Au revoir Professor
 

Laurent Fignon, known as "the professor" in cycling for the small glasses he wore while racing, died today from cancer. Fignon was the French rider who in 1989, lost to American Greg Lemond in the Tour de France by only 8 seconds. He'd previously won the race in 1983 and 1984, but came up short in 1989.

His is the sort of dignity that has disappeared from pro cycling, where now headbutting and shoving in pack sprints, and an overall lack of professionalism persists. It's too bad. Less so Lemond, but more so Fignon was the reason I enjoyed this sport so much. So long, Laurent.

Laurent Fignon, two-time Tour de France champion, dies at 50 - ESPN

don't know him, i thought you were talking about prost.

Au revoir indeed. A worthy champion, and if I recall, speculation was that had he cut off or at least tucked his ponytail into a helmet during the final tt he probably/possibly would have won.

I was definitely cheering LeMond, but a 3rd Tour for M Fignon would have been just as well.

This sucks. Bad.

Heard the same.

Funny how some say '89 was the end of the Golden Age of cycling. It's about when brifters came about instead of DT shifters, composite frames, aero wheels. I think Fignon challenged LeMond's bars and helmet as unfair advantages. Who knows? I would have done the same. To lose a three-week long race by 8 seconds has to be devastating.

He was the last great Champion of cycling.

Geez I thought Webb was banned :)

I sort of thought that for a second too, but it is Prof, not Parf.

Remember that final TT into Paris very well, I was glued to the tube. It was one of the best tours with the battle between Greg and Laurent coming down to the final day. Laurent came into the finish giving everything he could muster and when he crossed the finish line he collapsed, then the camera went to Greg with him seeing on the board that he had just won by 8 seconds. Pandemonium, a script of drama that couldn't be written.

Laurent was the last of the pure riders, he refused to use the latest and the greatest.

Au revoir, to a most worthy champion.

I remember those days vividly. I was in high school, working at a bike shop, riding at least 100 miles a week and starting to do some racing.

Sorry to hear. R.I.P.

Me too. Dammit... SmileWavy

ABC carried LeMond's win live on the radio in '89. I still remember that.

Got to meet LeMond twice, rode a couple miles with Sean Kelly, saw Davis Phinney race at Kenwood in Minneapolis...those guys were the last of the real deal as far as I'm concerned.

R.I.P. Fignon

Very sad. I didn't care much for his personality but he was a great competitor and made that '89 tour one I will always remember.

From the linked ESPN story -
I fully believe what he says about doping - and I don't think there is/was a single rider in the peloton who is NOT doping.

Allez, Professor, Allez!

angela

Ahhh Honestly not to take away from the death of Figron....BUT WHAT IS WEBB A PROF OF????? He certainily doesn't seem to have the intellectual capacity... unless teaching Basketweaving and Ceramics is an academic proffession.

Dewd, he is The Parfessor, unqualified expert of all things.

I would think that a souper jeanyus such as your own self would be aware of this.

GL came into the restaurant where I worked a few times, seemed to be a nice young man, good tipper, smaller than I thought he would be. They were running some Coors sponsored race. He was not competing, recovering from getting shot. His brother in law got him in the back with a shotgun, they were hunting pheasant out by Rancho Murieta as I recall.

Dick Cheney?

I didn't say I was Gawd...so what is he a Barfessor of? It was a staight up question?

He is The Parfessor of all accumulated human knowledge. Pretty sure he is expert in a few alien cultures too.

Laurent Fignon was also called "the professor" because of his interest in literature. One has to enjoy that in a world today where some athletes can barely speak in complete sentences.

What some have forgotten about that '89 Tour was LeMond also suffered from a cold or the flu; I can't remember which. He also was carrying buckshot in his vital organs from the hunting accident.

But at the same time, he was clocked at one point during that last TT at almost 40 mph on the flats.