LeMond knows all about winning the Tour, both riding for team-mate Bernard Hinault and then beating the Frenchman and going on to win three Grand Tours.

So how would he have set out to win this year’s edition? The key, he believes, will be patience.

“I’d race it very conservatively because I know it’s the last week that matters,” he said. “I always think that unless the opportunity opens up for you take three minutes or so on somebody in the Pyrenees, then typically it will come down to the last week.

“You’ve also got to take the opportunity when it presents itself but, personally, my best performance was always the last week of the Tour.

“That’s when the riders are most vulnerable. You’ve got to be patient to win and some days you’ve got to be willing to lose to win too.”

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