Fignon

[raindog]

No, the book is actually a very good read, articulate, moving and really well written.

I loved it, but I'm not sure it was "really well written". I thought it was a bit like chatting to someone down the pub, a bit like Ron Wood's autobiography in style.

 

[Foghat]

Nice post Foghat.

Thought I'd share these from the L'Equipe four page tribute. I'd never seen the pic of him laughing with his old team mate before and part of the tribute was a half page interview with Hinault.

Thanks for posting those, raindog. I do vaguely remember that photo of the two of them laughing, and it's good to see it again.

You know, I was thinking some more about my point that Fignon's Villard de Lans escape was the last big solo escape by an overall contender in the yellow jersey, and I am convinced it was. I can't think of any lone yellow jersey breaks (successful or otherwise) since that weren't just a handful of kilometres on the final climb of a mountain stage. But on that stage, Fignon got away with over 23km remaining, and simply rode away from all the key contenders who were basically strung out in a serious collaboration to get him back.

Aside from Lemond's abysmal implicit request at one point for Delgado and Theunisse to chase Fignon on his behalf (despite having contributed nothing to the chase at that point, and being the principal rival), the three big guns did make a serious effort to reel him in, as did the other main players who eventually rejoined the Delgado-Theunisse-Lemond train. To stay away like that on the heavyish up-and-down roads to the finish, and with his performances at Alpe d'Huez etc in his legs, is one of the great lone escapes of cycling history, and for many observers at the time (and not least the man himself!) it was a major disappointment that ultimately it wasn't rewarded by the overall win on account of having the wrong shaped bars for the last 25km of the Tour.

I was on one of my Alpine pass-storming jaunts at the time myself, and going into a series of days based around the Izoard, Granon, Iseran, Mont Cenis, Galibier, Croix de Fer etc, and without access to a television, was comfortable that Fignon would emerge the winner having seen this particular exploit. But I well remember us arriving at the youth hostel in Lanslebourg and hearing the news that he'd gone and lost it.....by 8 seconds. And seeing the footage of him falling off the bike onto the Champs Elysees and sitting there with his head in his hands in despair is etched in my memory forever, as is that classic Phil Liggett commentary which eventually I heard when we got back to England.

So yes, that was the last big yellow jersey escape, by an overall contender, in Tour history by my reckoning, and only a handful of true greats ever achieved such a feat - Riis's (now compromised) long escape to Sestriere in 1996 was done in normal team jersey and resulted in receiving yellow, Pantani's escape up the Galibier and on to Les Deux Alpes wasn't in yellow, and I can't think of any other long escapes by others since; I suppose Armstrong could have done some whole final climbs off the front in yellow, but can't think of any - maybe someone else can. In any case, the pressure and requisite high calibre associated with staying away in the yellow jersey over more than just the last three or four kilometres of a stage are immense: very few could pull it off, and for that Fignon's place as a link with the past greats in the sport is assured.

 

[threebikesmcginty]

Lovely quote in the obituary section of Cycling Weekly taken from a Paris Match interview in January - Fignon said "I don't want to die die at 50 but if my cancer is incurable, what can I do? I love life, I love a good laugh, travel, books, good food. I'm a typical Frenchman. I'm not afraid, I just don't want to die."

 

[Crankarm]

Lovely quote in the obituary section of Cycling Weekly taken from a Paris Match interview in January - Fignon said "I don't want to die die at 50 but if my cancer is incurable, what can I do? I love life, I love a good laugh, travel, books, good food. I'm a typical Frenchman. I'm not afraid, I just don't want to die."

It brought a tear to my eye when I read it .

RIP.

 

[ayceejay]

Thanks for that Foghat. My view of the cycling world changed for me that day when Lemond spent the whole race saving for that 58 seconds. There was no doubt in my mind who was the hero and who the villain but that same "win whatever" attitude was also demonstrated by McEnroe in Tennis; aggression over style. Fignon was from another (better?) era and that day marked the change for me, a sad day and news of his death is another sad day.

 

[yello]

There's also a very good supplement to Sept's Velo magazine dedicated to Fignon. A very good read and I have to say that I, achem, thought him an attractive man in his day. A very thoughtful and sometimes morose looking man.