Two contenders Laurent Fignon and Greg Lemond...........
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| AP Photo/Lionel Cironneau |
and 24,5 kilometres to the glory
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Versalles was a great place to start.........
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It had been an exciting Tour, with the distraction of Delgado in the prologue of Luxembourg, and his bad day in the team time trial.
The victory of Lemond in the time trial of Rennes and a yellow for him three years later.
Delgado´s comeback in the Pyrenees and Fignon´s leadership 5 years later.
Strange Alps, with ups and downs of Lemond and Fignon and the final surrendering of Delgado..........and the stage win of Villard de Lans who had nearly sentenced the Tour.
And the decisive day was here:
We had some references to take into account for the last time trial:
Prologue, Lemond and Fignon tied, but that was the first day. It didn´t count.
Rennes, with Fignon more than a minute ahead of Lemond in the first part of the time trial ( 25 kilmeters or so). It could be a good reference. Fignon was better than Lemond in long efforts, the opposite for the American.
Orcieres Merlette............not a good reference, it was a mountain time trial.
Lemond and Fignon were warming up. Perhaps that was the most important day of their careers........
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No aerodinamic helmet for Fignon , disc wheels for him, only one for Lemond who was going to use the polemic handlebars.
The provisional classification was lead by Fignon´s mate Marie :
1º. Thierry Marie...........27'30"
| Photo Frederic Auvray |
3º.Sean Yates.................at 37"
4º. Ercih Maechler.......... s.t.
5º. H.Wechselberger......at 38"
In a few moments Lemond was starting the time trial.........Delgado had started, he was two minutes before Lemond.
Lemond´s time.........three, two, one...............toppppppppp for Lemond.........
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Lemond had started really fast, he was riding as if it were his last race ever, each metre counted
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Fignon was ready, in some seconds he would be riding too
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| Photo flickr |
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Thrre, two, one.....................topppppppppp for Fignon........
Lemond was riding very fast and the first references helped that idea, he had 6 " over Fignon in the first 5 kilometres, not enough to win the Tour but a good start.
Fignon was encouraged by his director Cyrille Guimard, the Tour was his, after 1983 and 1984 , this was would be the third.
Lemond continued his fight against the watch
He was getting closer to the first timecheck point, and he was the first time.................with 18" to Fignon in ten kilometres..............it was possible, the miracle could be made
TOPPPPPPPPPPPP for Lemond Timecheck 1, best time with 20" to Maechler
POINT 1 KILOMETRE 11.5
Lemond ...........12'08"
Maechler............20"
Marie.................23"
Nijdan................24"
Beuker...............26"
When Fignon got to POINT 1 with 12'29". Guimard knew that the Tour was being threatened by the American. Fignon was third, a good time trial, but not enough to stop Lemond ambitions.
Fignon was losing 21" to Lemond. What an incredible Tour. Perhaps the best Tour ever, for sure the most exciting one. With that progresion Fignon would win the Tour by just five seconds...........amazing.
The gap was increasing, 25" in 14,5 kilometres and 29" in 16,5 km
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The Tour would be decided in the mild climb from Place de la Concorde to Arc du Triumphe.
32" in the kilometre 18,5........Guimard was shouting at Fignon.....alé, alé, alé
The French was suffering , but he still had the Tour victory in his hands.
Marie was still the best time in the finish line, nobody had been close to it. Lemond passed next to the Louvre´s museum and 44", with 3,5 kilometres to go he was just 6" down overall, he had a chance to win, and the toghest part of the time trial was still to come
45" with 3 kilometers to go..........46" with two kilometres to go and Lemond got the Place de la Concorde, the most important part of the time trial.......
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Just four seconds..............Lemond had Delgado in sight.......he was doing his best
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The last bend for the American
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He was going to win the time trial, that was for sure, the point was the Tour
27'30" was the time of Marie, but Lemond was better...........26'54", 55", 56"......
................toppppppppp 26'57" for Lemond
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Fignon didn´t want references, he was suffering to win , he was focused on keeping the short margin to win
The last bend for Fignon.......he was losing the Tour but he didn´t know........by two seconds........
Lemond was confused at the finish line because people were in silence but the information was that he was still losing the Tour by a couple of seconds.
Fignon was sprinting with his heart more than with his legs and he was losing the Tour..... 200 metres........
27'47".....LEMOND HAD WON THE TOUR...........
27'48",49"...............27'55" FOR FIGNON.............
Fignon had lost it.........by 8 seconds.........
the closest Tour ever, the most exciting ever, one of the most beautiful sportive events ever..........
Fignon was devastated
It was one of the the worst days of his life, a very cruel end for such a magycal event
Lemond " It has been incredible"
Fignon " I have cried for the first time in my career, 8 seconds in 3500 kilometres, it is not fair.........."
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| Photo Photo: © Roberto Bettini |
Weeks later Fignon had the chance to revenge that lost, but Lemond won the Worldchampionship of Chambery too, not allowing Fignon to scape in the last lap
His second rainbow jersey
8 seconds changed the history of cycling, Fignon didn´t have a chance of winning a Tour again, Lemond won the 1990 edition.
An event that will be remembered by generations
Thanks Greg, and wherever you are know, thanks Laurent
And here you have all the chapters:
8 seconds. The most exciting Tour ever. Part I
8 seconds. The most exciting Tour ever. Part II.
8 seconds. The most exciting Tour ever. Part III.
8 seconds. The most exciting Tour ever. Part IV.
8 seconds. The most exciting Tour ever. Part V.
And this last one
Just 8 seconds
What an end, what a TDF and what a season with the colombian peak in the GT's, the resurrection of Fignon which began in the mythical Tre Cime Di Lavaredo and the wins of Lemond in the TDF and the World Championship.
ResponderEliminarIt was a great season, but unfortunately, Fignon was not the same in the following years ( neither was Delgado )and that year was the last of an era, the 80s, a great era of incredible races and champions
Eliminar