Tour de France champ Laurent Fignon dies at 50

AP via Comcast.Net ^ | august 31, 2010 | NAOMI KOPPEL

[llevrok]

Laurent Fignon, the Frenchman who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984 and lost to Greg LeMond in 1989 in the race's closest finish, died Tuesday of cancer. He was 50.

His death was confirmed by the French government and the French cycling federation. Fignon said in June 2009 he had advanced cancer of the digestive system and was undergoing chemotherapy.

[MIchaelTArchangel]

Gee, by the logic of the yuppies, riding bicycles causes cancer.

[llevrok]

TDF sad news ping:Fignon’s death

[ConorMacNessa]

RIP Laurent Fignon.

Lamh Foistenach Abu!

[Krankor]

Maybe the drugs or blood doping does.

[fieldmarshaldj]

RIP.

[freedumb2003]

So young!

RIP :(

[PGalt]

Thanks for the ping. Condolences to Laurent Fignon’s family and friends. R.I.P. sir.

[joelt]

Is it me, or is anyone noticing that these hard trainers get cancer at a young age?

[Mom MD]

Thanks for the ping. DH told me about it earlier today. What a shock and a sad event. He exhibited all the grace that passed LeMond by.

[golux]

Merci M. Le Professeur Laurent Fignon. Vous nous avais, nous les Americains, nous les “fans” de LeMond meme, vous nous avais donnes des beaux gestes, des victoires magnifiques, des grimpages et des courses “time trial” extraordinaires, et surtout l’esprit de gentilhomme dans un environnement pas toujours amicale.

Vous n’etiez pas un Anquetil, vous n’etiez pas un Merckx, ou meme, au fin, un Armstrong ou un LeMond dans le sens quantitatif, sur et formulaique.

A meme temps Laurent vous representerai toujours, pour ceux qui connaissent le tour, meme nous ceux qui ne sont pas Francais, l’esprit du tour - de souffrance quotidien, de la perte, de la douleur incalculable, la fierte, l’audace, et - apres tout -la victoire.

M. Laurent Fignon, pardonnez mon faible Francais, mais il faut essayer de le dire dans la langue de chez vous:

Merci. En fin, au fond, vous avez gagne.

[smokingfrog]

That’s a shock! I didn’t know he had cancer.

I’ll never forget when he lost the Tour to LeMonde by 8 sec.

[luv2ski]

Gosh. That's terrible. 50? A meer enfant. RIP.

[Minn]

The time trial to Paris in 89 was the best moment is cycling history.

[patriotspride]

” M. Laurent Fignon, pardonnez mon faible Francais, mais il faut essayer de le dire dans la langue de chez vous:”

c’est bon

Honoring one in their own language,is a compliment, and appreciated by the recipient, and observer.

[Cagey]

It certainly was. Not taking anything away from LeMond, but technology on LeMond’s part was a big part of the reason Fignon lost that final time trial.

[Ready4Freddy]

The finishing TT in ‘89, and Lance's 2000 solo climb up Hautacam in horrendous weather to set up his 2nd win, remain my two most memorable TdF stages.

Both were awesome displays of strength and determination.

[Ready4Freddy]

Laurent Fignon, the Frenchman who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984

Those being his debut & 2nd Tours, btw.

Thanks for the ping, llevrok, I posted the cycling news article on one of the Tour threads and pinged a few folks, but I'm glad you posted it as its own thread.

[leilani]

Not taking anything away from LeMond, but technology on LeMond’s part was a big part of the reason Fignon lost that final time trial.

Fignon complained for the rest of his life that LeMond's newfangled handlebars were out of regulation & gave the American an unfair advantage which cost him his win.

But Fignon may have sabotaged himself too. I either read or heard from Phil or Paul once that someone actually sat down & did a few calculations and figured out that Fignon's trademark (at the time) ponytail flapping in the wind would have caused significant enough aerodynamic drag over the length of the tour to have cost him those infamous 8 seconds to LeMond.