1989 Tour De France - Greg LeMond

[@outnabout4961]

This is the tour that changed my life forever I didn't just like cycling this became part of my life style I was 25 years old now I'm 59 and I will be doing this for the rest of my life Long Live the Bicycle

[@barneyrubble5997]

Yesss! I was 17 and was totally hooked. To me, greatest tour of all time, with 4 former & 2 future winners in the field. The top guys ddnt wait for the last 2 k of the last climb to attack. Don't see that anymore. Well maybe Tadej

[@andrewsandoz8005]

​@Uhrschwabe good for you!

[@thomasfournier1945]

Same here

[@The442nd]

♥♥♥ Same here

[@LarsRyeJeppesen]

​@@Uhrschwabe20 here

[@rooh5825]

Fignon did not realize he had lost when he crossed the finish line, it wasn't until his masseuse told him shortly after on the ground that he realized it, and you see him weeping. He said later he had not cried since he was a child, and also said that the humility from that loss helped define him more as a person than any win ever had. RIP Fignon 2010

[@WONGLER]

As a huge Lemond fan I say : Laurent was a true gentleman, a legend and a very nice guy, still shocked that he left the world so early..... RIP champion

[@rooh5825]

@@WONGLER - Same here, he's what got me really into bicycling, never on anything beyond a club level, but he did something so astounding, winning that way. I really didn't like Fignon back then, but there's something to be said for those you see as antagonists when you are younger, when you see their humility as they get older. I grew to respect him, his maturity in handling such a stunning loss. It takes a real man to take that sort of defeat.

[@rspear7827]

,

[@mauriciocameron2943]

InstaBlaster

[@keirfarnum6811]

“Humiliation.” Humility is a good thing; humiliation is not. I feel bad for the masseuse who had to tell him. I thought it strange that Fignon kept riding in between those road barriers and would move over around each one instead of just riding a straight line. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Scott-ph2yk]

Two great champions gave us what is arguably the greatest ever TdF. Fignon may have lost by 8 seconds, but he made the race better, and victory well earned, and sweet for LeMond. I salute both men.

[@airman9820]

I was 23 and remember watching it on wide world of sports, I think one hr for the week. Immediately went out and bought a road bike and haven't stopped since.

[@etherealdreams7936]

What bike did you get ?

[@airman9820]

@@etherealdreams7936 got a schwinn, think it cost about 300.

[@ferventheat]

A great year. We miss the team time trials (32mph for best part of an hour!), no compulsory helmets, newspapers on the summit, grinding gears, it was a hero sport rather than the science sport it is today (not to take anything away from the champions of today). Phil Liggett is a perfect accompaniment to any tour. Vivre le tour!

[@simondavis697]

Thank you for posting this Tim. I was there on the final day in Paris to witness first hand Greg’s victory. A day that will stay with me forever. 👍

[@AZ6780810809]

I was there in Paris, that sunday, what a wknd that was, first time in Paris and such a win by Greg, love him

[@yyzsupra8338]

I ride every morning to Pinehurst #2 golf course for work at 430am. I fall asleep to this a few times a week because it is like a TT getting there and avoiding deer. classic vid and commentary. ⛳🚴

[@PutDownTheBunny]

Greg Lemond. A world hero! You have always inspired me.

[@jameslopez958]

Amazing! Great Video And Commentary Coverage! Tucson Arizona Desert 🏜️🙏. I'm 57 And Still Cycling 👍✌️❤️🙏

[@GregNelson-m3s]

I miss those days so much. I started racing in 87 at the age of 14. I used to go to the local book store every month to get the latest edition of "Winning" magazine. I would go home and tear out all the pics and hang them on my walls. I would stare at them for hours hoping to be like them one day.

[@JestersMuse-333]

Dude, that sounds like me. Those were the pure days. I raced in Colorado in the 80s and 90s. I raced Armstrong, Julich , Vaughters etc. as a junior.

[@GregNelson-m3s]

@@JestersMuse-333 That's cool as hell. I never got a chance to race against Lance as a junior. He was still into triathlons then. But I had heard of him. He was supposed to race at the La Vuelta de Bisbee my last year as a junior, but he was a no show. I did race against Jonas Carney many times in California, the Jules once in Redding. But I did train one winter with Hincappies brother Rich in Arizona back in 88. They came out from New Jersey. Its so cool to meet like minded people. Peace out old soul.✌️

[@nattyhead5988]

Ah yes, Winning magazine. Velo News was my go-to, especially to see what the upcoming races were in the classified section. Those were the days.

[@briz1965]

One of a kind tour. I took my Dad to see the last week, Normandy, Le Mont St. Michel, the camp overnight in Versailles and planted myself on the Tuileries? and watched them all warm up in the morning. When Greg came through Paris a minute ahead it went quiet, and stayed that way. Brill.

[@deathkampdrone]

This is pure gold. Beautiful pictures, full on drama! Even comes with a light horror soundtrack

[@bradford_shaun_murray]

ok...so the soundtrack became Blade Runner on a bad day lol 1:12:42 that dude running looked like he wanted an interview.

[@bicyclist2]

I was a big fan of LeMond in the 80's. I have World Cycling Productions DVD's of the 02' and 03' Tour de France. This is great classic fottage. I ride a team Kelme LOOK and a team Euskatel Orbea. Thank you.

[@PInk77W1]

Back in those days we had no internet. I woke up Sunday morning thinking lemond had lost. I got a phone call from a friend. He had caught some news cast that lemond had won. I was stunned to say the least

[@nickacelvn]

Thank you for posting this epic piece of history.

[@robertbeger4275]

Greg will always be one of my heroes. 89 was definitely one of the great ones.

[@janwillemdevries]

One of the biggest cycling moments ever. I still remember where I was and what I did that day. Fignon made me love the cycling sport since I saw his first Tour back in 1983. Since then I watch most of all cycling to see him💪 It still feels sad that he past away😢 A lot of respect for Greg from were he was coming from and won the Tour! RIP Laurent🙏

[@AngelGonzalez-hc4zw]

One of the greatest Tour’s ever! Great knowing Lemond was a part of it regardless of the unbelievable final T.T victory in Paris. The only thing I would change is Delgado not being on time for the prologue.

[@jrnskov7660]

Delgado, was the rider that spend less time on the bike 8 sec less than Lemond !

[@SanjaySingh-oh7hv]

Thanks VERY much for posting this. It's SOOOOO much better than ABC's coverage of the Tour. Their coverage should have been a crime against humanity, it was so bad, and it was the greatest Tour in history too.

[@richardhedd3080]

Thank you Tim for posting this!! It gave me goosebumps all over again!!

[@xtractstudios]

Thank you for posting one of my favorite tours

[@erichaheidrich4593]

The mighty Lemond..

[@mosgrovecleancutkid681]

Nige Tassell's book Three Weeks And Eight Seconds is a great little read for anyone interested in this tour. Del Gado showed a lot of heart and guts to get back almost in contention by the end. Greg was phenomenal in the final time trial! What a total legend of a man. The big tours were so much more interesting back then, it's become so robotic now. They could get rid of power meters and the team radios. They don't allow traction control in most motor sports for good reason...

[@RaineriHakkarainen]

1968 Janssen won final time trial! Stephen Roche won final time trial! 2020 Pogacar Best Roglic final time trial! 1989 is not the only one! Fignon rode well 52,2km per hour and was 3rd final time trial! Former tour de France winners Gino Bartali and Marco Pantani were bad weak time trial riders!!

[@jorymil]

Agreed that the radios need to go. I'd love for today's kids to be able to get as excited about cycling as I did when LeMond won in '89 and '90. The last 30 years have pretty well killed the Tour for me. It's not that riders didn't take drugs in the pre-EPO era; it's that EPO provided a far more drastic advantage than amphetamines or steroids, so it was impossible to race clean once it reached mainstream use.

[@Akabei01]

I remember Theunisse climbing Alpe d'Huez like it was yesterday. btw: Great Synthie Soundtrack 😃

[@Marco-uh5zn]

Kraftwerk soundtrack? They were huge tdf fans!

[@keirfarnum6811]

@@Marco-uh5zn Pretty sure it’s John Tesh, the guy narrating in some spots (the American voice that isn’t Liggett). Besides being a sports announcer, he made synthesizer music that was used in a lot of cycling documentaries. Edit: It says “Music by Absolute Music” at 2:07; but that might be John Tesh’s company. Not sure.

[@SLBARNES]

What a joy to happen upon this gem of a video. Watching Lemond power his way down the Champs to take the win in the final stage is no less electrifying today, than when I first watched it 30+ years ago. Thank you so much fo sharing it.

[@CardinalDoctor]

The saddest thing about this race was Laurent Fignon. The rest of his life he was remembered as the man who lost the Tour by 8 seconds instead of the man who won the Tour twice. He was a fantastic rider but his victories are overshadowed by his defeat.

[@chadgregory9037]

if u aint first ur last

[@twillis449]

Sadly you are correct. And he was overshadowed by Hinault, as the last French winner.

[@carlosquin4822]

Fignon was arrogant on the last day time trial, 2 disc wheels, no aero helmet as everyone has said he would of won the Tour not lost to Lemond. Also remember Lemond was on a 1.2 kg lighter carbon bike, tri bars and aero helmet. Fignon did not lose this tour it was his arrogance that lost it.

[@indonesiaamerica7050]

@@carlosquin4822 Greg used a steel Bottecchia for the TTs. He also used a normal spoke wheel on the front (though reduced size as was the fashion of that period) and the most significant thing, supposedly, was the Scott "clip on tri bars". Greg also clipped his Giro tri/TT helmet for the event. Fignon had a TT helmet for the start but tossed it aside. Neither made those choices because of "arrogance". They each made choices they thought would accommodate the various needs of the effort required.

[@DHTCF]

Yep. Compare it to Roglic: loses in similar fashion to Pogacar, comes back to win the Vuelta

[@VWDoug1]

Thanks Tim! Really enjoyed the video! GOD BLESS

[@toddh4491]

Man, riding a TT with bullhorn bars and downtube shifting, so difficult. And these poor guys having to grind up the hills without the benefit of spinning small cogs in the back. Thanks for sharing the video, Greg got me into cycling in my early teens. Still and always a great American champion.

[@georgeflutey838]

excellent video of one of the greatest tours, exciting all way till very end. Feel sad for Fignon. Probably remembered for losing by 8 seconds, not for winning tour twice. RIP Laurent Fignon

[@NickTubeless]

That’s what he said about his legacy.

[@yedkass]

me hace llorar su comentario ... la verdad, muy triste : Fignon era una estrella, un boquisuelto bastante controvertido pero demasiado talentoso

[@adrianj78]

We now know that Delgado was doping in 1988 and that Steven Rooks doped all through his career including using EPO from 1989 onwards. It shows you that it is not just a problem from the 2000s. It is a super tough event - one of the stages here was 7 hours!!!! Madness!

[@melaniamonicacraciun9900]

The best weekend entertainment friends, pushing pedals enjoying cycling adventures out there in the wild, never stop believe in guys

[@warrenermish1454]

Probably one of the greatest single moments in all of sports history The final time trial

[@scottyi9299]

The last stage/penultimate stage time trial is so fascinating to watch! Tdf 2020 stage 20 and Giro 2023 are the most exciting bike races I've watched in recent time, especially giro had a winning margin of only 14 seconds

[@Johnnys9thAndLastGlizzy]

Delgado missing the start of the prologue, wow.

[@bkmeahan]

I had watched some of the 85 and 86 tour, but being in the USA, it was mostly a 1 hour highlight real on ABC. 89 was when I really got into cycling myself and after LeMond's win in 86 and subsequent hunting accident, the whole tour was actually being covered. What an epic race and finale. I know ifs mean nothing, but for Delgado to start 2:48 behind was a gift to LeMond and Fignon. Can't imagine how it would have turned out if he started on level terms.

[@davidwebster2616]

Thank you for sharing this

[@CesarClouds]

Those were the days.

[@NickTubeless]

Great post of the best tour I can remember. I have this film on VHS but no accessible video player to play it on. It’s in the loft with my vinyl.

[@lisandromelendez9545]

I have the DVD tape. And still I love this. Damn I was young.

[@RogueCylon]

DVD tape?

[@two_in_tasmania]

The absolute best cycling video ever made. Still have my VHS of this. My treasured posession. 👍👍

[@NickTubeless]

Me too but no accessible player to play it on, in the loft.

[@stingtail9787]

Thats hilarious.I started rooting around & yes the holy grail my vhs tape of the finale 89 tt.Plus CBS coverage with Phil ligget in 88.My treasures.

[@brianb7991]

Great memories! Thanks Tim!

[@toddoverby5538]

Greg LeMond is a true American Bada$$. I often find that just when you are about to give up at something, you are actually closest to success. Definitely true for LeMond. He is everything Armstrong isn't and that's what makes him awesome.

[@leesloan8216]

brings back memories of watching this with my Dad

[@danieljournell2903]

Both great champions. Truly the best this sport has ever seen. They were competitive in any race. One days, week long stage races, or GT. They were always a true threat. They are in the hall game with the other greats. RIP CHAMPION you gave us some of the best moments in sport. May your rest be as sweet and glorious as your ponytail was when you were on the attack.

[@stingtail9787]

Yeah crazy stuff.I grew up in northern nevada about 30 miles from Lemond.I got into cycling after his win in 1986.Then the hunting accident happened.But I remember ditching school in 1988 as I walked along the highway he was motorpacing was flying 50+ Stunned & glad I skipped class. Said to myself he isn't done.A year later he did it.But that day no one cared a annoying cyclist to most nevadans.That takes guts & guts is all u need.

[@markneilson3303]

Fantastic coverage of one of the best TDF's from the good old days. Thanks for posting, really enjoyed coverage of the important mountain stages in that tour. Also did not realize there were that many time trials in the 89 tour.

[@nesagljivic]

People , when you say that something is "epic" , you should take this Tour for standard.

[@jamesascher8147]

the stuff of legends!

[@TheLittleHouses10]

Bought so many great memories back. I remember watching it on Channel 4 in the UK & there was a review show aired at Christmas time by Phil. I watched the show many times on a video player now no video player. In my opinion it still ranks as my favourite TDF. I have watched every edition since. Such a great watch. I want to know more about the missed musette on the Alpe D'huez stage. Thank you for posting Tim. I wish CH4 / ITV4 would post a classic tour every year to get us through the winter!

[@dwaynecoy1871]

Those mountain time trials are much more interesting than the flat circuits they do now days. Wish they would bring them back. Like the TT they did in 2004 up Alp D'Huez, that was an epic time trial - seemed like they had half a million people on the road watching that epic race.

[@d077Z]

So uhhh like last year with a cat one to finish? Bike swaps galore.

[@vspa]

thank you, HD quality for this epic tour

[@TheRebuilt1]

Thank you, boy we miss WCP and Paul dearly.

[@reynaldocarlos5734]

A very nice recorded video of tour the France , very well done specially , the narrator , Phil Leggett !

[@gkprivate433]

All these cyclists were good and had long histories of working out. But Le Monde was unique. He grew up on the slopes of the Sierra Nevadas. Trained at some altitude by chance growing up. He used to pedal up and over and around elevations and distances every day to and from school. Just a phenomenal athlete.

[@stingtail9787]

Yep grew up bout 40 miles south of washoe valley where he mostly lived.High elevation tough steep passes often headwinds yeah perfect place to make a champion.

[@jeffhildreth9244]

@@stingtail9787 Watched him race in Nevada City.

[@badge-masterjay6430]

I was 18 when this happened pre internet days life was so much better wish I could go back

[@cyclingwatercolours]

One of the best Tours ever...

[@92376]

In a sporting event that has had many epic moments, the 1989 race in general, and final time trial in particular, were incredible

[@user-DeDub]

In that time trial LeMond put his bike in a huge 55 x 12 gear and rode it 54.545 km/h (34.52 mph), the second fastest time trial ever ridden in the Tour de France

[@methe2960]

He also casually attached an aero bar and saved like five minutes because of it. Hard to imagine something like that nowadays, when they ban you for having a pair of socks a quater of an inch longer than you are allowed :-(

[@danfuerthgillis4483]

@@methe2960 Fignon did contest that with the Tour about Lemond's bars. They allowed it and the rest is history. Today it takes around 4 road racers to keep up with 1 rider on a modern Time trial bike so the bars clearly allowed Lemond to make up the difference.

[@death2pc]

@@methe2960 Not five minutes. It saved more like around eight-hundred zillion, trillion hours and 46,230 seconds. Really. He also lubricated his titanium chain with a top secret special NASA lubricant that costs $7.2BILLION per ounce that saved an additional four days per hour. Really. Oh, he also ate a cheeseburger just before he road.

[@PhilippeMarchand-xw1zp]

Some naysayer says that this incredible average speed prove that Lemond was a dope. Actually, when you go from Versailles to Paris via the route followed by this stage, 8 or 9 kilometers are downhill. At the start (Avenue de Paris in Versailles) you are around 130m above sea level. When you reach Seine River you are around 40m high. Between these two point, the descent is slight but continuous. Then the rest of the stage in Paris is almost flat. BTW Thierry Marie who was 2nd that day was only 33secs behing Greg averaging a speed around 54kmh too.

[@freebird61885]

@@danfuerthgillis4483 actually he didn’t make a complaint. He later said that he wished that he had, though.

[@sparx550]

Greg was the last Great Tour winner before the great dopers arrived. My cycling god.

[@RogueCylon]

They were doping in the 80’s

[@supportsquid]

@@RogueCylon They have never not been doping.

[@imjonathan6745]

@@supportsquid you gotta have a proof, dont just oppose someone then have no proof at hand.

[@supportsquid]

@@imjonathan6745 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Doping_at_the_Tour_de_France

[@davidduncan6455]

Thanks for the video. Can't tell you how many times I've watch this on my VHS. Still have the VHS somewhere but with no way to watch. Kinda wish Delgado hadn't missed the start.

[@reynaldocarlos5734]

Thanks to the technology of film recording , we can watch the great history recorded !

[@reynaldocarlos5734]

I have been watching , a cycling video ever since , I love this sport very well , it's full of excitement and surprise happening on the lap !

[@dansotelo228]

Back when Lance was the Tour de France king, it used to irritate me when Greg LeMond would quietly accuse Lance of doping. Later I found total respect for Greg as he was very proud of never doping in any way.

[@mcpastor63]

“Armed with an almost superhuman VO2 max of 92.5ml/kg/min (one of the highest rankings of aerobic fitness ever recorded in any sport, and almost triple that of an ordinary healthy male) and capable of sustaining 460 watts, LeMond also powered to two UCI Road World Championship titles in 1983 and 1989.” www.cyclist.co.uk/in-depth/115/greg-lemond-interview

[@twillis449]

It's my understanding that, at the time, some people considered LeMond's use of the aero technology to be 'unsporting'. I watched that last time trial live in the Nethelands and the commentators just started to go absolutely bonkers when they realized LeMond was reeling in Fignon at a couple of seconds per km.

[@gkprivate433]

yes. There are limits one could go to for aero stuff. Take the world speed record for cycling. They literally put the guy in a plastic bubble. I hate when technology is not equally applied. As an engineer I understand it. As an amateur athlete that competed in many sports I don't like it

[@trishaleaver3581]

Um Fignon was of drugs the whole time. Greg was clean. Who was unsporting?????

[@trishaleaver3581]

People forget Fignon was caught twice that year for drugs.

[@jcabb1]

No wonder Fignon was a monster.

[@Montrealcycling]

Wow What a tour!!! The year of my birth!👌🏻💪🏻🚴🏻‍♂️

[@LionelBaronArtiste]

at the time I had been a triathlete for 3 years, and I was a fan of Greg, we triathletes at the beginning we had not been taken seriously with our new position and above all !! our new handlebar! we were taken for jokes... except that in the USA them!!! knew it ! that this position brought 3km/h more! here's the story .... I was really happy that Greg won this Tour de France!

[@Libbyyyyyyyyyy]

wow that was really exciting, I didn't know anything about this!

[@courtmarker1779]

i bow before you for posting this

[@stormhawk3319]

Lemond said regarding this Tour there was 2 winners as he had great respect for Fignon as a man and cyclist. Fignon should be remembered as ushering in the new wave of cyclists in the early 80s as a two win TDF winner not losing by 8 seconds in 89. Greg Le Mond however was the complete cyclist who ought to have won 5 in a row had he not got shot in some stupid Turkey shooting.

[@josephkramer932]

More than that had he not been towing his French team leader.

[@rinkadink66]

First tour I ever followed and watched ever night on channel 4.. the right guy won in my humble opinion 👌

[@josephkramer932]

The guys have gone more than 1000 miles and a 10 second difference sounds like an insurmountable lead. An amazing race. And look Ma, no helmet! Times have changed.

[@carnivoroussoupspoon]

and an attacking yellow jersey, much respect to Fignon.

[@mfr440]

EPIC!! Matty’s smile when he realizes it’s Simon and Adam is priceless. Team OGE should be very proud of both Yates brothers!!

[@jorymil]

I still want a set of Time pedals and Campagnolo Record delta brakes. And a TVT bonded carbon frame.

[@gkprivate433]

I remember watching this when I was in Grad School. What Le Monde did was stunning. He made up 58 seconds of the 50 he needed to surpass Fignon. Over 2 seconds per kilometer on average. Reminds me of the distance ice skater who set a world record by going 1 second faster every single lap and holding that for the entire race.

[@adrianj78]

I remember watching this and being hooked on the TDF from then onwards.

[@slayer6936]

Oh the 80s how i miss them!!

[@Baltimoreborn]

And watching big mig become a butterfly what a magical event

[@Abnsdllnnlosnfd]

Man, these guys should have used a compact chainset in the mountains! Their grinding away at 60 RPM is soooo hard to watch ;-)

[@NickTubeless]

I have a bike from that era with a Campagnolo Super Record group set. The smallest ring it takes is 42. I rode up Alpe d’Huez using 42-28. Long hard grind.

[@Abnsdllnnlosnfd]

@@NickTubeless I can feel it LOL (I used to ride 39-25 on climbs when I was in my early 20s)

[@danfuerthgillis4483]

@@NickTubeless i have a cheap 14 kg road bike setup with a " 1x 7" 47ring x 14-28 freewheel, lots of fun, but requires good legs to push it fast since it is heavier. No way that my 7 kg Carbon could ever take the abuse I put on this bike.

[@NickTubeless]

@@Abnsdllnnlosnfd Yes, I was in my late 20s & I’d ride 42 x 25 in the Chilterns. Got the 28 especially for d’Huez thinking it would be my reserve gear if I got in trouble. I was on it after 100yds. Now I’m well beyond my 20s I can’t relate to the strength I had as a young man. I go a lot further though. Hurrah for compact chainsets otherwise I would have given up by now.

[@Abnsdllnnlosnfd]

@@NickTubeless Yeah. It was a heroic endeavour, yet pretty stupid. Appropriate gearing is so much better ;-)

[@cgarby]

the music is epic

[@92376]

An epic year for the Tour

[@thefrontrangermtb5308]

Wow! I remember having this on VHS! 😂

[@nattyhead5988]

Awesome.

[@needfoolthings]

"The cheers of the crowd give him the extra boost he needs." Oh, Paul. *sigh*

[@Awake_for_days]

I loved this video. Amateur cyclist here, anyone know where I can buy some EPO? I want to try doping

[@Pupda]

I just want to take a moment to thank all the interns at Eurosport for including the names of the winners of each stage of the TdFF in their thumbnails so that I don’t have to watch the actual coverage. All those other channels - GCN, NBC, Lanterne Rouge, Wedu/TheMove, Chris Horner - pretty much everyone else, actually seem to avoid giving away the results - at least on the day of that stage - in their thumbnails in the mistaken belief that people that were unable to watch it live because it runs in the middle of the night where they live, or they had to be at work, or for whatever reason, might want to watch the coverage in its entirety without knowing who won in advance. Kinda like watching as if it were live… So I just want to thank all those Eurosport interns* again for saving me all that time that I would have wasted mistakenly thinking that I was enjoying the race. You guys rock!!! * it must be interns because no media professional would do something that stupid. P.S. in the meantime I’ve decided that to ensure I don’t accidentally get the results before I can watch the stage coverage, instead of unsubscribing I’m putting Eurosport in my “Do not recommend” list. No thumbnail, no problem….

[@danfuerthgillis4483]

Man the crowds are gone these days, look at the size of the crowds here amazing!! I guess the EPO scandals killed the interest. 50 mph descents no helmets insane, also Fignon would of won if he had used an aero helmet and not have used a disc front wheel as has been tested over and over.

[@ssmith954]

Best tour in history, and probably the last great tour too.. before EPO, the cancer and all this 'marginal gains' nonsense. Here you've got riders truly bonking, the jersey changing hands daily, leaders getting dropped, bold attacks. And what's incredible to follow here is how Lemond took it with basically zero team support.

[@ssmith954]

​@Richard SPARKS I remember seeing a study on this -- saying Lemond's biggest gains were the aero bars, with very slight gains from the helmet. They also found Lemond would have also gained a few extra seconds with a front disc wheel. In additional, Fignon's erratic riding rhythm also undid the gains he could have got from the front disc wheel. Also important was it later emerged that Fignon was in excruciating pain from worsening saddle sores. He basically had raw flesh in contact with his shorts and saddle.

[@durianriders]

@@ssmith954 Lemond was juiced to the gills mate. EPO just lets you stay skinny and fast. Anabolics give you the same RBC boost but with a weight penalty. It is always even at the top as they are all juicing at the top.

[@ssmith954]

@@durianriders Nope, you obviously understand very little about doping and what a game changer EPO was. The difference with EPO, not even available in '89, was not just in performance, but crucially recovery. Any doping with anabolics or amphetamines, which were the drugs of choice in the 80's and up to the advent of EPO, would come with a serious day after penalty. Their only effectiveness in the tour was for sprinters going for stage wins. Then of course you had blood doping. For Lemond, with a once-in-a-generation Vo2max of 92+, there was little to be gained at significant health risk. All that said, as you've continued to clearly express your admiration for the cancer on the simplistic grounds that "everyone else was doing it" just shows how little you know about PEDs, their specifics benefits and the history of their use in cycling.

[@dennisdose5697]

I recall reading that just cutting off his ponytail might have been enough to win. Remember watching this finish, electrifying. Greg was a great champion.

[@pamshewan9181]

The greatest ever Champion, LeMond.

[@tadchase4461]

I have heard the aero drag from Fignon's ponytail cost him 10 seconds...........

[@jorymil]

Stuff like this is a good reason to own a VCR.

[@edamo515]

probably my biggest inspiration for ridnig bikes, lemond!!!

[@josephkramer932]

I wonder if they will start using electric motorcycles at the Tour de France next year. It seems like a good application of the technology. I don't see how all the riders are not greeted with oxygen bottles.

[@curtvaughan2836]

Miguel Indurain wins his first mountain stage, a "promising young Spaniard" (who would win 5 Tours in a row from 1991-95).

[@yedkass]

como lo logro ? los controles antidoping no eran estrictos, sin restarle meritos a su gran talento, pero un tipo tan pesado no puede subir tan facilmente montanas.

[@shane-irish]

Great doc

[@RollingnBodfish93518]

What I hated was the fact that pretty much everyone had written LeMond off at this point in his career. The press was barely following LeMond on stage 5's time trial as they put more airtime on Delgado. When he won the stage it was like damn... Maybe the rain caused some issues. 🤔 Still wondering if PDM was assisting in the mountains?

[@needfoolthings]

I guess they did and this was the start of a new EPOch of cycling.

[@leedorney]

An incredible tour 🙏

[@jcop14]

Stages 2a and 2b! Cobbles on Stage 4. 45 mile time trial for Stage 5. 160 miles in the rain on Stage 7! Brutal first week!

[@geoffw1209]

Better looking bikes than now, too

[@Marco-uh5zn]

Bikes were by far better looking!

[@gregstone5007]

Greg was always truth.

[@felicetanka]

Ibon Zugasti 30 years later interviews Delgado in segovia his hometown. I enjoyed it.