Sad news today about Laurent Fignon passing away at age 50. He will be remembered for his style carisma and panache both on and off the bike. His battle with cancer in the last few years was fought with dignity and class.
Fignon’s most famous moment was the 1989 Tour loss to Greg Lemond by 8 secs. Everyone remembers the swagger Fignon showed by running the final TT with the ponytail flapping in the breeze, confident in the win. This turned to grief in the final kms as Fignon realized he was about to lose the Tour. As Fignon crossed the line he collapsed to the ground on the Champs Elysee realizing he lost the Tour. The 1989 Tour loss was only a small part of his great career. Fignon won many races including the Giro D’Italia and Milan San Remo and the Tour twice.
Here are some videos to remember Fignon:
“La Legende” a documentary on Laurent Fignon in French:
The Vuelta starts on Saturday, who knew? The build up to the Vuelta is low key. Perhaps it is due to the entire country of Spain being on vacation for the month of August or the general lull as we get close to the end of the season. The Vuelta does not induce the excitement and build up of either the Giro or the Tour.
The biggest news of the Vuelta is the number of riders who are not so much favorites but seeking redemption. There are ten riders that include Christian Vande Velde, Carlos Sastre and Denis Menchov. It’s the cycling season equivalent of a middle aged man who decides to get a trophy wife. It the last chance to show you can do it before the season draws to a close.
For the noted lack of buildup, the Vuelta certainly entertains with the crazy mix up of shorter action packed stages and finding new terrain. The Vuelta seemed to up-the-anty with the inclusion of the Angrilu a few years ago which seemed to start a crazy mountain “arms” race with the Giro. This year promises a new even crazier mountain stage that has all the riders either rolling their eyes and slap on the triple chainring.
This year has been a bit of a return to racing for me. Since the birth of my son I did not race much in 2008 and 2009. This year I was back to doing more races though no where near some of my teammates on Maxpowercycling.com. I found an old pic from the Rochester Twighlight Crit in 2007 and compared it to a picture from this weekend’s Tour de Loop. Many things changed including bike, helmet and retro shades. Stil wearing my Sidi shoes which are awesome. My weight is down about 10 lbs from 2007, but I went up 20 after 2007 and now down to my lowest weight since High School. My position on the Bianchi is much better with wider handlebars. But the big difference is a much smaller belly.
Cyclist across the globe get to see interesting sights while out riding. It’s the nature of being exposed to the environment that make exploration and discovery of things while riding all the more intriguing. Many times I spot deer and wild turkey crossing the roads on my way through Jamesville quarry roads. These sights always give me a bit of wonder and a bit of s story to tell my young kids. Recently I spotted an unnatural sight while riding out by Pompey, NY that made an impression on me and made me not want to mention to my kids.
Catching up on posting some of Mark Roemer’s videos of citizens races. Mark has been racing with a helmet cam and has footage from the Owasco Flyer.
This will be a great video to watch during the cold and snowy months when short sleeves and dry roads are a distant memory. Checkout the large number of Maxpowercycling.com racers. Mark is following Gaeteane for quit a while.
Local CNY cyclist Mark Roemer has been racing with a helmetcam in some of the recent citizens races here in CNY. The latest video gives you an insight into the Canal Classic. There are lots of views of Maxpowercycling teammates. You can spot Gaetene, Clif Six and Rich Jarvi to name a few.
Great work by Mark, can’t wait to see the video from the Tour de Loop.
Had a fun ride at the Tour de Loop. Tried to make the race fast at the start to string things out. Ended in a mid -pack finish due to the numerous hills. I need to stick wih flat races
The Maxpowercycling.com team had a great turnout. We had big numbers in both races and mixed it up pretty well.
@tourpro I always liked Fignon's style. He was so sure of himself, but not so cocky. He exhibited such panache on the bike. in reply to tourpro2 days ago
