Laurent Fignon

Laurent Patrick Fignon (12 August 1960 – 31 August 2010) was a French professional road bicycle racer who won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984 and the Giro d'Italia in 1989.

His family moved to Tournan-en-Brie in 1963, where he lived until he left for Paris at age 23.

His first sport was football and he got as far as playing for his département or area.

Friends encouraged him into cycling and he rode his first official race in 1976, which he won.

Fignon's parents did not want him to race, and he raced without them knowing.

He won four more races in his first year, but only one in his second year.

In this third year, he won 18 out of 36 races.

Fignon's parents allowed him to race, but still thought that he should study.

Fignon entered the University of Villetaneuse, studying Structural and Materials Science.

Fignon was not interested in his studies, and was an indifferent student.

His chief desire was to pursue cycling.

He told his parents that he was leaving the university and would join the army at the end of the year to do his military service.

He was posted at the Bataillon de Joinville, known for its sporting reputation.

After this, Fignon was sure he wanted to pursue a professional career.

In 1981, Fignon rode the Tour of Corsica which allowed amateur cyclists to ride along with professional riders.

Fignon rode an early stage attempting to hold the wheel of Bernard Hinault, the top professional cyclist, and succeeded for much of the race.

Cyrille Guimard observed the young cyclist a few days later at the national 100 km team time trial.

Fignon did win on tenth of April 1981 the second stage during Tour du Vaucluse.

In May 1981 he offered him a place on his Renault–Elf–Gitane professional team from the following year.

Fignon joined the team in 1982, along with longtime friend and fellow junior rider Pascal Jules.

Fignon was 21 years of age.

In 1982, Fignon rode the 1982 Giro d'Italia.

After Fignon broke away in the second stage, he became the leader of the race, and got to wear the pink jersey.

He lost the lead in the next stage, but became Hinault's most trusted teammate in the mountains.

In Paris–Tours, Fignon had escaped and made a break of 40 seconds, when his crank broke.

During this first year as a professional, Fignon won the Critérium International.

In 1983, Fignon was a part of the team that helped Bernard Hinault to win the 1983 Vuelta a España.

Guimard did not want to send Fignon to the Tour de France, because two grand tours could be too much for a 22-year-old rider.

When Hinault, winner of four of the five previous Tours, announced that he would not start due to injury, the Renault team was without a leader.

Fignon was added to the 1983 Tour de France selection for the Renault team, and the team decided to go for stage wins, with hopes of having Fignon or Marc Madiot compete for the best debutant category.

After stage nine, the first mountain stage, Fignon was in second place, behind Pascal Simon, and he was allowed to be team leader.

On the tenth stage, Simon crashed and broke his shoulder blade.

Simon continued, and only lost a little time on the next stages.

On the fifteenth stage, a mountain time trial, Fignon was able to win back so much time that he was within one minute of Simon.

On the seventeenth stage, Simon had to give up, and Fignon became the new leader.

Fignon won many classic races, including taking Milan–San Remo back-to-back in 1988 and 1989.

He is former FICP World No. 1 in 1989.

He nearly captured the Tour de France for a third time in 1989 before being edged by Greg LeMond by 8 seconds, the closest margin ever to decide the Tour.

He died from cancer in 2010.

Fignon was born in Montmartre, Paris.