During his active career, Hinault was known as the "patron" of the field, meaning the rider with the highest authority. His biographer William Fotheringham has described him as "the last of the sport's "patrons"". In this role, Hinault would use his influence with race organisers, control the pace of the peloton, and allow or refuse other riders the chance to attack. The riders' strike at Valence d'Agen in the 1978 Tour is cited as the first instance in which Hinault assumed this role. His fellow riders stated that he, even though he did not talk much, was able to exert a high amount of certainty and therefore strength, which brought him respect and sometimes fear from his competitors. To signal his authority, Hinault often symbolically rode at the front of the field, instead of in the slipstream of his teammates. His riding style has been described as "fighting, full of aggression", and he stated that when he did not feel good in a race, his reaction would be to attack. Hinault described his own role as follows: