Laurent Fignon
Laurent Fignon (born August 12, 1960) is a French former professional cyclist, who won the Tour de France twice in 1983 and 1984, and missed winning it a third time, in 1989, by a very narrow margin. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1989, having been runner-up in 1984, and the Milan-Sanremo Classic two times.
[edit] Biography
Fignon was born in Paris.
He started his rise to Tour de France fame in 1983 when Bernard Hinault was not available to ride that year. Hinault had been the dominant force in most Tours for the previous few years, whereas Fignon was a young newcomer on the same Renault-Elf-Gitane team directed by the legendary Cyrille Guimard (Hinault's fallout with Guimard the following year meant that Fignon became Guimard's new protégé). Mid-way through the 1983 Tour, the leader Pascal Simon lost more than three minutes of his advantage to Fignon in a 15.6km individual time trial, with Fignon claiming the maillot jaune two days later. Victorious also in the final time trial, Fignon, at 22, was the youngest man to win the Tour since 1933.
With his round glasses, ponytail and an air of debonnaire, Fignon was a contrast to Hinault's hard-knocks image. He thus earned the nickname The Professor. By the time the 1984 Tour came round, Hinault had switched to the new La Vie Claire team, directed by Paul Koechli, but Fignon and his Renault team proved the stronger. Fignon won the stage 7 time trial, beat Hinault in the sprint for second place on the 14th stage, then beat him soundly in stage 16 (another time trial). On the stage to Alpe d'Huez, Fignon gained a further three minutes over Hinault; he then won the mountain top finish stage at La Plagne, stage 20 from Morzine to Crans-Montana, and the final time trial stage (22) - giving him five stage victories in the Tour. With his air of indifference in interviews and his crushing dominance, he was hailed as France's newest superstar.
A knee injury meant Fignon missed the 1985 Tour, and he did not finish the 1986 race, retiring on stage 12 to Pau. In 1987, he finished 7th overall, taking another victory at La Plagne (stage 18). He also abandoned the 1988 Tour (on Bastille Day).
1989 marked a banner year for Fignon. He would overtake Sean Kelly and become the number one ranked cyclist in the world. This season included a win at Milan-Sanremo and the Giro D'Italia. However, Fignon is also particularly remembered for finishing second in the 1989 Tour de France when he lost to Greg Lemond by only eight seconds. While Greg Lemond used aerobars (handlebars which fostered a more aerodynamic riding position) and a new type of teardrop-shaped aerodynamic helmet in the time trials, Fignon used normal road handlebars and wore no helmet, an especially poor choice for the Frenchman, because of the additional drag created by his ponytail. Fignon also suffered in the 1989 tour from saddle sores and he claimed this is what really slowed him down. Before the final stage, Fignon had a 50-second advantage over Lemond, but Lemond turned this around, beating Fignon by 58 seconds in the stage and, with an overall lead of just eight seconds, gained his second Tour de France victory after having become the first American champion of the Tour de France in 1986.
Fignon did not complete the 1990 Tour, but finished 6th in 1991, and 23rd overall in 1992, taking his ninth and last stage win at Mulhouse on stage 11.
However, Fignon was more than just a great Tour rider. He won the Milan-Sanremo Classic twice (1988, 1989) and the 1989 Giro d'Italia despite suspicions of the Italians using unfair tactics to favour their own riders. Fignon probably would have won the Giro in 1984 as well, had an Italian TV helicopter not flown to the side of Fignon in the last individual time trial, as required, but behind Italian favorite Francesco Moser.
On the Wednesday prior to one of his Milan-Sanremo victories, Fignon crashed his primary racing bicycle which was built by Cyfac, often associated with Cyrille Guimard's riders. Guimard called the factory to ask them if they could build another identical frame for the Sunday's race. Francis Quillon of Cyfac obliged, and on Saturday before the race the team mechanic picked up the frame, built it on the way to the race, and on Sunday it was ridden by Fignon to victory.
[edit] Retirement
Upon retirement Fignon started to become involved with managing several races, most notably Paris-Nice until it was taken over by ASO the organizer of Tour de France in 2004.
Fignon remains active as a race organizer, for races such as Paris-Corrèze. He recently criticized the state of French cycling, lamenting in L'equipe that, "The sports directors don't do a good job any more. They lack competence and don't have any authority over their riders. The non-results of French teams are not only the consequences of doping," alluding to the more stringent French doping control practices compared to other nations'.
On his relationships with Cyrille Guimard and Bernard Hinault, Fignon said that with Bernard Hinault, Cyrille Guimard already found a champion, whereas with himself, Cyrille made a champion. Therefore his bond with Guimard was much stronger than Hinault's bond with Guimard.
[edit] Significant victories by year
- 1982 Renault-Elf-Gitane
- 1983 Renault-Elf-Gitane
- 1st, Critérium International
- 1st, Overall, Tour de France (and Stage 21 win)
- Stage, Tirreno-Adriatico
- Stage, Critérium International
- Stage, Vuelta a España
- 1984 Renault (Gitane)
- 1st, Overall, Tour de France (and Stage 7, 16, 18, 20 and 22 wins)
- 2nd, Overall, Giro d'Italia (and King of the Mountains and Stage 20 win)
- France National Road Race Cycling Champion
- 1986 Systeme U (Gitane)
- 1st, La Flèche Wallonne
- Stage, Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré
- 1987 Systeme U (Gitane)
- Two stages, Paris-Nice
- Stage, Vuelta a España
- 7th, Overall, Tour de France (and Stage 21 win)
- 1988 Systeme U (Gitane)
- 1st, Milan-Sanremo
- Stage, Critérium International
- 1st, Paris-Camembert
- 1989 Super U (Raleigh)
- 1st, Overall, Giro d'Italia (and one stage win)
- 1st, Milan-Sanremo
- 2nd, Overall, Tour de France (Combativity prize and Stage 18 win)
- 11 days in maillot jaune (Stages 10-20)
- 1st, Grand Prix des Nations
- 1990 Castorama (Raleigh)
- 1st, Critérium International
- 1991 Castorama (Raleigh)
- 6th, Overall, Tour de France
- 1992 Gatorade (Bianchi)
- 23rd, Overall, Tour de France (and Stage 11 win)
- 1993 Gatorade (Bianchi)
- 1st, Overall, Ruta Mexico
