1989 Tour - "eight seconds, can you believe that?"

[531c]

While trying to engender some excitement ahead of the start of the Tour on Saturday, I found the full Channel 4 coverage of the final stage of the '89 Tour (the Lemond vs Fignon time trial) on youtube.

The commentators are a pre-Lance Liggett & Sherwen (when they used to be quite good!) and the studio anchor is a pre-Sky Sports Richard Keys.

It's definitely worth a look, because the real-time commentary captures the excitement of the finish much better than the highhlights videos/DVDs ever could. Liggett gets overexcited at one point and does his sums wrong, calling the result a minute prematurely.

I was still at school in '89, I feel extremely ancient now!

 

[philipbh]

If it wasn't for those pesky aero bars on Lemond's bike - Fignon would have won it (probably)

 

[Crackle]

I remember watching it, still to this day the most exciting Tour I personally have seen.

 

[Smokin Joe]

If it wasn't for those pesky aero bars on Lemond's bike - Fignon would have won it (probably)

Fignon's front disc probably cost him more than eight seconds, and his pony tail a few more. Lemond later said that when they analysed his ride they reckoned his aero helmet cost him time because he didn't keep his head still.

 

[531c]

Lemond later said that when they analysed his ride they reckoned his aero helmet cost him time because he didn't keep his head still.

Yeah, Lemond can't keep his head still for more than a few seconds at a time, I can well believe that cost him a few seconds. I think Fignon had a pretty bad saddle sore which made it hard to push a big gear.

 

[Buddfox]

Thanks for posting that link - had never seen it live! What a way to get warmed up for this year's tour, amazing.

 

[ColinJ]

The 1989 TdF is what got me back into cycling!

I was getting no exercise whatsoever and had gained 75 pounds of flab in just 3 years. I'd get out of breath walking up a flight of stairs and if I was doing two flights, I had to stop for a 30 second break halfway up.

I came home from work one July evening, flopped in front of the TV and the Tour highlights programme was on Ch4.

And the rest is history ...

I was still at school in '89, I feel extremely ancient now!

How do you think it makes me feel - I was 33 at the time!

 

[dellzeqq]

it was an odd one. Some of us feel that the introduction of triathlon bars was another step away from tradition, and the tour selling itself to cycle manufacturers. Of course, in selling itself it became attained a dominance in the calendar - who now thinks of the Giro and Vuelta as comparable?

 

[531c]

The 1989 TdF is what got me back into cycling!

It was the first Tour which I really followed in depth with a modicum of understanding of the rules and tactics.

My first experience of the Tour was in '87 (Roche's year) after my French teacher made us read out loud in class from the Tour preview edition of l'Equipe. I was hooked. Funnily enough, I was lucky enough to do a few laps with Roche in Richmond Park last year.

Great memories. Commandeering the family TV for half an hour at 6.30 every day for three weeks (and an hour on Sundays!) - happy days!

 

[raindog]

As 531c says, it was mainly saddle sores that lost Fignon that Tour. He was in agony at the finish line.

 

[philipbh]

As 531c says, it was mainly saddle sores that lost Fignon that Tour. He was in agony at the finish line.

Fignon's own account of it in "We Were Young and Carefree", suggests he may also have lost the race on Stage 17 on the ascent of Alp d'Huez when he was much faster than Lemond - "about 20 secs per kilometre"

Fignon says that if he had attacked (as his DS suggested) at around 6km to the finish rather than at 4Km like he did - the story may have been different.

 

[raindog]

Fignon says that if he had attacked (as his DS suggested) at around 6km to the finish rather than at 4Km like he did - the story may have been different.

That's true. What I meant though, without the sores the 8 seconds might have been the other way round. Amazing to think that winning or losing a three week gt could hang on such a thin thread.

I had alot of time for Fignon and his palmarès would've been so much greater without that daft knee injury too.

 

[philipbh]

Amazing to think that winning or losing a three week gt could hang on such a thin thread.

Agreed - also in his book - Fignon says they (him and Guimard his DS) calculated that after riding for 3257Km - that 8 sec time difference amounted to 82m on the road!

 

[531c]

Agreed - also in his book - Fignon says they (him and Guimard his DS) calculated that after riding for 3257Km - that 8 sec time difference amounted to 82m on the road!

I think Lemond said something recently about Fignon hanging onto a motorbike to avoid being dropped on the Peyrousourde on the stage that Millar won into Luchon. Not sure how credible that is given the number of cameras that would have captured it!

 

[Smokin Joe]

Fignon's own account of it in "When We Were Young and Carefree", suggests he may also have lost the race on Stage 17 on the ascent of Alp d'Huez when he was much faster than Lemond - "about 20 secs per kilometre"

Fignon says that if he had attacked (as his DS suggested) at around 6km to the finish rather than at 4Km like he did - the story may have been different.

I heard a radio interview with Lemond a few years ago when he said that on that stage he was cooked and hanging on Fignon's wheel but the Frenchman didn't realise how bad he was. Guimard was trying to get to Fignon to tell him to attack but Lemond's team car wouldn't let him pass and kept swerving across the road to prevent the overtake, colliding several times and damaging some of the bikes on the boot rack.

Lack of radios certainly made life more interesting back then.