I raced against Greg in local races when we were both juniors. We called him Lemonster. He was unbeatable even then, but we had no idea... He is a great man. Losing to Greg will always be one of the great honors of my life.
The Golden Age of racing when frames were works of art built by craftsmen with paint jobs too match . When pro's were men who knew how too suffer , serious skill and take risks with out helmets. Beautiful memories of times gone by.................
And you could see their faces instead of bloody helmets and sunglasses. You must have seen the 1986 TDF dual between Lemond and Bernard Hinault , I think they are on the Alp d'huez, look it up if you haven't seen it.
Was at 1982 Worlds at Goodwood and still have a treasured Swiss Team bottle given to me while they waited in the pits for the start. That memory is beyond money but means nothing too anyone else , that's what makes it so special . My first taste of carbo fuel but no bike with me. 😀
One of the best World Championship road races, in the same year as one of the best Tour de France races. And both won by Lemond! The "Sportsman of the Year" award from Sports Illustrated was well deserved!
I remember when I saw that race in my Nyc apartment long ago… I woulda been cool with Kelly or Fignon winning,but just like the TDF it wasn’t his day… LeMond is as resilient as they come man. He’s one of my biggest cycling hero’s….
@Robert , Kelly said in a few 1994 interviews at his retirement that he chose too low a final gear when he was training on the course the day before the race. As a result, he couldn't outsprint Lemond.
@@garyallen4313 They were all just beat down and exhausted after riding at his pace. In a short race with a full field, Kelly would have for sure outsprinted him.
let us not overlook the brilliance of Phil Liggett, whose voice and charm are undeniably the finest the cycling world (and arguably sport in general) have ever seen. truly the g.o.a.t.
Some people are never happy judging by the replies, I agree with you about Phil Ligget , is easily the best cycling commentator and I love the fact that even often referred to Eddy Merckx as "The great Eddy Merckx'. Is not necessarily his job to call out Armstrong, is always the case with abusers, they leave the uncomfortable job to everyone else hence the reason the get away with it.
@@MrKieran81 Agreed & well done for calling this out. He also managed to muck up one of the greater sporting finishes in the 89 Tour when he called it a minute early & got confused.
Greg Lemond, what a rider , pure class and the most deserving of winners. First time I ever saw him was on the front cover of cycling monthly having just won the Tour de L'avenir, it was obvious then he was destined for much greater things, and so it was. A real inspiration to everyone.
That's very true... But at the time i didn't want Sean Kelly to lose either. But there can only be one eventual winner sadly in sport, and it can be a hard pill somewhat to swallow when you don't want neither one to lose.
@@BuffaloBuffalo-uc6zp Dont know if you follow boxing but I think it was like that when Sugar Ray Leonard fought Marvellous Marvin Hagler, toe to toe action, I think it was around 1990 so not long after Lemond's victory. Sean Kelly sure was a tough nut rider, loads of victories in the spring classics obviously.
@@BuffaloBuffalo-uc6zp Sorry to disappoint , am just from England, where are you Canada or USA? My user name just stemmed from a nutty neighbour that was raving over the limoncello from the local super market, being a big cycling fan I couldn't help but pull his leg and say there was an Italian bicycle called a Pinarello Limoncello, he lapped it up. Unable to collect Italian women and cars , I do however collect Italian bicycles, it is a beautiful sport.
Brian Drebber (working with Phil Liggett here) got me into bike race announcing when he came to Detroit for a Wheat Thins Mayor’s Cup event in 1986. I ended up working for his company, but never worked with him directly. Despite Greg winning the 86 and 89 Tours, cycling wasn’t getting much coverage. Brian noticed that no one in the US acquired the broadcast rights to this race, so he bought them himself and got Kent Gordis to produce this show.
Great race. Unfortunately, Drebber couldn't pronounce the other French rider's name (Claveyrolet (sp?)) correctly, even when Liggett did so repeatedly.
The whole way down the final straight, what a boss. As good as Greg was this race was made by the fact that Fignon was putting the pressure on. I can't think of a more impressive race. Top marks for everyone in that final group and poor Steve Bauer.
Just adding this for interest. The media and us fans love a good rivalry, but there are lots of times there is an actual friendship behind the sporting rivalry. Greg LeMond on Fignon's passing: "It's a really sad day. He had a very, very big talent, much more than anyone recognised. We were teammates, competitors, but also friends. He was a great person, one of the few that I find was really true to himself. He was one of the few riders who I really admired for his honesty and his frankness. We talked about a lot of different things outside of cycling and I was fortunate to really get to know him when my career stopped. I believe he was also one of the generation that was cut short in the early nineties because he was not able to fulfill the rest of his career. But he was a great rider."[
A very nice tribute, and touching on the finer points of a great athlete and cyclist as we know him to be..The unforgettable and unreplacable the one and only Lauren fignon. !
Fignon was a one of a kind rider, a climber, a sprinter, and a excellent time trailist, he was an all a rounder just like LeMond!!! Long live the memories of Laurent Fignon!!!! RIP
These races are so different than today. They actually break a huge sweat and are exhausted like real humans. Look at the genuine huge smiles on their faces. ❤️. "Two minutes ago I didn't even know if I was going to finish a race."
Greg Lemond was at his peak at 28yrs old, Sean Kelly five years past his. It was the telling factor in 1989. Remember the great sprint finish at the Giro di Lombardia 1983.
Awesome crowd control sheess! As someone else said winning the world's and the tour is a feat I'm not sure will ever be done again. He was an amazing rider.
Little bit of history for you but you know Stephen Roche, Hinault and Merckx all won the Giro, Tour and World's in same year, I think there may be one other rider too but cant think who. Lemond up there with the best of the best though no doubting that, love him.
... 30 лет прошло, а как будто вчера...Дмитрий Борисович Конышев - советский и российский профессиональный шоссейный велогонщик. Победитель девяти этапов Гранд-туров. Вице чемпион мира 89 года....👍👏💐
+Sawdust Caesar....I was actually there for the entire 1989 WC road races. [I had moved to Chambery to stay with my French girlfriend]. I had watched the Tour de France a few weeks earlier as it came through Aix-les-Bains and Chambery [which was one of my favourite training rides!] then waited expectantly for the Worlds as they were being held in my adopted 'home' town. In fact, I rode the course many times and have to say it was pretty brutal - especially that last climb [where Lemond bridges up to Fignon]. But to make matters worse the weather was atrocious that Sunday. Oddly enough, it was baking hot for the juniors race the day before - with many riders abandoning due to the heat! But by Sunday the weather had completely changed and from early morning onwards there was a black ominous sky and soon a torrential downpour which persisted most of the day. There are a number of things that stand out - not least the brave effort of Dimitri Konyshev, who easily could have been the star of the race. He was so close and even after being in the breakaway most of the day, still had the strength to take second. He was a neo-pro at that time and a bit of a party animal by all accounts, but he won the hearts of the partisan crowd for his amazing ride that day. But the biggest star was Greg Lemond - who had such determination and probably wanted to win more than anyone else. [remember he just come back from the tragic shooting accident that had nearly ended his career and no team would touch him]. He washed up on the relatively minor ADR squad - and was on a mission to prove to everyone that he was still a force. He had won the TDF [with little or no team support] and winning the Worlds would be the icing on the cake. Something that's not very well known is that because of the heavy rains, the final twisty, technical descent became absolutely treacherous. Many riders had come off on one or more of the near hairpin bends and one was Greg Lemond. himself. Although he quickly remounted he soon discovered that his bike was damaged - but has there wasn't the levels of service support in those days compared to now, Lemond didn't want to stop as he knew he wouldn't be able to make up the gap. As a result Lemond rode the last two laps with a badly buckled front wheel! [I later heard from several spectators around the course that his wheel was so badly buckled that it was catching on the brakes and Lemond had had to release them!] Imagine descending at possibly 70kph+ on a really technical fast decent with no front brakes and with a virtual river of rain water as the only contact you had with the road! Ever since that day, I have always admired Greg Lemond - and feel his 'comeback' in 1989 didn't really receive the recognition it deserved. [although to be fair, he became the first 'million dollar' rider in history when he signed for Z-Peugeot a few months later!] He went on to win two more TDF's before eventually succumbing to the scourge of EPO-fueled riders whose numbers had grown exponentially in the early 1990's. He has one of the leading anti-drug advocates and his confrontations and disgusting treatment at the hands of the sociopathic Lance Armstrong - bear testimony to his dignity and character. I feel privileged to have seen him in person that day whilst he was still at his peak and can honestly say - he was a truly astonishing and gifted rider. Chapeau Greg!
this day LeMond made it seem as if he had a motor. He single handedly reeled in his opponents on their most timely moves, and still had the strength to lead out and win against Sean Kelly in the sprint. I've seen segments of the original video where the pursuit group with Kelly, powersliding through corners on the final descent to catch LeMond,Fignon etc
@Christy Dolan Lemond was respected by the French because he spoke French and raced for a French team early in his career. Fignon was always seen by the French as someone a little aloof and detached. I never felt Greg was in danger, it is just the nature of the press in Europe
I met Kelly when he was doing a sponsor tour through the US. He said that he was under geared on the final sprint with the wind and could not come by Greg. Once he realized he could not win he shut down and got passed by the Russian.
Fignon most underrated rider, Lemond in those days was a superman a vo2max 0f 92 fignon was a bigger guy but held hi s own on the hills, but these guys were not human
you never get tired of looking at this ( race ) quality race, quality riders and an over all top quality finish...what more could you ask for without over emphasising the word quality too much in the same sentence or in the following sentences ?.
The famous words of the frenchman that echoed in the back ground when lemond crossed the finishing line and was confronted and rushed by the french journalists and press, and could be heard saying or uttering the words in french of ( C'est son pere mon dieu )
Those riders were nothing but amazing if we compare today's prima donna riders........smaller cogs, no radios, havier bikes, legs technology, dieting and nutrition at its bases, no power meters.....Those guys were nothing but big balls riders! A pure huevos!!!!!
Sure looked like a perfect setup for Kelly. And in later years, the town children enjoyed sneaking up behind Fignon and whispering "Lemond," just to see him yelp, jump and land in a karate stance.
I met Kelly when he was doing a sponsor tour through the US. He said that he was under geared on the final sprint with the wind and could not come by Greg. Once he realized he could not win he shut down and got passed by the Russian.
@@PInk77W1 He actually did it in several notable races in his career. When other riders were looking to draft and come around for a sprint, he would start hammering a kilo and everyone was always too tired to maintain a long-sprint. He rode nearly this same scenario at Aix-le-Bains in the TDF a few weeks earlier.
I actually attended these world championships, I was at that time a huge Sean Kelly fan and figured that this was his big chance to finally win the world championships . I have to admit I was absolutely gutted when he was pipped by the admittedly great Greg Lamond. My recollection is that, Kelly wasn’t able to sprint effectively at the end because he didn’t have suitable gearing, possibly as an adjustment for the hilly course that year.
A little info on the frenchman Clavyrolat, he retired and bought a vineyard with his savings . The crops failed and he commited suicide . Such a sad end for such a gutsy rider . RIP Thierry .
Here's my analysis of what I could make out based on the condition of the video. Kelly initiated his attack in the sprint too early and could have taken advantage of the draft from Greg for a little longer to come around Greg with a big final kick. Maybe he initiated his attack when he did as a reaction to the 2 riders trailing closely behind in case they might have taken advantage and come around both Kelly and Lemond to block Kelly and drop him back to 4th position. It also looks like Kelly chose a lower gear ratio than Lemond for the sprint and was spinning his legs by the end which prevented his ability to produce a final kick in the sprint to get past Lemond. Whereas, it looks like Lemond had a higher gear ratio and could initiate a kick of power at the finish. Lemond showing that he is a champion all-rounder and master tactician.
@@groundswell3673 Someone else in the comments talked to Kelly later and that’s exactly what Kelly said: he chose a freewheel that didn’t have enough top end and was under geared for the sprint. You nailed it.
@@JDGreen-vj7wx yes when Fabio Castarelli died in 1995 it became mandatory to wear the helmet on the flat and the descent of a 4th category or higher rated downhill of a race. Cyclists had the option of not wearing them uphill to allow for comfort purposes. However, when Andrei Kiviliv was killed in 2003, the UCI made helmets fully mandatory and made sure the race officials enforced it.
![1993 UCI Road World Championship [Nostalgic cycling road race]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/1f7ouUyAVtc/mqdefault.jpg)
Greg LeMond and Alexi Grewal are the two who got me into cycling and I'm still riding three days a week. Love it!
I raced against Greg in local races when we were both juniors. We called him Lemonster. He was unbeatable even then, but we had no idea...
He is a great man. Losing to Greg will always be one of the great honors of my life.
Man I loved growing up in the 80's.
Holy s**t. That was epic!
60mph down hill, wet pavement, no helmets. Bad ass riders. Fantastic video. Much thanks for this. Priceless.
Bad ass? Or plain stupid?
They are all professionals showing off their craft.
100% badass.
@@frederiklundberg3883 Plain stupid...
@Rich Rutledge go watch a sport where people get your level of brain damage
@Mr MERCEDES this is what happens when you don't wear a helmet
Kudos to ESPN for actually caring about cycling back in 1989. Sportsman of the Year
The Golden Age of racing when frames were works of art built by craftsmen with paint jobs too match . When pro's were men who knew how too suffer , serious skill and take risks with out helmets. Beautiful memories of times gone by.................
And you could see their faces instead of bloody helmets and sunglasses. You must have seen the 1986 TDF dual between Lemond and Bernard Hinault , I think they are on the Alp d'huez, look it up if you haven't seen it.
I had the honor of losing races to Greg when he was a junior.
Certainly one of the great riders of all time...And a wonderful human being.
Eddy B . as his coach?
Rightttttttttt
Yes the sprint was Kelly’s specialty, proving LeMonds true strength….
@@garyallen4313 Kelly said he was under geared for the tail wind in the final sprint.
Next to the last, yes, last, no.
Greg is the most inspiring cyclist America has ever had. Such a sincerely nice guy.
But you gotta love Sean Kelly, coming out of nowhere for 2nd.
first american doper
@@danjo1967 Proof?
Don’t forget Bob Roll!
@@danjo1967 If you mean riding with a chest full of shot-gun pellets, I guess. Lemond was clean.
Those were the days, my cycling friends, those were the days.
You are rigth, iwas 10 years old, i rember exatly those champions.
they were indeed m8 they were indeed
Was at 1982 Worlds at Goodwood and still have a treasured Swiss Team bottle given to me while they waited in the pits for the start. That memory is beyond money but means nothing too anyone else , that's what makes it so special . My first taste of carbo fuel but no bike with me. 😀
One of the best World Championship road races, in the same year as one of the best Tour de France races. And both won by Lemond! The "Sportsman of the Year" award from Sports Illustrated was well deserved!
And clean most agree on, and he was also a critic of ARmstrong.. SO maybe we are watching the best cyclist the world has ever seen.
What an epic battle! Thank you for posting. RIP Fignon.
R.I.P. Brian Drebber 😪😪😪😪😪🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🏍🏍🏍🏍🍺🍺🍺 my friend and great announcer
The most underrated American superstar of all time.
Absolutely sick! Lemond was a MONSTER
Holy cow. What a war. All the ingredients for an epic race gelled. Greg LeMond was the best.
I remember when I saw that race in my Nyc apartment long ago… I woulda been cool with Kelly or Fignon winning,but just like the TDF it wasn’t his day… LeMond is as resilient as they come man. He’s one of my biggest cycling hero’s….
Remember watching this when I was 19. Still inspiring at 53.
That Greg was able to hold on with Kelly in his slipstream always astonished me. Thrilling victory.
Yes LeMond was super strong at the finish…
@Robert , Kelly said in a few 1994 interviews at his retirement that he chose too low a final gear when he was training on the course the day before the race. As a result, he couldn't outsprint Lemond.
Kelly was cooked already after bridging solo, and Lemond had beaten him in the past in very long, non-bunch sprints after long races.
@@garyallen4313 They were all just beat down and exhausted after riding at his pace. In a short race with a full field, Kelly would have for sure outsprinted him.
I know he said that but this wasn't a sprint, it was a long drag race and greg was just clearly able to go longer at that time@marks_sparks1
Greg LeMond was a freaking beast on the bike.
Love the chaos after the finish line
let us not overlook the brilliance of Phil Liggett, whose voice and charm are undeniably the finest the cycling world (and arguably sport in general) have ever seen. truly the g.o.a.t.
😂😂 the man was god awful, whatever about the 80s, listening to him in the 90s and 00s and how absolutely gutless he was to never call out the obvious
Yes. It is going to suck when he can no longer broadcast cycling. He is slipping for sure but his voice is magic.
Some people are never happy judging by the replies, I agree with you about Phil Ligget , is easily the best cycling commentator and I love the fact that even often referred to Eddy Merckx as "The great Eddy Merckx'. Is not necessarily his job to call out Armstrong, is always the case with abusers, they leave the uncomfortable job to everyone else hence the reason the get away with it.
@@MrKieran81 Agreed & well done for calling this out. He also managed to muck up one of the greater sporting finishes in the 89 Tour when he called it a minute early & got confused.
Greg Lemond, what a rider , pure class and the most deserving of winners. First time I ever saw him was on the front cover of cycling monthly having just won the Tour de L'avenir, it was obvious then he was destined for much greater things, and so it was. A real inspiration to everyone.
That's very true... But at the time i didn't want Sean Kelly to lose either. But there can only be one eventual winner sadly in sport, and it can be a hard pill somewhat to swallow when you don't want neither one to lose.
@@BuffaloBuffalo-uc6zp Dont know if you follow boxing but I think it was like that when Sugar Ray Leonard fought Marvellous Marvin Hagler, toe to toe action, I think it was around 1990 so not long after Lemond's victory. Sean Kelly sure was a tough nut rider, loads of victories in the spring classics obviously.
@@pinarellolimoncello Always very nice to hear from an Italian person. !
@@BuffaloBuffalo-uc6zp Sorry to disappoint , am just from England, where are you Canada or USA? My user name just stemmed from a nutty neighbour that was raving over the limoncello from the local super market, being a big cycling fan I couldn't help but pull his leg and say there was an Italian bicycle called a Pinarello Limoncello, he lapped it up. Unable to collect Italian women and cars , I do however collect Italian bicycles, it is a beautiful sport.
Brian Drebber (working with Phil Liggett here) got me into bike race announcing when he came to Detroit for a Wheat Thins Mayor’s Cup event in 1986. I ended up working for his company, but never worked with him directly.
Despite Greg winning the 86 and 89 Tours, cycling wasn’t getting much coverage. Brian noticed that no one in the US acquired the broadcast rights to this race, so he bought them himself and got Kent Gordis to produce this show.
Great race. Unfortunately, Drebber couldn't pronounce the other French rider's name (Claveyrolet (sp?)) correctly, even when Liggett did so repeatedly.
@@osimnod admittedly, he had a bit of a diction problem that he made up for with enthusiasm and knowledge.
An amazing end of the greatest comeback ever made by Greg LeMond!
Are by any other rider in that regard !
The whole way down the final straight, what a boss. As good as Greg was this race was made by the fact that Fignon was putting the pressure on. I can't think of a more impressive race. Top marks for everyone in that final group and poor Steve Bauer.
Poor Steve Bauer
“Mr Bad Luck”
Bottecchia purple and yellow my second road bike. LeMond the legend.
I never tire of watching Greg beat Fignon.
To me this is real cycling..
Just adding this for interest. The media and us fans love a good rivalry, but there are lots of times there is an actual friendship behind the sporting rivalry.
Greg LeMond on Fignon's passing: "It's a really sad day. He had a very, very big talent, much more than anyone recognised. We were teammates, competitors, but also friends. He was a great person, one of the few that I find was really true to himself. He was one of the few riders who I really admired for his honesty and his frankness. We talked about a lot of different things outside of cycling and I was fortunate to really get to know him when my career stopped. I believe he was also one of the generation that was cut short in the early nineties because he was not able to fulfill the rest of his career. But he was a great rider."[
A very nice tribute, and touching on the finer points of a great athlete and cyclist as we know him to be..The unforgettable and unreplacable the one and only Lauren fignon. !
Fignon was a one of a kind rider, a climber, a sprinter, and a excellent time trailist, he was an all a rounder just like LeMond!!!
Long live the memories of Laurent Fignon!!!! RIP
A classic
Greg Lemond is the best American cyclist ever
Great era in cycling
Holy shit absolute chaos after the finish huge scrum for Greg's word's
I have this on VHS (somewhere downstairs). Thanks for sharing. Boy has U.S. coverage of cycling improved.
his dad was soo cool. unimagingable proud.
Greg is Very, Very ciclist , strong and fast!! Go Greg
These races are so different than today. They actually break a huge sweat and are exhausted like real humans. Look at the genuine huge smiles on their faces. ❤️. "Two minutes ago I didn't even know if I was going to finish a race."
..No "water carriers" in those days ....
Greg Lemond was at his peak at 28yrs old, Sean Kelly five years past his. It was the telling factor in 1989. Remember the great sprint finish at the Giro di Lombardia 1983.
Wow this is legendary! My first time seeing this footage.
that last mile IS the greatest last mile ever.
Greg Lamond my absolute greatest cyclist ever. Greg in my opinion you are the greatest. From Tom in Lancashire England. Peace and god bless.
Il mio idolo, sempre e x sempre...NUMBER ONE GREG, thank you for these moments...
Absolutely fantastic race.
LeMond is a god among men.
brilliant to re-watch this brilliant
"Brilliant to rewatch" Somebody's a Brit (smile)
Awesome crowd control sheess! As someone else said winning the world's and the tour is a feat I'm not sure will ever be done again. He was an amazing rider.
Little bit of history for you but you know Stephen Roche, Hinault and Merckx all won the Giro, Tour and World's in same year, I think there may be one other rider too but cant think who. Lemond up there with the best of the best though no doubting that, love him.
Still awesome after all these years.
No helmets in sight! Fantastique!!
Best cycling moment ever.
Great race by Greg!
... 30 лет прошло, а как будто вчера...Дмитрий Борисович Конышев - советский и российский профессиональный шоссейный велогонщик. Победитель девяти этапов Гранд-туров. Вице чемпион мира 89 года....👍👏💐
He was seriously impressive. He could have been an all-time great if he wasn't a regular cigarette smoker.
Such an exciting and star studded finish.
LONG time since I have seen this. Great posting - thanks!
+Sawdust Caesar....I was actually there for the entire 1989 WC road races. [I had moved to Chambery to stay with my French girlfriend]. I had watched the Tour de France a few weeks earlier as it came through Aix-les-Bains and Chambery [which was one of my favourite training rides!] then waited expectantly for the Worlds as they were being held in my adopted 'home' town.
In fact, I rode the course many times and have to say it was pretty brutal - especially that last climb [where Lemond bridges up to Fignon]. But to make matters worse the weather was atrocious that Sunday. Oddly enough, it was baking hot for the juniors race the day before - with many riders abandoning due to the heat! But by Sunday the weather had completely changed and from early morning onwards there was a black ominous sky and soon a torrential downpour which persisted most of the day.
There are a number of things that stand out - not least the brave effort of Dimitri Konyshev, who easily could have been the star of the race. He was so close and even after being in the breakaway most of the day, still had the strength to take second. He was a neo-pro at that time and a bit of a party animal by all accounts, but he won the hearts of the partisan crowd for his amazing ride that day.
But the biggest star was Greg Lemond - who had such determination and probably wanted to win more than anyone else. [remember he just come back from the tragic shooting accident that had nearly ended his career and no team would touch him]. He washed up on the relatively minor ADR squad - and was on a mission to prove to everyone that he was still a force. He had won the TDF [with little or no team support] and winning the Worlds would be the icing on the cake.
Something that's not very well known is that because of the heavy rains, the final twisty, technical descent became absolutely treacherous. Many riders had come off on one or more of the near hairpin bends and one was Greg Lemond. himself. Although he quickly remounted he soon discovered that his bike was damaged - but has there wasn't the levels of service support in those days compared to now, Lemond didn't want to stop as he knew he wouldn't be able to make up the gap.
As a result Lemond rode the last two laps with a badly buckled front wheel! [I later heard from several spectators around the course that his wheel was so badly buckled that it was catching on the brakes and Lemond had had to release them!] Imagine descending at possibly 70kph+ on a really technical fast decent with no front brakes and with a virtual river of rain water as the only contact you had with the road!
Ever since that day, I have always admired Greg Lemond - and feel his 'comeback' in 1989 didn't really receive the recognition it deserved. [although to be fair, he became the first 'million dollar' rider in history when he signed for Z-Peugeot a few months later!] He went on to win two more TDF's before eventually succumbing to the scourge of EPO-fueled riders whose numbers had grown exponentially in the early 1990's.
He has one of the leading anti-drug advocates and his confrontations and disgusting treatment at the hands of the sociopathic Lance Armstrong - bear testimony to his dignity and character. I feel privileged to have seen him in person that day whilst he was still at his peak and can honestly say - he was a truly astonishing and gifted rider. Chapeau Greg!
Cool story with some great insights, thanks for sharing!
@@thesoultwins72 Long read, but I appreciate your insight, I wish I had the same privilege to watch it in person too. Than you for sharing
Lemond, the real best American tour rider!
Shut up
They used even more drugs back in the 80s you idiot
Crazy how much cycling has changed since then.
has it? i feel everything is still the same. rear derailleur design haven't changed since the 1950s.
Conor Williams well said
No change all still doping
yep! today's cycling is nothing but lab and technology! Big cheaters have been accepted by the UCI!
Laurent Fignon was great even when he lost, which he often did. Always up for a fight.
this day LeMond made it seem as if he had a motor. He single handedly reeled in his opponents on their most timely moves, and still had the strength to lead out and win against Sean Kelly in the sprint. I've seen segments of the original video where the pursuit group with Kelly, powersliding through corners on the final descent to catch LeMond,Fignon etc
The motors were their legs.
@Christy Dolan More like Sean Kelly made a tactical choice with his bike cassette and guessed wrong
Hindsight is 20-20
Imagine crossing the line after all that effort to get absolutely swamped by all those people!
@Christy Dolan Lemond was respected by the French because he spoke French and raced for a French team early in his career. Fignon was always seen by the French as someone a little aloof and detached. I never felt Greg was in danger, it is just the nature of the press in Europe
Great...great ...Greg Lemond....Incredible sprint....Long long sprint against strong finisseur as Dimitri Konichev and Sean Kelly
I met Kelly when he was doing a sponsor tour through the US. He said that he was under geared on the final sprint with the wind and could not come by Greg. Once he realized he could not win he shut down and got passed by the Russian.
Especially Kelly. Usually the strongest in a situation like this.
The finish line total chaos!
Poor old Steve Bauer with a flat tire.
Fignon most underrated rider, Lemond in those days was a superman a vo2max 0f 92 fignon was a bigger guy but held hi s own on the hills, but these guys were not human
Probably would have won at least two more Tours, I had Lemond Zurich bike when I stared road riding
Last rider to win the Tour-World's double
1:05 "Oh no! Not this guy again..."
The camera work on the finishing loop was just atrocious. But what a great finale, and that sprint started way way out. 280m? Awesome.
lol it was all atrocious back then
you never get tired of looking at this ( race ) quality race, quality riders and an over all top quality finish...what more could you ask for without over emphasising the word quality too much in the same sentence or in the following sentences ?.
Buffalo 66 Buffalo 66 word. That finale was a who’s who of the top riders of that time. Epic finish. Priceless video. So glad it’s here.
It was also great that they continue attacking and counter-attacking until the last corner. These days they just wait...
The famous words of the frenchman that echoed in the back ground when lemond crossed the finishing line and was confronted and rushed by the french journalists and press, and could be heard saying or uttering the words in french of ( C'est son pere mon dieu )
Those riders were nothing but amazing if we compare today's prima donna riders........smaller cogs, no radios, havier bikes, legs technology, dieting and nutrition at its bases, no power meters.....Those guys were nothing but big balls riders! A pure huevos!!!!!
I spy campy delta brakes 🤓
@Broc felix I had three sets. Loved them
Sure looked like a perfect setup for Kelly. And in later years, the town children enjoyed sneaking up behind Fignon and whispering "Lemond," just to see him yelp, jump and land in a karate stance.
Get a life, dickhead..............
I met Kelly when he was doing a sponsor tour through the US. He said that he was under geared on the final sprint with the wind and could not come by Greg. Once he realized he could not win he shut down and got passed by the Russian.
@@jaycahow4667 very rare for lemond to lead out the sprint and win too
@@PInk77W1 He actually did it in several notable races in his career. When other riders were looking to draft and come around for a sprint, he would start hammering a kilo and everyone was always too tired to maintain a long-sprint. He rode nearly this same scenario at Aix-le-Bains in the TDF a few weeks earlier.
@@asnark7115 cool. I didn’t know.
But the 89 worlds was much shorter sprint ?
Damn they going crazy!
Gold silver brooze too 3 off the greatest what a race those were the days rip LF
Descent in the wet?!! wow.
I actually attended these world championships, I was at that time a huge Sean Kelly fan and figured that this was his big chance to finally win the world championships . I have to admit I was absolutely gutted when he was pipped by the admittedly great Greg Lamond. My recollection is that, Kelly wasn’t able to sprint effectively at the end because he didn’t have suitable gearing, possibly as an adjustment for the hilly course that year.
Choosing an appropriate gearing setup is just another part of being a pro. Those who lose always have a reason. Those who win don't need one.
I always felt so bad for Fignon
He won 2x Tours, 2x Milano-Sanremo plus a Giro he did ok for himself.
Cycling was great back then but for me it was Phil announcing the race
magnifique Greg
Great race, to hold off Kelly like that was some achievement, although if it was a few years earlier Kelly won have taken it.
A little info on the frenchman Clavyrolat, he retired and bought a vineyard with his savings . The crops failed and he commited suicide . Such a sad end for such a gutsy rider . RIP Thierry .
I don't understand how Kelly could lose this one. Just as strange as Gimondi winning in '73.
Here's my analysis of what I could make out based on the condition of the video. Kelly initiated his attack in the sprint too early and could have taken advantage of the draft from Greg for a little longer to come around Greg with a big final kick. Maybe he initiated his attack when he did as a reaction to the 2 riders trailing closely behind in case they might have taken advantage and come around both Kelly and Lemond to block Kelly and drop him back to 4th position. It also looks like Kelly chose a lower gear ratio than Lemond for the sprint and was spinning his legs by the end which prevented his ability to produce a final kick in the sprint to get past Lemond. Whereas, it looks like Lemond had a higher gear ratio and could initiate a kick of power at the finish. Lemond showing that he is a champion all-rounder and master tactician.
@@groundswell3673 thank you! Great analysis. Just like Roche in '87, Lemond could walk on the water in 89. 😊
@@groundswell3673
Someone else in the comments talked to Kelly later and that’s exactly what Kelly said: he chose a freewheel that didn’t have enough top end and was under geared for the sprint. You nailed it.
Greg Superhuman LeMond
This is why The Barb calls him LeMonster.
Buggers, one mile left in the race and they change the footage to bloody newsroom. Worst editing ever.
To be fair this was not live coverage
Good old days, all about suffering, training and luck.
The "last two miles" lasted for three ( nope 4!! ) commercial brakes🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
La cabra para ese año
Poor Steve Bauer can't get a break in the world's man (1988,1989)- or Paris Roubaix for that matter either, but bravo LeMond!!!
Campagnolo Delta Brakes. Were they ever a nightmare.
That was design/manufacturing prowess on display there when it should have been utilitarianism.
I tried them , they were complete crap .
What a fucking BIG BALLS sprint!!!!!
Americans covering bike racing. Cut to a guy reading a newspaper in the final knockings..😂
I'd have put a months wages on Kelly from the catch and the entire mortgage on Kelly in that last 250.
Balls.... big balls.
Greg 'The World' Lemond.....the World is yours ;-) 🎛️🎚️🎧🧑🎤
At the end of that sprint lemond is like Rodney Dangerfield, "I tell ya I get no respect"...little room please!
What is that device on Fignon's fork? See it at 1:13
It's most likely a magnetic speedometer; they were pretty bulky back in the day!
@@KOMTVcyclingprobably one of the old Sachs Huret multimeters that mounted low on the fork.
Interesting Lemond picked the perfect location to attack Fignon, than passes him and caught the group JUST at the crest of the descent.
What with all the attacks in the last mile or so it came down to who still had any gas left in the tank in the long straightaway and that was LeMond
Yeah, I like that they attack and counter-attack until the end and not just sit it out.
Phil shouldve called that sprint. The other dude....eh. lol
60-mph descent, in the rain, in a group, without helmets. "The madness continues"
Steve M. Is wearing a helmet like wearing shin guards at the professional level? Kinda optional
@@jamesbunda806 it was then. It's mandatory now bc someone died after a crash in 1995.
@@JDGreen-vj7wx yes when Fabio Castarelli died in 1995 it became mandatory to wear the helmet on the flat and the descent of a 4th category or higher rated downhill of a race. Cyclists had the option of not wearing them uphill to allow for comfort purposes. However, when Andrei Kiviliv was killed in 2003, the UCI made helmets fully mandatory and made sure the race officials enforced it.
Lemond is one of the greatest riders of all time..it’s nice to know that Phil hasn’t changed.....continuously making the wrong call..."
I love your comment! LeMond was truly on of the greats and a 100% class act, always!
saberXedge and clean.
Best race I ever witnessed, Greg is the Best American 🇺🇸 Cyclist ever!