1989 Cycling Road World Championships

on this climb and he is a man possessed by a vision of rainbow jersey that he could win as a world champion unless the chasing group and the losing ground on fin yo and fin yo money right now he's gambled everything on this attack so it looks as they're longer fini on is heading towards victory in the World Championship can it be possible that he will exact his revenge from the humiliation of the Tour de France it certainly seems so stay with us we'll be back the original three breakaway riders not willing to give up the race still hoping to survive and win rooks gladly lob and Coney Chef with Lauren Fennell in hot pursuit so they're just four miles remaining now of the 163 and Greg LeMond has made his move look at this Greg LeMond has flown across the gap from the chasing group his poor own and he's making a look so easy pinyon glances over his shoulder there but I don't think he'll know yet the Gretel wound has joined him that is a fine piece of writing by the American now he knows because he's not true to his inside and the wonder taxied and that finland is finding somewhere and he says to go and catch up with LeMond laurence fein yawns worst nightmare has come back to life Greg LeMond surging on the hill in the final stage of the Tour de France these two fought some three minutes apart here they're side-by-side on the final climb and look at this LeMond goes again lamorne goes again at this time he has the three leaders in sight so for the first time in the best part at three and a half hours the men at the head of the World Championship can be seen and it's the American Greg LeMond who races to get across to them first he's dragging with him Donald pinyon and pinions in trouble quinones lost the gap just like he did in the Tour de France Lomond is going away from him so long fini on but the top of the hill is coming Brian and pinyon can come back yet here comes LeBron right around the tree oh and look at Calabria la the fight in him has not yet gone as LeMond comes by it is the Frenchman that goes to his wheel as they begin now the descent so we have LeMond leading from clavero lap kanischev and Steven Brooks pinion is just off the back this is Steve Bower here also trying to cross the gap and look at this Steve Barr has a flat back tire I am certain Brian the steeper had a flat back tire he was coming down this descent he is certainly yes it is look the flat rear tire he's signaling but it's far too late to change a wheel and get back in a man that probably has the most incredible bad luck when he's so close to victory or or a chance at it here in the World Championship again I can't believe that Brian last year disqualified from the world championship now he's out at the most crucial note with a flat he won't believe it either but this is now developing into one of the finest finishes for years and this is the group behind and they look as though they're beaten Robert Miller is there in the white jersey number three in line these are the stragglers now on what has been a day of attrition in this rain most of them have given up and we hear that less than 50 are still riding around the course still the crowd cheer up the remnants of this world championship and this bunch here do not know what is happening at the front and what a dramatic end were in for the final two miles of the racecourse and on the descent now it is very very difficult for attacks to happen and gaps to be closed there's Lauren Feeney on though he has rejoined and in fact gone away from the small group that he was with and Greg LeMond is the one that's making the chase right now Brian I can't believe this this World Championship is coming down between the two same men who dominated the Tour de France and it's Finland just ahead now of Greg LeMond and the other three trying to match the pace we're on the descent now down towards the finish in sean barie they've certainly thrown caution to the wind even on this wet road no tiptoeing around the corners for this group not with a world championship at stake 90 kilometers an hour nearly 60 miles an hour for the breakaway group and Finland has been caught by LeMond there are five riders together now rooks in the back two Frenchman the Soviet and American Greg LeMond well the odds now surely are on the side of the French with two riders here but kanischev is the man pushing the pace and this really is a 5-piece of riding by him he's been out amongst the leaders all day and he still will not give up we saw him waiting when the three were about to be caught and now it seems he was keeping something back for the sprint with less than two miles to go this race is far from over stay with us [Music] and we're now back in the last two miles of this year's title race and kanischev of the soviet union leading the race down the mountain towards the finish in sean barie and he's being chased here by clubber Ola and these are the remnants we just caught a glimpse of the three riders who are chasing them and it includes Greg LeMond through the chicane the roads now extremely wet and slippery it appears as though Clary Ola and kanischev two of the original heroes are now back at the front but they look a little slow and even Coney Chef now is looking back at the other three and here's Greg LeMond in full cry he's caught them again the mom was asking him as somebody to come and help with the chase there and Lauren Feeney on thinking of his teammates clever Ola would not take up the pace even a hand gesture by LeMond they're a little bit frustrated but he's nevertheless closed the gap to the leaders and we're back together with five and here's Kelly now Shawn Kelly has come up from the group behind and joined the front group as well so the great veteran of the World Championship Sean Kelly who's won a silver medal as far back as 1982 in England is now back in this race he's prepared for it he wants to win it and surely at 33 now the man in green this has got to be his last shot he's certainly one of the most dangerous sprinters in the group but here goes Lori Feeney on not wanting to wait for a sprint against Sean Kelly or Greg LeMond door any of the others Lauren Feeney on again very animated here as we come down to just the final mile and a half or so of this race six riders remaining clever Ola dangling off the back perhaps at last the man from France is feeling the pressure piñon as 'is Lomond as marked him and somebody's gone and it looks to me as though rooks is gone rooks is put in another attack he's opened the gap now can they react pinion he's tired after that and greg lemond having just caught Vignon also tired those two are watching each other and here goes rooks taking advantage of the hesitation and once again that's Lomond that takes up the chase where does Greg LeMond find his energy from this man will not give up this year the winner of the Tour de France is now chasing down Stephen rooks tremendous attack going on here by Greg LeMond he could still win this world championship if he can catch up with Stephen rooks in the world championship press room a few hundred feet from the maddening crowd of the finishing line reporters from a dozen European nations have already begun filing their stories even before the result is known others chosen the press rumours acquired haven or perhaps to call a curious editor in Paris at the television grandstand which is of Olympic proportions the tension has mounted and for Bob Lomond Greg's father and Fredman goñi Greg's mentor the pictures tell it all Greg is still in contention Auto Jack on Greg's faithful trainer is also tense he's not alone Greg LeMond has caught and passed even rooks and Shawn Kelly the feared sprinter is right on his wheel Brooks tries to tack onto those two they look over their shoulders and just in the upper right corner of the screen come the rest of the players led by Loren phenom while we're approaching the final half-mile of this world title there are six riders here who could now take it away with them and here we come the red kites up there says one kilometer from the finish long finial on the far right is kanischev the green jersey is kelly but the attack goes well up video has gone the mom discounted the move Kelly looks to me bright as though he's struggling well Lauren Fenian has decided to take matters into his own hands here in the final kilometer of the race course less than half a mile to go now Lomond is on his wheel Anthony on making his bid for victory Kelly's got the good position behind LeMond from rooks and Clary LA and the Soviet Coney Chev in the rest of the spots behind them now fini on gives it up a little bit and even Lomond is looking around nervously and so is Kelly this is a tense finish there's so many riders here no they are a spit away from my world title and nobody willing to open the chase because the man that does will lose the title that's what they're thinking kanischev on the far left a Russian rider in a professional world title for the first time in the history of the sport he would love the title add a longfin Yongbyon mark all the time I break them on they'll see the finish now and this is the spin starting fini on breaks on the ride and Greg LeMond on the laughs LeMond in the lead going to the straightaway line Shawn Kelly on his will in second spot LeMond still in the lead coming down the straightaway Kelly makes a break on the left side and on the right it's plenty chef moscovia Greg LeMond is happy at the world championship title to Greg LeMond [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] [Applause] far from the frenzy of Greg Lemonds victory Sean Kelly's bronze medal perhaps his last chance at a world title has slipped away with the madness continues for the new world champion Greg LeMond of the United States what a year for this young man and now if he can only survive the crush of the press and the crush of the fans to get to the podium and collect his medal two laps to go the bull race changed and you're a very big part of that well with two left to go I really didn't because I'm gonna finish the race it's only until a lap and a half two dots ago that I started feeling good oh really on the last lap good and so beside figure loss seen y'all almost going the wrong way what are you getting for him beating a game by the Americans all that's left now for Greg LeMond is to collect the laurels of his victory already has the rainbow jersey that he wore once before and now the gold medal Greg LeMond for the second time in 1989 stands atop the cycling world that moment I started feeling good another chapter in the fairytale how do you feel today I imagined what it would be like winning and then when I got in the race it looks so bad I really it was ready to quit and I just kept saying one more time one more time it worked out everything seems to be working out right now things certainly are working out Greg LeMond is world champion the silver medal goes to dmitry coney chef's bronze to Sean Kelly and for Finland a disappointing sixth [Music] and so another chapter in the continuing story of Greg LeMond comes to a close it's a story that was destined to be something quite extraordinary right from the beginning but of course just because his story has been exceptional hardly means it's anything like the fairy tale many would like it to be imagine the disappointment of winning the 1986 Tour de France and not being able to enjoy it or the injustice of being gunned down at the prime of an athletic career so brilliant it's unlikely to be equaled in the foreseeable future of course life's dark moments have a way of being easily swept aside when fortune takes a turn for the better and now that Greg Lomond is riding high again and praised so highly by those who reviled him only months ago let us not forget that perhaps most remarkable about this man is that he never lost the ability to believe in himself through the darkest times for Phil Liggett I'm Brian drebber thank you for joining us at the 1989 world cycling championships [Music]

Channel: KOM TV

Views: 133,818

Rating: 4.8477507 out of 5

Keywords: cycling, road, world, championships, championship, Dimitri, Konyshev, 1989, greg, lemond, laurent, fignon, sean, kelly, classic, retro, vintage, usa, france, ireland, cyclist, race, bicycle, racing, 80s, 80, 80's, tour, de, russia

Id: EPLW1G6V3dQ

Length: 13min 34sec (814 seconds)

Published: Sat Dec 10 2016