Don't forget--LeMond's team was so weak, they only got into the Tour because LeMond was a former winner. Fignon gained something like 50+ seconds in the team time trial. He had teammates with him through the whole race. I think Fignon lost one teammate and LeMond lost five. The bars had been used for months before this race. 7-Eleven had been using them. They were legal. To lose because of bad equipment choices is still fair and square.
Would Lance have won? I don't know...would LeMond have beaten Lance in his from 1999 to 2005 if he'd been racing with a strong team? What's the point in speculating? What if Merckx had been there---he may have beaten both men. Who cares? Would Lance have won anything if he'd had to go to Europe with a foreign team and learn the ropes without an American team around him like LeMond had to do? there's not point in speculating.
Fignon did not lose because of the handlebars. Had he worn his aero helmet, it would have made the difference in time. He also used two disc wheels to LeMond's one, which gained him time. If aerodynamics were so important, he would've worn that helmet. He knew the windtunnel tests showed an advantage, but he decided against it. It's history--LeMond won, Fignon, a great champion, but on this day, was beaten. I have great respect for both men.
@oldtwins Armstrong could never time trial like Lemond. This is still the fastest average speed in the history of the Tour de France, over 54km per hour. Lemond was the fastest man on 2 wheels ever! FACT
Epic. Absolutely epic. I watched this broadcast live and could not believe Lemond won. Too bad the commentary was by the two CBS morons and not Ligget.
ps: When Kathy Lemond shrieks near the end it's enuf to make u vomit a little.
This was a competition of drugs. Lemond 'outdoped' Fignon like Fignon, Pantani, Armstrong and others outdoped the peloton in their heydays. Drug control is getting better. We're finally watching Tour de France raced by humans.
@EastCH What does Lance have anything to do with the attractiveness (or lack thereof) of Lemond's wife? And what does "little fat" mean? Please commit suicide and take your whole family with you.
I can't believe Fignon and his team didn't take the opportunity to use tribars, wear an aero helmet and made the mistake of using a front disc with cross winds. And he didn't cut his pony tail. Unbelievable, gifted Lemond the tour.
Laurent was the "Bad Guy" back then to us Americans,, we held Greg leaving Guimard against him, Laurent was all Ego in '89 and on and on and on,,,,, BUT, what a wonderful rider. I hope to read his book. Cycling lost a good one in Mr. Fignon. Greg, Me hero forever from that day to this.
My favourite TDF moment ever, remember it like it was yesterday. The old days where greatest. I agree with the comments about putting aside all arguments about bars, hair helmet etc, Lemond was just a better more powerful time trialist. Great video.
@gartho009 his brother shot him accidentally with a shotgun in the chest the year after he won his first tour, I think he still has buckshot inside him today
Lemond changed the game forever. He got very scientific with physiology and equipment (certainly influenced by the US vs USSR olympic programs of the day) and those who didn't get on board got left behind. This race was example no. 1 and from then on any rider aspiring to win the TdF must base their whole season on that one race. Lance took LeMond's legacy and built on it. Wouldn't it be nice though, if there were another Merckx or Hinault who were competitive all season long...
Shortly after this race, Bicycling Magazine did a story on it, and they determined somehow that if Fignon had cut his ponytail he would have saved 12 seconds and won the Tour. Amazing. This will always be the most iconic showdown in the history of cycling.
I was there during that final time trial to Paris. I remember reading in a newspaper that the aero bars were allowed, but the aero helmet was not allowed because it was too long, hence the ADR team hacked off the tail end.
Just found out the Fignon had died. Watching this live in 89 was a privilage and you understand without villians, you do't have heroes and Fignon was always cast as the villian. Lemond with Fignon was like apple pie without cream and although I was a big fan of Lemond, it's sad to see Fignon pass away at a young age..The dude abides.
"The cyclist who doesn't know how to lose cannot become a champion... but to lose like that, on the last day, with such a small gap, and principally because of handlebars that were banned under the rules, no, that was too much for one man,"
The bars were not banned, the officials had a choice to allow or not allow the bars, they chose to let lemond use them.. Laurent even tried a similar bar prior to the final TT and he chose not to use them..
@socalrider909 yeah I have heard this also. Looking at their bikes, it seems like TT bikes are still in their infancy, they hardly look anything like modern day aerodynamic machines.
"Apparently", Le Mond used the aero handlebars not because of the aerodynamic properties but because he felt it gave him better leverage on the pedals, and thus more power and speed. Interesting.
@socalrider909 well back then they were so new and i can see why fignon would not have wanted to use them so close to the final tt and crash or something happend...when you look at alot of rider set ups in the early days of tt they were all wrong and thier postion on the bike was horrible..it took a few years..flor a long time riders had them facing up ward but eventually by 93 94 they were flat and alot of work had been done to be not only comfy but efficent too..
Can't believe Laurent is dead. I was a big fan. I can always remember the video footage of Laurent throwing his water bottle at a race photographer. He was volatile but he never held back. What a gutsy racer.
I watched Greg LeMond tear up the competition in Northern Ca when he was a 14-15 year old kid as a Category One cyclist racing against the top (18 to 24 year old), racers America had. It didn't surprise me that he would out muscle Fignon and beat him at his own best event the Time Trial. As Greg once called the time trial "the Race of Truth."
Greg is an athlete that comes around once in a lifetime. The kind that everybody wants to meet because he's down to earth. He reminds me of Muhamad Ali who once said "i'm the greatest of all time" (in boxing that is). Greg once said "if not for the 50 pellets or so in my body i could have beaten all these guys with just one leg". Hahaha, that's everybody's hero. He's the greatest of all time (in cycling). After '89 cycling was never the same again. It's now a sport for the $ greedy cheaters.
...testimony (among other things), but I've yet to see PROOF that Lance doped. Substantiated proof. Please don't say "give me a break, it's obvious, everyone was doing it," because our system of law does not condemn based upon presumptions such as those.
Greg, you sound like a bitter old man in every one of your interviews about Lance (which account for about 99% of all your interviews). Please just go up to your cabin, keep collecting antiques, and quit bothering us with your childish, supercilious pontifications about Lance's "guilt." That is unless you have any proof. Which you don't.
The greatest moment in cyclling history. The greatest cyclist of all time. Every honest people's hero Greg LeMond. He was more popular in France than the French cyclist Fignon.
Greg can go full power all the way because it's only 25km & the terrain was flat & almost downhill. On the other hand, Lance the greedy cheater could go full power for 200 kms going uphill - what a cheater Lance is. Go Greg go.
thanks for this video. I still remember 21 years ago. A day before the race Fignon said to Greg "It was a good race Greg, good race, better luck next year. c'mon 50 seconds 25 km. c'mon. good race Greg, good race" smiling
Greg Lemond America's greatest - 3 Tours, 2 Worlds - but was cut down at the peak of his career by a hunting accident - we never saw greg's best. armstrong's cancer recovery came before his cycling peak. lemond had to beat superior competition champions hinault , fignon, delgado, rouche, indurain. who did armstrong ever beat - jan fucking ulrich. lemond still owns the fastest time trial in Tour history - the miracle ride to victory on the final day of the 1989 Tour.
That was such an awesome moment. Probably the best ever for American cycling. I remember I was working at a bike shop on this day and some turkey (co-worker) came in and told us all who won, and we were all planning on watching it later on. But either way it's still so amazing. I still got tense watching it even though I knew the outcome.
@ViewTubeO the difference in drag, whether even credibly or not, is probably only in the optimum wind angle. I don't think having a front disc was even an advantage; front discs don't handle well. The bike accounts for 1/3 aerodynamics, and the rider account for 2/3 of the aerodynamics. having a more aero posture is more beneficial than an aero wheel, so LeMond's revolutionary bar was of greater benefit.
@iLeewarren but lemond also utilized aero bars, giving him a more aero position. i would say he had the aero advantage, which makes a huge difference.
I was in Paris last month. Finely, I undestand that the last miles of this time trial is the same of the circuit of the last stages of the last 15 year's tour de france
@JTN358AT Handlebars or not Greg Lemond rode at 54 km/h average speed, still the fastest time ever in a Tour de France TT. I think the defining thing was his superhuman fitness which no rider has surpassed even with all the technology improvements since. But it was surpising that Fignon chose to ride without an aero helmet too, never mind the bars. I can accept he would not want to change his riding position suddenly as a risky move, but the helmet/hair was not wise.
Cyrille Guimard stated Lemond was the only rider in the peloton that could win without prep (drugs epo and amphetamines probably, most riders of the day were using them.).
Lemond's wind tunnel tests showed that Lemond in climbing position on an 80's era road bike was more areo than most pros today in full areo kits, and he was even more areo on his time trial bike, note that greg rode that with a 24" front wheel which is not allowed today.
Greg LeMond's average speed in the time trial, 54.545 km/h, was the fastest in Tour de France stage history; since then, only the 1994 prologue has been faster.[1
On a boat anchor with aero bars? What proof does he have that he was clean? Many others were doping at this time. Testing was very easy to beat back then.
Clearly he could have been using performance enhancing substances.
let's be clear. i am no sourpuss. the point of my comments is that greg is a jealous critic of lance and that greg has no more proof that he is clean than lance does. both have passed controls throughout their careers. lance has been more tested than greg. the point of my comment is that greg should shut up!
I remember this well too, I was also an amateur competitive cyclist. Actually Greg averaged 34.6 mph which is amazing. I had heard that Laurent had congratulated Greg BEFORE the race on his SECOND place finish! Lesson here...don't count your chickens before the eggs are hatched.
I was an amature cyclist at the time this was broadcast. I recall watching this live and the video feed cut out just a few seconds before the "magic time." When the signal came back on LeMond was cheering in victory. I started yelling and jumping around and my dog was running around all freeked out because I had lost it! Simply one of the BEST sports victories of all time and by far the best of the tour.
Not only that, disc wheels are very hard to go through corners if the course is very technical. (That is why most riders now prefer a spoked deep carbon wheel in the front and a disc in the rear) Disc wheels are also known to be slightly heavier and chattery than spoked wheels.
I remember back when Le Tour ended on a final time trial to Paris. However, after this embarrassing loss for Fignon and the French, organizers changed the final stage from a time trial to a wannabe criterium.
I remember so vividly at a press conference before the final stage. Fignon: "Greg thinks he can win, but he can't. I am much stronger in the mind and in the legs." Really?
This sounds like the music from "Commando."
Bobs482 2 months ago
The greatest American cyclist. Ever.
Thelookoutslookout 2 months ago
Пиздец!
polnyibak 4 months ago
Don't forget--LeMond's team was so weak, they only got into the Tour because LeMond was a former winner. Fignon gained something like 50+ seconds in the team time trial. He had teammates with him through the whole race. I think Fignon lost one teammate and LeMond lost five. The bars had been used for months before this race. 7-Eleven had been using them. They were legal. To lose because of bad equipment choices is still fair and square.
yesroh 4 months ago
Would Lance have won? I don't know...would LeMond have beaten Lance in his from 1999 to 2005 if he'd been racing with a strong team? What's the point in speculating? What if Merckx had been there---he may have beaten both men. Who cares? Would Lance have won anything if he'd had to go to Europe with a foreign team and learn the ropes without an American team around him like LeMond had to do? there's not point in speculating.
yesroh 4 months ago
Fignon did not lose because of the handlebars. Had he worn his aero helmet, it would have made the difference in time. He also used two disc wheels to LeMond's one, which gained him time. If aerodynamics were so important, he would've worn that helmet. He knew the windtunnel tests showed an advantage, but he decided against it. It's history--LeMond won, Fignon, a great champion, but on this day, was beaten. I have great respect for both men.
yesroh 4 months ago
this year is when americans fell in love with the tour de france
vashna3799 6 months ago
Fignon Rest in peace
CARLOSGURO 6 months ago
Where was Lance Armstrong and would he have won?
oldtwins 6 months ago
@oldtwins Armstrong could never time trial like Lemond. This is still the fastest average speed in the history of the Tour de France, over 54km per hour. Lemond was the fastest man on 2 wheels ever! FACT
dan32113 6 months ago
@oldtwins
Lance did not become a pro until 1992 - 1993 was his 1st TDF
socalrider909 6 months ago
note that the french organizer never made a final Time trial on champs élysées again ... :)
cantor0305 6 months ago
amazing sport moment, but why put on german's porno music !
cantor0305 6 months ago
fuckin phil liget is everywhere!
themoz3 6 months ago
apparently years later they met and had a good laugh...Fignon was a classy guy all the way.
imajeepster 6 months ago
Epic. Absolutely epic. I watched this broadcast live and could not believe Lemond won. Too bad the commentary was by the two CBS morons and not Ligget.
ps: When Kathy Lemond shrieks near the end it's enuf to make u vomit a little.
baconlatte 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
This was a competition of drugs. Lemond 'outdoped' Fignon like Fignon, Pantani, Armstrong and others outdoped the peloton in their heydays. Drug control is getting better. We're finally watching Tour de France raced by humans.
vanwick 6 months ago
Comment removed
vanwick 6 months ago
Check my comments in my channel for information about the Pre-January 8th version of Inception.
jamestargetedindiv 6 months ago
It's nice to see the Tour De France right before the dope explosion came 1-2 years later!
dachicagoan 6 months ago
1:23 LOL "Team LeMond, Son Scott, Wife Cathy wait for daddy at the finish, scott won't remember a thing."
uncoordinatedvids 7 months ago
Lemond's wife is not good looking.
JTMarlin8 7 months ago
@JTMarlin8 And I think you are little fat american loser. Show respect to the hero of cycling, Greg LeMond. Lance and you can fuck off.
EastCH 7 months ago
@EastCH What does Lance have anything to do with the attractiveness (or lack thereof) of Lemond's wife? And what does "little fat" mean? Please commit suicide and take your whole family with you.
JTMarlin8 5 months ago
RIP Fignon.
dan32113 7 months ago
One of the most dramatic moments in all of sport.
tableconnect 7 months ago
The last clean champion of Le Tour. Hero!
slaktus 7 months ago
@slaktus You are so right mate
EastCH 7 months ago
I can't believe Fignon and his team didn't take the opportunity to use tribars, wear an aero helmet and made the mistake of using a front disc with cross winds. And he didn't cut his pony tail. Unbelievable, gifted Lemond the tour.
mrwasbesonders 7 months ago
Heroism
sokbomba 8 months ago
Laurent was the "Bad Guy" back then to us Americans,, we held Greg leaving Guimard against him, Laurent was all Ego in '89 and on and on and on,,,,, BUT, what a wonderful rider. I hope to read his book. Cycling lost a good one in Mr. Fignon. Greg, Me hero forever from that day to this.
braddref 8 months ago
Watch a clean rider win.
rubberneck39 8 months ago
My favourite TDF moment ever, remember it like it was yesterday. The old days where greatest. I agree with the comments about putting aside all arguments about bars, hair helmet etc, Lemond was just a better more powerful time trialist. Great video.
2bsure 8 months ago
@7:28, what is the hunting accident the announcer is talking about?
gartho009 8 months ago
@gartho009 his brother shot him accidentally with a shotgun in the chest the year after he won his first tour, I think he still has buckshot inside him today
the12thdiciple 8 months ago
Handle bar or not,the rider is the man.
Karl8806 9 months ago
Lemond changed the game forever. He got very scientific with physiology and equipment (certainly influenced by the US vs USSR olympic programs of the day) and those who didn't get on board got left behind. This race was example no. 1 and from then on any rider aspiring to win the TdF must base their whole season on that one race. Lance took LeMond's legacy and built on it. Wouldn't it be nice though, if there were another Merckx or Hinault who were competitive all season long...
CWake1 9 months ago
Ridiculous music.
JTMarlin8 10 months ago
obviously the Aero bars...anyone can see that
jase002002 11 months ago
LOL "old school hardcore" Bicycling..
jertind 1 year ago
he's losing his hair from drug use.
jacob6379 1 year ago
0:22
There is plenty of strategies in a TT you dumb bloke.
dahgutone 1 year ago
Shortly after this race, Bicycling Magazine did a story on it, and they determined somehow that if Fignon had cut his ponytail he would have saved 12 seconds and won the Tour. Amazing. This will always be the most iconic showdown in the history of cycling.
salomon75 1 year ago 14
@salomon75
How did they determine this information? I'm curious.
nightowl8936 6 months ago
@salomon75 That is complete bullshit, maybe if he had a aero helm and TT bars. There is no way he lost 12 seconds from having a ponytail
TheMarshal1992 2 months ago
Old skool, hardcore Lamond!!
976doddy 1 year ago
The greatest comeback in sports!
trimarano 1 year ago
I was there during that final time trial to Paris. I remember reading in a newspaper that the aero bars were allowed, but the aero helmet was not allowed because it was too long, hence the ADR team hacked off the tail end.
RK831 1 year ago
R.I.P. hero
JesseReith1 1 year ago
Just found out the Fignon had died. Watching this live in 89 was a privilage and you understand without villians, you do't have heroes and Fignon was always cast as the villian. Lemond with Fignon was like apple pie without cream and although I was a big fan of Lemond, it's sad to see Fignon pass away at a young age..The dude abides.
lebowski114 1 year ago
RIP Mr Fignon
paulodecarvalho21 1 year ago
Merci Laurent FIGNON.
Vous vous êtes battu comme personne.
Je ne vous oublierais jamais.
340freewi 1 year ago
the bars were forbidden by the UCI and it is a belgium commissioner who authorized it , not respecting the UCI rules
perico700 1 year ago
R.I.P. Professeur.
catbells69 1 year ago
R.I.P
Rallef1 1 year ago
RIP Laurent. We all remember when you were the tour de france champion in 1983 and 1984. RIP
89rgarcia 1 year ago 2
Fignon, you won the tour in '89. The last purist.
johnbarleycornmd 1 year ago 2
RIP, Laurent
abrasax2008 1 year ago
RIP, Laurent
abrasax2008 1 year ago
RIP Laurent. Your brave struggles, both in 1989 and this year will continue to inspire us and future cyclists.
Misterb0z 1 year ago
RIP FIGNON
jsem94 1 year ago
"The cyclist who doesn't know how to lose cannot become a champion... but to lose like that, on the last day, with such a small gap, and principally because of handlebars that were banned under the rules, no, that was too much for one man,"
baroh2413 1 year ago
@baroh2413
The bars were not banned, the officials had a choice to allow or not allow the bars, they chose to let lemond use them.. Laurent even tried a similar bar prior to the final TT and he chose not to use them..
socalrider909 1 year ago 24
@socalrider909 Notice the quotation marks at the start and at the end of the comment
baroh2413 1 year ago
@socalrider909 bars...ponytails...drugs....strategies..... Lemond was simply a better time trialist fullstop.
aldolentini 11 months ago
@socalrider909
Even so, while LeMond is a great man, I wish that Fignon had won this one because equipment aside he was the stronger cyclist in 1989.
Similarly LeMond should have been given the chance to win in 1985, but instead supported Hinault like a good team mate.
nightowl8936 6 months ago
@socalrider909 yeah I have heard this also. Looking at their bikes, it seems like TT bikes are still in their infancy, they hardly look anything like modern day aerodynamic machines.
"Apparently", Le Mond used the aero handlebars not because of the aerodynamic properties but because he felt it gave him better leverage on the pedals, and thus more power and speed. Interesting.
ausTopGear 3 months ago
@socalrider909 well back then they were so new and i can see why fignon would not have wanted to use them so close to the final tt and crash or something happend...when you look at alot of rider set ups in the early days of tt they were all wrong and thier postion on the bike was horrible..it took a few years..flor a long time riders had them facing up ward but eventually by 93 94 they were flat and alot of work had been done to be not only comfy but efficent too..
sprintbass 4 days ago
@baroh2413 plus why should the bars be banned anyway? lemond set a precedent and now everyone uses aerobars because they have such a great advantage!
evb4mvp 1 year ago
@evb4mvp look at the quotation marks
baroh2413 1 year ago
R.I.P. Fignon
BMexx07 1 year ago
RIP Laurent. LeMond won the tour, not his bike or handle bars.
tgbluesky 1 year ago
Gregs wife was a bit of a minga
phillyvinilli 1 year ago
Can't believe Laurent is dead. I was a big fan. I can always remember the video footage of Laurent throwing his water bottle at a race photographer. He was volatile but he never held back. What a gutsy racer.
davidryanimages 1 year ago
I remember watching this live. RIP Laurent Fignon.
berniebee 1 year ago
Aero bars won Lemond the Tour.
RIP Fignon.
joavim 1 year ago
Descansa en paz, Laurent, me hiciste pasar unos buenos momentos de Tour
Artajerjes2 1 year ago
RIP Laurent
Blaugrana92 1 year ago
RIP
spanco666 1 year ago
RIP
baroh2413 1 year ago
R.I.P...
hm7hm7 1 year ago
RIP FIGNON :)
peep0h67 1 year ago
trust me.. it was the aero bars... it makes so much difference... i top 35 to 37 mph on the saddle when i use the aero bars
circle559 1 year ago
"...scott won't remember a thing, and daddys trying to get home as fast as he can." haha what is this commentating about?!?
412dino 1 year ago
WOW i dint know they even had old movies from the tour du france, WOW this guy is really fast :D
jelmerm4ever 1 year ago
the tri bars were ilegal at this point in the tour de france Le mond was cheating
whiskydog777 1 year ago
@whiskydog777 NOPE.... He was cleared to use them....
LVPHOTOG 1 year ago
the three announcers are Trautwig, Phil Ligget, and Sam Posey.
BillyBobJones1925 1 year ago
I watched Greg LeMond tear up the competition in Northern Ca when he was a 14-15 year old kid as a Category One cyclist racing against the top (18 to 24 year old), racers America had. It didn't surprise me that he would out muscle Fignon and beat him at his own best event the Time Trial. As Greg once called the time trial "the Race of Truth."
AlaskaMiles 1 year ago
Greg is an athlete that comes around once in a lifetime. The kind that everybody wants to meet because he's down to earth. He reminds me of Muhamad Ali who once said "i'm the greatest of all time" (in boxing that is). Greg once said "if not for the 50 pellets or so in my body i could have beaten all these guys with just one leg". Hahaha, that's everybody's hero. He's the greatest of all time (in cycling). After '89 cycling was never the same again. It's now a sport for the $ greedy cheaters.
Jambalyer10 1 year ago
@Jambalyer10 Sorry, Eddy Merckx is the GREATEST cyclist of all time. Now that is the truth....
BillyBobJones1925 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
...testimony (among other things), but I've yet to see PROOF that Lance doped. Substantiated proof. Please don't say "give me a break, it's obvious, everyone was doing it," because our system of law does not condemn based upon presumptions such as those.
oitotheworld23 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Greg, you sound like a bitter old man in every one of your interviews about Lance (which account for about 99% of all your interviews). Please just go up to your cabin, keep collecting antiques, and quit bothering us with your childish, supercilious pontifications about Lance's "guilt." That is unless you have any proof. Which you don't.
oitotheworld23 1 year ago
Comment removed
oitotheworld23 1 year ago
The greatest moment in cyclling history. The greatest cyclist of all time. Every honest people's hero Greg LeMond. He was more popular in France than the French cyclist Fignon.
Greg can go full power all the way because it's only 25km & the terrain was flat & almost downhill. On the other hand, Lance the greedy cheater could go full power for 200 kms going uphill - what a cheater Lance is. Go Greg go.
Jambalyer10 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
All of what Lemond writes & says, is simply hearsay. LeMond has one of the fastest Tour time trials ever? How was he able to achieve this?. Doping.
Sick3ninVend3tta 1 year ago
The greatest ending in the Tour de France history :)
Gatotsu2009 1 year ago
look at LeMond after he finished the race...oO
he was definitely full of dope
zipfiklatscha87 1 year ago
Brilliant stuff.....nail biting commentry.Ah I remeber these exciting times.
ah4fecksake 1 year ago
socalrider909,
thanks for this video. I still remember 21 years ago. A day before the race Fignon said to Greg "It was a good race Greg, good race, better luck next year. c'mon 50 seconds 25 km. c'mon. good race Greg, good race" smiling
Jambalyer10 1 year ago
What a race! I remember watching this. amazing.
Lehmann108 1 year ago
Greg was the best...better than Lance, he did not blood dope. I don't blame Lance everybody was doing it.
kpkafle 1 year ago
@kpkafle everytime you get the yellow jersey you get tested you dumbfuck
G0000MBA 1 year ago
Greg Lemond America's greatest - 3 Tours, 2 Worlds - but was cut down at the peak of his career by a hunting accident - we never saw greg's best. armstrong's cancer recovery came before his cycling peak. lemond had to beat superior competition champions hinault , fignon, delgado, rouche, indurain. who did armstrong ever beat - jan fucking ulrich. lemond still owns the fastest time trial in Tour history - the miracle ride to victory on the final day of the 1989 Tour.
tennsmoothie 1 year ago
@tennsmoothie David Zabriskie - 54.676 km/h - 2005 - fastest time trail in Tour history
cuddles76 1 year ago
@cuddles76 - that was a prologue if i'm not mistaken David.
tennsmoothie 1 year ago
holy shit the commentators are so fuckin retro
lhoppen 1 year ago
Lemond was "on top" of a 55x11 unreal!!
angus4463 1 year ago
How did Kathy LeMond know back in 89 that those sunglasses would be soooo cool today? ..... Now the question, will that killer hair style come back.
zzboobzz 1 year ago
That was such an awesome moment. Probably the best ever for American cycling. I remember I was working at a bike shop on this day and some turkey (co-worker) came in and told us all who won, and we were all planning on watching it later on. But either way it's still so amazing. I still got tense watching it even though I knew the outcome.
myrules1010 1 year ago
Like many men before him, Fignon's ponytail was his undoing.
frankgrimes17 1 year ago
Fignon had 30% Less drag then Lemond on the front wheel with the disc !
ViewTubeOO 1 year ago
Lemond had 30 % more drag on his front wheel with NO Disc Fignon had 30 % Less Drag on his front wheel with the Disc = CLOSE CALL !!
ViewTubeO 1 year ago
his aero bars and fignon's hair did it.
iwuvpanda 1 year ago 2
@iwuvpanda But what about the difference in NO disc on Lemond's bike and Disc on Fignon's bike ?
ViewTubeO 1 year ago
@ViewTubeO the difference in drag, whether even credibly or not, is probably only in the optimum wind angle. I don't think having a front disc was even an advantage; front discs don't handle well. The bike accounts for 1/3 aerodynamics, and the rider account for 2/3 of the aerodynamics. having a more aero posture is more beneficial than an aero wheel, so LeMond's revolutionary bar was of greater benefit.
iwuvpanda 1 year ago
Pure inspiration. The heart of a lion. To go it alone was gutsy and... It worked.
makeroftoys 1 year ago 2
Greg Lemond, the greatest American cyclist ever.
titan90000 1 year ago
First stage of le tour I ever saw until Lance tied LeMond's record and i have been hooked ever since!!!!!!!!!
sub70golf 1 year ago
the front disc wheel cost fignon
mc1703 1 year ago
@iLeewarren but lemond also utilized aero bars, giving him a more aero position. i would say he had the aero advantage, which makes a huge difference.
iwuvpanda 1 year ago
the race that changed time trialling for ever.. awesome ride!!!!
dave2011qwe 1 year ago 2
Like that music, and even the campy narration.
klawetter 1 year ago
Comment removed
klawetter 1 year ago
i feel lik im watchin a crim drama with this music
noyan000 1 year ago
I was in Paris last month. Finely, I undestand that the last miles of this time trial is the same of the circuit of the last stages of the last 15 year's tour de france
kinered 1 year ago
If Fignon, had chosen to get a hair cut before the time trial, perhaps he would have won the Tour! That hair must have cost him 20 secs.
JTN358AT 1 year ago 14
@JTN358AT
lol
may be, may be ^^ :-)
cumbas 1 year ago
@JTN358AT
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
dansnikolayevich 11 months ago
@JTN358AT Handlebars or not Greg Lemond rode at 54 km/h average speed, still the fastest time ever in a Tour de France TT. I think the defining thing was his superhuman fitness which no rider has surpassed even with all the technology improvements since. But it was surpising that Fignon chose to ride without an aero helmet too, never mind the bars. I can accept he would not want to change his riding position suddenly as a risky move, but the helmet/hair was not wise.
checka1963 9 months ago
Great to see it again. A very big moment in history of sport.
IQ20000Berta 1 year ago
TOO STRONG!!
lingopresley 1 year ago
Greg should be asked to prove that he did not dope during his three tours.
drewp66 2 years ago
Cyrille Guimard stated Lemond was the only rider in the peloton that could win without prep (drugs epo and amphetamines probably, most riders of the day were using them.).
Lemond's wind tunnel tests showed that Lemond in climbing position on an 80's era road bike was more areo than most pros today in full areo kits, and he was even more areo on his time trial bike, note that greg rode that with a 24" front wheel which is not allowed today.
micheassf 1 year ago
Greg LeMond's average speed in the time trial, 54.545 km/h, was the fastest in Tour de France stage history; since then, only the 1994 prologue has been faster.[1
On a boat anchor with aero bars? What proof does he have that he was clean? Many others were doping at this time. Testing was very easy to beat back then.
Clearly he could have been using performance enhancing substances.
drewp66 2 years ago
who cares? sourpusses like you ruining the sport more than the dopers.
yaniel87 1 year ago
let's be clear. i am no sourpuss. the point of my comments is that greg is a jealous critic of lance and that greg has no more proof that he is clean than lance does. both have passed controls throughout their careers. lance has been more tested than greg. the point of my comment is that greg should shut up!
drewp66 1 year ago
@drewp66 It's possibible that it's true,but if you reason in that manner also Fignon could be doped!
englishtoday444 1 year ago
funny you should say that. fignon has admitted to using doping products during his career.
drewp66 1 year ago
I remember this well too, I was also an amateur competitive cyclist. Actually Greg averaged 34.6 mph which is amazing. I had heard that Laurent had congratulated Greg BEFORE the race on his SECOND place finish! Lesson here...don't count your chickens before the eggs are hatched.
sourdough51 2 years ago
@sourdough51 haha he deserves to lose after that comment!
xxbondsxx 2 years ago
I was an amature cyclist at the time this was broadcast. I recall watching this live and the video feed cut out just a few seconds before the "magic time." When the signal came back on LeMond was cheering in victory. I started yelling and jumping around and my dog was running around all freeked out because I had lost it! Simply one of the BEST sports victories of all time and by far the best of the tour.
mwoodward221 2 years ago 6
I never saw this footage. This is great, a historic moment of the Tour. Thanks for posting.
velomanmtl 2 years ago
LEMOND THE POWERHORSE!!
lingopresley 2 years ago
"daddy's trying to get home how fast as he can"
how cheesy.
abcdrcill1 2 years ago 19
yeah, Al Trautwig is a cheesy character.
bobbypinhead 2 years ago
@abcdrcill1
ABC's coverage of this most epic Tour de France is a crime against humanity.
Even 20 years later its still unforgiveable. The ABC commentators should be strung up.
nightowl8936 1 year ago
un des meilleurs coureurs etranger
alex151993 2 years ago
This was the greatest win of the Tour de France
Gatotsu2009 2 years ago 2
I agree. I remember being on the edge of my seat. It was SUCH a good decision by the organisers to finish with a time trial into Paris.
daddylovesfaith 2 years ago
is that the debut of the areo bars?
kennybenny 2 years ago
In the Tour- yes, but triathletes had been using tri bars for at least a year or two. They didn't look like this though.
daddylovesfaith 2 years ago
SIMPLY THE BEST.
lingopresley 2 years ago
Epic epic epic. :D
Rayfroza 2 years ago
Was there a particular reason that Fignon didn't wear a helmet?
bordenwesley 2 years ago
Probably not. Helmets weren't required in all stages until the past few years, and the aerodynamic benefits were not fully understood.
recon455 2 years ago
Wow! This was great. Thanks for posting this. All these years and I never saw this, only heard about it. Great to finally witness it.
BobNeubauer 2 years ago
This is the Greatest race of all time
cavenmorrison 2 years ago 4
4:30 you can hear how loud those dual disks on
Fignon are
pittsn 2 years ago
What is the significance of LeMond using only one disc wheel instead of two? Why did he do that?
Pilkie101 2 years ago
It was windy that day and a front disc in wind makes the bike hard to control..
socalrider909 2 years ago 14
Not only that, disc wheels are very hard to go through corners if the course is very technical. (That is why most riders now prefer a spoked deep carbon wheel in the front and a disc in the rear) Disc wheels are also known to be slightly heavier and chattery than spoked wheels.
dahgutone 2 years ago
You can see at 7:00 - 7:07 look close how Tired Fignon is !!
Glr31 2 years ago
That was an epic race. Simply epic.
darkstar24660 2 years ago 3
Fignon était un super cycliste et méritait 100 fois de gagner ce tour, tout comme il méritait de gagner le giro 1984!!
Humainement c'est également un super gars. Courage Laurent tu vas la gagner cette bataille contre la cancer!!
KIMI1428 2 years ago
Fignon,
Good rider, bad doper, and hope he fights cancer.
dahgutone 2 years ago
Those cars following so closely behind the rider seems really dangerous... What if the rider tripped accidentally the car will run him right over.
yoops 2 years ago
I believe the second commentator is John Test. He use to do a lot of that back then along with the music.
muffakaa 2 years ago
WILLPOWER.
lingopresley 2 years ago
Anyone know who the commentor is along side Phil Ligget for this broadcast? Sounds like Jim Nantz?
carsonmcmillan 2 years ago
Al Trautwig
socalrider909 2 years ago
Sam Posey
andyh753r 1 year ago
Sam Posey
andyh753r 1 year ago
@socalrider909 sam posey
BillyBobJones1925 1 year ago
@socalrider909
And Sam Posey ... with that whiney voice.
nightowl8936 1 year ago
@carsonmcmillan Also Sam Posey
BillyBobJones1925 1 year ago
Lemond will always be my all time favorite rider.
oretg 2 years ago
I remember back when Le Tour ended on a final time trial to Paris. However, after this embarrassing loss for Fignon and the French, organizers changed the final stage from a time trial to a wannabe criterium.
RK831 2 years ago
Huh? The Tour has finished with laps on the Camps Élysées since 1975. 1989 was the only year in which it ended with a time trial there.
Squiffy444 2 years ago
I remember so vividly at a press conference before the final stage. Fignon: "Greg thinks he can win, but he can't. I am much stronger in the mind and in the legs." Really?
RK831 2 years ago
LeMonde wo