His knee problems , that caused him to leave the 1980 Tour de France , were solved .
He was in form : Hinault had won important races in the spring , and he had skipped the 1981 Giro d'Italia to focus on the Tour .
His knee problems , that caused him to leave the 1980 Tour de France , were solved , and he was in form : Hinault had won important races in the spring , and he had skipped the 1981 Giro d'Italia to focus on the Tour .