The 1989 TDF ?

[Wester]

Sorry if this sounds a dumb question but when Greg LeMond beat Laurent Fignon to win the 1989 TDF it went down to the last eight seconds on the final day

My question is I always thought that the cyclist who was the leader going in to the last day had won the race

Also LeMond it was said used different handlebars to the other riders in the race what was the difference

 

[KneesUp]

Usually the last day is a 'normal' flat stage with a bunch sprint. In 1989 the final stage was a time trial, which I don't think has happened before or since. LeMond beat Fignon by 58 seconds on the stage (partly by use of aero bars, partly because Fignon reportedly had saddle sores and didn't sleep much the night before) to win by 8 seconds overall.

EDIT - there is no reason why the leader going into the final day should win - but as it's usually a flat stage, and by then the gap is a few minutes, the leaders team simply don't let anyone break away, and it's become convention that it's a bit of a relaxed ride followed by a big sprint. Of course on an individual TT that isn't the case.

 

[HF2300]

The tradition is not that the leader going into the last day wins, but that you don't attack the yellow jersey on the last day. It just is a tradition and has been breached a number of times. On that day the last stage was a time trial, so the time you got was the time that stood; there wasn't a question of not competing.

Lemond used triathlon bars with elbow rests, so he could get a more aero position. There was, if I remember rightly, some question about their legality because the elbow rests gave him four points of contact, and the regs said three; but the result stood.

(cross posted with @KneesUp but I've written it, so whattheheck)

 

[HF2300]

Fignon on Lemond's bars:

"Firstly, as everyone knows, LeMond was unrivalled as a time triallist, much better than me when it came to riding alone and unpaced. In addition, he was using a very special bike equipped with handlebar extensions with elbow rests, giving him a far more aerodynamic position, and four support points – pedals, saddle, bars and elbow rests – which was totally revolutionary but also strictly against the rules.


Until then, the referees had only allowed three support points. For reasons that still elude me, Guimard [my coach] and I didn't make a formal complaint and the idle commissaries shut their eyes. The rules were being bent, and the consequences would be way beyond anything I could have imagined."

 

[GilesM]

If I remember correctly, it wasn't just the bars, Lemond wore an aero helmet, and Fignon went for the slightly less aerodynamic pony tail flapping in the wind.

 

[cyberknight]

If I remember correctly, it wasn't just the bars, Lemond wore an aero helmet, and Fignon went for the slightly less aerodynamic pony tail flapping in the wind.

And he had a saddle sore .

Fignon tried to use he same bars later in the year in another race and was not allowed, not taking anything away from Lemond whos comeback and ability are not in question but the double standards from the uci.Mind you Fignon was never much liked by many ..............

 

[ColinJ]

The original question has been answered above, but I would just like to say that my excitement watching that 1989 TdF spurred me into buying a bike after a 20 year break from cycling, and I have been enjoying riding my bikes ever since ...

So to Greg Lemond and the late Laurent Fignon I say - thanks lads!

 

[Wester]

And he had a saddle sore .

Fignon tried to use he same bars later in the year in another race and was not allowed, not taking anything away from Lemond whos comeback and ability are not in question but the double standards from the uci.Mind you Fignon was never much liked by many ..............

In what race was Fignon not allowd to use those bars ? was it the Vuelta

 

[screenman]

The original question has been answered above, but I would just like to say that my excitement watching that 1989 TdF spurred me into buying a bike after a 20 year break from cycling, and I have been enjoying riding my bikes ever since ...

So to Greg Lemond and the late Laurent Fignon I say - thanks lads!

After a year off and moving away from London this same race kicked my butt into joining a club again. It also inspired my eldest to take up cycling and racing, something he still does now.

 

[Milkfloat]

IIRC the UCI had turned a blind eye to the Tri bars in previous races as well. It is a little weird as you would have thought they would be a little bit more favourable to a French cyclist.

P.S. I really lusted after his bike

 

[Crackle]

Look at the Mileometer on his fork!

 

[Aravis]

During July 1989 I remember pausing in Caerphilly for a bite to eat. As I was sitting lycra-clad on a roadside bench, an old lady with a shopping trolley stopped and asked me who I thought was going to win the Tour de France. "Laurent Fignon" was my confident reply. He wasn't looking like the favourite at that point, but a few days later it really looked as though I was right.

In previous years - 1976 for example - it wasn't uncommon to have a time trial on the final morning followed by a criterium in the afternoon. In 1968 the format was the same as in 1989, and again the lead changed hands.

 

[Smokin Joe]

The tradition is not that the leader going into the last day wins, but that you don't attack the yellow jersey on the last day.

That is just not true.

There is no "Rule", unwritten or otherwise, that you concede the race on the penultimate day. But with the Yellow Jersey nearly always being at least a couple of minutes ahead at the start of the last stage which is flat and finishes with what is virtually a criterium it is almost impossible for a challenger to pull the time back against a well organised team, plus the teams of all the sprinters who are gunning for the win themselves. Should there ever be no more than a few seconds gap between first and second you'd see all hell break loose on the final few laps.

 

[Dogtrousers]

@Aravis I hope the little old lady didn't make any rash bets on the basis of your advice.

 

[smutchin]

IIRC the UCI had turned a blind eye to the Tri bars in previous races as well.

IIRC the team had made a point of using them in another minor race prior to the Tour to ensure that there was a precedent for the UCI allowing them.

But I'm not 100% my memory is accurate - I may be thinking of some other bit of controversial equipment.