in a direct duel.’ Kuiper reaches the top as second, after Pollentier. His win over Hinault - eight seconds - is minimal and Joop Zoetemelk can limit his loss to Kuiper in this stage to 41 seconds. The conclusions are quickly drawn. Now that Pollentier has the yellow jersey and proves himself as at least equal to Hinault, Zoetemelk, and Kuiper as a climber, he is the main candidate for victory.

The press finds a place in the press room and churns out stories from their machines. As usual, when arriving at the top of this Alp, the press has found shelter in the church of Notre-Dame-des-Neiges, where Dutchman Jaap Reuten is a priest. The story goes that the priest rings the bells when a Dutchman wins, but that turns out to be incorrect. The bells are rung mechanically; the priest has nothing to do with it. And indeed, it has happened that the bells rang after a Dutch victory. It appears to be purely coincidental

Fraud

Sudden commotion. It buzzes through the press room: ‘There is a major doping case.’ Shortly after, Tour director Félix Lévitan enters, climbs onto a table, and informs the esteemed colleagues that winner and yellow jersey wearer Michel Pollentier has been caught in fraud and will be expelled from the Tour. The ‘Little from Keiem’, the rider with a hideous style, has been unmasked as a deceiver. It is a public secret that in those days, there was often tampering with doping controls, sometimes with the complicity of the controllers. Although controls have become somewhat stricter over the years, there are numerous ways to cheat the system.

At the Flandria team, the squad of stars like Freddy Maertens, Marc Demeyer, and Michel Pollentier, soigneur Jef D’hont devised an ingenious system to deceive the controllers. He designed a shirt with a snake system on the inside. This snake is connected to a condom filled with clean urine. The condom is placed under the armpit of the rider to be tested, who - when asked for urine - moves his arm inward, delivering the clean urine through the snake system. Although a doping controller is always present during sample collection, the chance of detecting the little tube is extremely small. Furthermore, most controllers are not very strict. They are usually more cycling fans than controllers.

The riders who have to go to the control at l’Alpe d’Huez are unlucky. Because at the doping control, not only a representative of the Union Cycliste International (UCI) appears but also Dr. Alain Calvez, who represents both the French Cycling Federation and the Ministry for Youth and Sports. Michel Pollentier, who is both a stage winner and the new yellow jersey wearer, reports for the mandatory doping control after the ceremony. In front of the small caravan, which serves as a space for sample collection in those years, there is a line of four riders. They are designated by drawing lots to provide a urine sample. Pollentier asked for and received permission to first go back to the hotel to change. Jef D’hont is a caregiver at the Flandria team during those years. In his memoirs, he describes Pollentier’s arrival at the hotel. ‘Suddenly he was there in the hotel. Michel asked me to prepare a “pear” (the condom, editor) for him. He told me that on Freddy Maertens’ advice, he had taken something that might help him pass the doping control. I hesitated but eventually gave in. I did everything for my riders! I set up a pear with clean urine and Michel went off to the doping control.’

In an interview with Gazet van Antwerpen, Alain Calvez describes the interior of the small caravan. ‘You entered into a waiting room, next to it was the room where the doctor and medical inspector were located. The medical inspector sat at a table next to the door, and I positioned myself between the cupboard and sink in the corner of the camper. After Pollentier, now wearing loose training pants, had reported to the medical inspector, I asked him if he could urinate. He replied, as riders usually did: “I will try.”’ It is a period when amphetamines are popular in endurance sports like cycling. Athletes and especially cyclists are cunning in methods to cheat controls. Calvez knows his stuff. ‘Riders often came up with excuses: “I can’t urinate when someone is watching.” Many doctors would then turn away, allowing riders to pour their brought clean urine into the jar. It could happen that you received a result from the laboratory stating that no urine but water was found in the jar.’ Alain Calvez is therefore on guard. Pollentier lowers his pants as required by regulations. He pulls his sweater up slightly. Calvez holds out the jar for Pollentier to urinate into. But the new yellow jersey wearer does not urinate. It takes and it takes and it takes. Initially, Calvez thinks: ‘Oh well, he’s stressed from exertion. It’s his first time in yellow and he won today’s stage.’ There is no suspicion yet for Calvez, who earlier that day caught Frenchman Antoine Gutierrez with a bottle of clean urine in his pants.

Team manager Fred De Bruyne has meanwhile entered the caravan. ‘Why is it taking so long Michel, is something wrong?’ Pollentier replies: ‘No, it’s not working.’ De Bruyne, who is part of the scheme, tries to divert attention. He tells some anecdotes but Calvez remains vigilant. Then De Bruyne suggests completing the control at the hotel. The medical inspector is inclined to agree. Calvez: ‘But I stood my ground and said ‘No.’ I did not participate in such practices.’ De Bruyne kept insisting. Pollentier needed a massage and hadn’t eaten yet. ‘In the middle of De Bruyne’s rant, I noticed that suddenly the jar was being filled. But I didn’t see Pollentier urinate! In a reflex, I reached under his penis with my hand and grabbed hold of a rubber tube. I was stunned! The doctor discovers a very ingenious system. The tube is stuck under his penis and runs up through his rear end via his sweater to a condom under his armpit. Calvez: ‘I pulled on the tube. The urine sprayed around.’ Calvez pulls up his sweater and discovers this ingenious tube system. He hands everything over to the medical inspector and reports on the fraud in a document. At Calvez’s request, Pollentier provides another sample as per regulations which - as later revealed - contains amphetamines.

What to do with Pollentier? In case of violation of anti-doping regulations, there is a penalty of ten minutes time penalty, a fine, and conditional suspension according to regulations. In cases of fraud, exclusion follows. The jury and Tour management extensively discuss this matter. Removing a yellow jersey wearer from Tour! This sets an unprecedented precedent. But Calvez sticks to his principle: it’s fraud and only one punishment fits: exclusion. Jean Court, president of the jury calls Union Cycliste International. The deliberation leads to a decision: there is no salvation for fraudster Pollentier; he is removed from Tour. Joop Zoetemelk becomes the new yellow jersey wearer.

Fully 'worn out', Michel Pollentier collapses on the hood of a car after climbing l'Alpe d'Huez. His team leader Fred De Bruyne (left) tries to defuse the situation with theatrical gestures.

Hinault and Kuiper make Zoetemelk crack: he can't keep up with the pace

Bernard Hinault casts an almost fearful glance towards the village of Alpe d’Huez and assesses the distance to the lone escapee Michel Pollentier. Hennie Kuiper waits a little longer with his attack.

So strong is Hennie Kuiper this day. He plays with Bernard Hinault on the slopes of l'Alpe d'Huez. Kuiper drops Hinault, lets him intentionally come back, only to then ride away from him once again.

Kuipers second

The victory goes to Hennie Kuiper. Rightly so. Winning for the second consecutive time on this famous Alpine peak is very special. The first time - in 1977 - is the most remarkable victory because it is a revenge for the humiliating defeat of the previous year. Hennie Kuiper considers the second win to be the most important in sporting terms. Beating Hinault is indeed something exceptional. He points to the photos of the duel with Hinault. ‘You can see the concentration, the suffering of Bernard Hinault. It’s all dripping off him. Very special.’

It’s a shame that this second victory remains overshadowed by the sensational doping scandal of Pollentier. The scandal is one of the most notorious doping incidents in the history of cycling. It keeps people talking for a long time. Even until 2017.

In 2004, former NOS reporter Jean ‘De Neel’ Nelissen makes short cycling reports for Mart Smeets’ De Avondetappe. Nelissen visits Belgian former rider Michel Pollentier at his tire company in Nieuwpoort and talks to him about his doping use on l’Alpe d’Huez. Despite the doping use, Pollentier still considers himself the rightful winner of that stage. Pollentier sits at his desk during the interview. Behind him hangs the pennant he received as stage winner after the ride to l’Alpe d’Huez. There is no sign of remorse. He is still proud of the performance he delivered on that hot day in the summer of 1978.

The climber Hennie Kuiper in top form. His abilities are highlighted with stage wins in the Tour stages to the top of l'Alpe d'Huez, both in 1977 and in 1978.