French pro cyclist Laurent Fignon died at age 50 on Tuesday after battling cancer for the past year.
Although he won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984, he was best known to Americans as the cyclist who lost the Tour to Greg LeMond by 8 seconds in 1989 on the final day of the race.
On a visit to France during the early 1990s, I had the opportunity to grab a photo of Fignon riding at the head of the peloton with Miguel Indurain (in yellow, of course) and Claudio Chiappucci (in the polka dot jersey). He was easy to recognize with his receding hairline and long blond hair.
Beloved cyclist
Talking to my French brother-in-law later, I joked about Fignon losing to the American a few years earlier. I was informed that Fignon was still a very respected cyclist in France and as beloved for his loss as he was for his wins.
It had to do with Fignon's stubborn adherence to using traditional bike set-ups, compared to LeMond's decision to ride that final-day time trial with aero bars. Most say that made the difference in the race.
Fignon was among the last of a breed of French Tour de France champions. After Fignon's second win in 1984, Bernard Hinault became the last Frenchman to win the Tour in 1985.
He had been a French television commentator since 2006; he announced last year that he was undergoing chemotherapy for cancer of his digestive system.
Lemond remembers
Of all the tributes to Fignon, I was most interested to read what LeMond had to say:
“It's a really sad day. I see him as one of the great riders who was hampered by injuries. He had a very, very big talent, much more than anyone recognised. For me he was one of the greater champions that was not recognised. He was more recognised for his loss in the Tour de France than for his two victories.”
“We were teammates, competitors, but also friends. He was a great person, one of the few that I find was really true to himself. He didn’t have an ego. He really knew himself.”
“When he lost the Tour de France in 1989 it was one of the few victories where I felt we both won. The saddest thing for me is that for the rest of his career he said he won two Tours de France, when in reality we both could have won the race.”
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