“In 1989, I was young, I liked cycling and the Tour de France was still much more innocent and fascinating than today. On the last day, Laurent Fignon and Greg LeMond were going to fight for the final victory on the last stage. I suddenly decided to go to Versailles; it was not very crowded and I could enter the starting area. Here are some pictures from that day.” - Benjamin Werner
I caught the cycling bug in 1984 during college. After Greg LeMond invaded the European Pro Peloton and won the Tour de France three times, well, that pretty much sealed the deal for me and my riding buddies. The 1989 Tour de France remains among the most dramatic. Fignon launched from the start house wearing yellow with a 50-second lead. Twenty four kilometers later, 8 seconds separated him from LeMond — and the top step of the podium in Paris. Fignon had lost the Tour during the Race of Truth on the final day. Much has been written and made of LeMond’s special aero bars and helmet used in that famous TT, but these photos from Benjamin Werner capture Fignon before his world changed. What is most striking to me is how close fans and the photographer got to the French cycling hero and how uncrowded the area. Magical. Enjoy. The full 23-photo set complete with shots of LeMond (with bars and helmet), Pedro Delgado, Pascal Simon, and a tiny TT start house can be viewed here. Highly recommended for any fan of Le Tour. Here’s video as well.
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