Team history Café de Colombia

From 1985 to 1990 the Café de Colombia team brought a South American flavour to the peloton, as well as some notable victories

- Words Giles Belbin

Around 60km remained on Stage 11 of the 1985 Tour de France when Bernard Hinault decided to go to the front of the race. Hinault, who had taken yellow three days earlier after winning the 75km time-trial into Strasbourg by more than two minutes, was seeking his fifth Tour title and was determined to increase his overall lead as the high mountains loomed.

The 195km stage took the peloton from Pontarlier to Morzine-Avoriaz, taking in three major climbs over the final 75km. It was on the slopes of the first, the 1,330m Pas de Morgins, that Hinault made his move, steadily building a gap on those behind.

With him was a young rider from Fusagasugá in Colombia. Luis 'Lucho' Herrera, leader of the newly minted Café de Colombia team, was riding his second Tour and was leading the King of the Mountains classification after the race had crossed the Vosges. Now in the rarefied air of the Alps, and sensing an opportunity to grow his lead in the mountains classification further, Herrera jumped on Hinault's wheel.

'The few times Herrera dared to appear in front of the Breton [Hinault] the latter pushed a little harder on the pedals to put the 24-year-old Colombian in his place,' reported Dutch daily Leidsch Dagblad. As they went over the Pas de Morgins the pair had a gap of more than a minute.

At the summit of the second major climb, the Col du Corbier, with 35km to go, it was 2min 35sec. Greg LeMond, second to Hinault on GC, was now trying to limit his losses, and on the final ascent to the Avoriaz ski-station Hinault finally encouraged Herrera to set the pace. Their lead fell as their efforts under the baking sun began to tell, but they remained too strong to be caught.

As the two men approached the line, Herrera sprinted away to take the stage, securing his team's first Tour stage and tightening his grip on the polka-dot jersey.