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Laurent Fignon (born August 12, 1960 in Paris) is a French 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. August 12 is the 224th day of the year (225th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ...
1960 was a leap year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ...
The Eiffel Tower has become a symbol of Paris throughout the world. ...
A cyclist is a person who engages in cycling whether as a sport or rides a bicycle for recreation or transportation. ...
The Tour de France (French for Tour of France), often referred to as Le Tour or The Tour, is an epic long distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. ...
1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
The Giro dItalia, also simply known as the Giro, is a long distance road bicycle race for professionals held over three weeks in May or early June in and around Italy. ...
1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
 Image File history File links Laurent Fignon, Racing Cyclist (Retired), French. ...
Biography
Fignon 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 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. 1983 is a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...
Bernard Hinault (born 14 November 1954) is a French cyclist best known for his five victories in the Tour de France. ...
Renault S.A. is a French vehicle manufacturer producing small to upper-midsize cars, vans, buses and trucks. ...
Cyrille Guimard is a French former professional racing cyclist who became famous as the directeur sportif for two famous French cyclists and Tour de France winners: Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon. ...
An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ...
Maillot jaune (French for yellow jersey) is the t-shirt worn by the current overall leader of many bicycles races, originally and most notably the Tour de France. ...
1933 was a common year starting on Sunday (link will take you to calendar). ...
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. La Vie Claire was a professional road bicycle racing team, named after its chief sponsor. ...
Alpe dHuez is a mountain at 45°03′ N 6°02′ E in the Central French Alps, in the Isère département. ...
La Plagne is a ski area in the southern Alps in the Savoie region of France. ...
This article is being considered for deletion in accordance with Wikipedias deletion policy. ...
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). Château de Pau Pau is a city of southwestern France, préfecture (capital) of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques département. ...
Bastille Day is the French national holiday, celebrated on 14 July each year. ...
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 tri-bars and a new type of aerodynamic helmet in the time trials, Fignon stuck to traditional time trial handlebars and wore no helmet. 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. The 1989 Tour de France was the 76th Tour de France. ...
Greg LeMond (born June 26, 1961 in Lakewood, California) is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States. ...
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. Location within France Mulhouse (Mülhausen in German, Milhüsa in Alsatian and Muhlhausen in Dutch) is a town and commune in eastern France. ...
However, Fignon was more than just a great Tour rider. He won the Milan-San Remo Classic twice (1988, 1989) and the 1989 Giro d'Italia despite suspicions of the Italians using unfair tactics to favour their own riders. An important individual time trial stage in Giro d'Italia saw the Italian TV helicopter fly in front of Fignon but behind Italian favorite Francesco Moser. Milan - San Remo, nicknamed la primavera, is an annual cycling race between Milan and San Remo. ...
The Classic cycle races are the most prestigious one-day professional cycling road races in Europe. ...
The Giro dItalia, also simply known as the Giro, is a long distance road bicycle race for professionals held over three weeks in May or early June in and around Italy. ...
An Individual Time Trial (ITT) is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock (in French: contre la montre - literally against the watch). There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials (TTT). ...
A helicopter is an aircraft which is lifted and propelled by one or more large horizontal rotors (propellers). ...
Francesco Moser (Born June 19, 1951) was an Italian professional road racing cyclist. ...
On the Wednesday prior to one of his Milan-San Remo 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. Cyfac is a manufacturer of road cycling racing frames based in La Fuye, France. ...
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. In bicycle racing sports bicycles are used in a competitive way, most often speed, sometimes a style competition. ...
Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ...
The Tour de France (French for Tour of France), often referred to as Le Tour or The Tour, is an epic long distance road bicycle racing competition for professionals held over three weeks in July in and around France. ...
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.
Significant victories by year 1982 1983 - Critérium International
- Winner, Tour de France, and winner of 21st stage
- stage wins in Tirreno-Adriatico, Critérium International and Vuelta a España
1984 The Vuelta a España bicycle race is one of the three Grand Tours of Europe and, after the Tour de France and the Giro dItalia, the third most important road cycling stage race in the world. ...
- Winner, Tour de France, and winner of five stages
- Second, Giro d'Italia, and winner of 20th stage
- National Championship of France
1986 1987 La Flèche Wallonne is a major professional cycle road race held in April each year in Belgium. ...
The Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré is an annual cycling road race, run over eight stages in the Dauphiné region in France during the first half of June. ...
- two stage wins in Paris-Nice
- stage win in Vuelta
- stage win in Tour de France
1988 Paris-Nice, nicknamed the race to the sun, is an annual professional cycling stage race held annually each March. ...
- Milan-San Remo
- stage win in Critérium International
1989 Milan - San Remo, nicknamed la primavera, is an annual cycling race between Milan and San Remo. ...
- Winner, Giro d'Italia, plus stage victory
- Milan-San Remo
- Second, Tour de France, plus stage victory
- Grand Prix des Nations
1990 The Grand Prix des Nations was an individual time trial (a race against the clock or contre la montre) for Europes leading professional racing cyclists. ...
1992 - stage win in Tour de France
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