1989 Tour De France - Greg LeMond

[Music] ever since Pedro Delgado first entered the Tour de France in 1983 he dreamed of becoming only the third Spanish cyclist ever to win that dream was fulfilled in 1988 he won by a stunning 7 minutes ahead of the Dutchman Stephen rooks everything seemed perfect for Delgado but his dream turned into a nightmare when he was accused of taking dope at the finish in Paris he declared his innocence and said he would take his revenge in 1989 [Music] the 1989 tour opened to the prologue time trial in the city of Luxembourg it's only 5 miles long and each of the 196 starters has to climb the steep survivor burg hill on the inner city circuit start um arise for Delgado the defending champion but where is he he's throwing away time even before the tour has begun and in panic he arrives climbed the start ramp and 2 minutes and 40 seconds later races away along the avenue de la liberté in Luxembourg with the adrenaline pumping through his body Delgado is racing fast and he makes nothing of the hills difficult 10% grade ahead of him Greg LeMond is also moving well the 1986 winner is returning to top form finally he could forget his near-fatal shooting accident in 1987 Lomond is hoping he'll be finished this tour in the top 20 the fourth best time in a shade over ten minutes this race against the clock is also a moment of truth for long Vignon since winning the tour in 1983 and 84 the Frenchman's form has been erratic he tours had surgery for tendinitis and last year a tapeworm caused him to quit the race before halfway he finishes runner-up in the prologue and I wink faster than Lomond [Music] besides phenom LeMond there are many other pretenders to Delgado's crown one is the young Dutchman addict breaking he finished third opinion in the recent tour of Italy and he believes he can do even better in the Tour de France in his steady powerpack style braking is riding faster than anyone in this prologue straight as a dime Sprint's down the Avenue to stop the clock at nine minutes fifty four point five seven seconds the best time meanwhile Delgado is racing as hard as he knows to make up time he's still not aware of his actual loss but after he finishes with a time of ten minutes and eight seconds the judges will add on a two minutes forty seconds late start and this puts him dead last in the standings almost three minutes behind the first yellow jersey of the race Erik breaking the opening road race next morning makes a scenic loop of the Moselle Valley before returning to the start point in Luxembourg City the 84 mile stage doesn't produce much action except for an early attack by two riders the two riders are casio da silva of portugal and sir until hold of denmark both of whom have families in Luxembourg he'll help manage to stay with that silver until the final climb into the city where the Portuguese finally leaves him two minutes behind the leaders Delgado puts in a similar attack of the papaya burg he'll just to remind everyone he's still full of fight but is da Silva who rolls down the avenue of Liberty to score a popular stage win over Soren Dale Halton [Applause] and with his two minute advantage the silver also takes over the race lead later that day there's another race against the clock a team time trial pinion directs his super u squad on their aerodynamic bikes to the best time 53 minutes and 48 seconds for the 28 and a half miles but Delgado is in trouble again he can't even keep up with his Reynolds teammates they have to wait for him and consequently record the slowest time four minutes 41 seconds behind the winner unbelievable the true this is the ad our team of LeMond however they're racing faster than expected the Mond number 141 receive great support from his Dutch and Belgium teammates the team comes in fifth the PBM team contains four of the other race favorites Dutchman Steven Brooks and Gertie on tourney sir Mexican RAL Alcala and the Irishman Shawn Kelly they take fourth place for the tour's two-day presence in this beautiful city the Luxembourgers paid the organizers 1.3 million dollars and now the race is heading for Belgium on a twisting course of the hilly Ardenne to the motoring circuit at Spa squeezing between medieval houses the pack climbs the steepest hill of the day of beyond on 30 miles into the stage but with 120 miles to go the riders stay together at noon the race finally leaves Luxembourg it was in these windswept parts of Patton's army defeated the Nazis in the Battle of the Bulge for today's battling cyclists only seeks shelter from the wind not bullets as they raced towards Spa first down the hill in despise race track is Alcala of the PDM team he's broken away from a break of six that develops sixteen miles earlier and with his teammates controlling the pace of the main pack Alcala joyously becomes the first Mexican ever to win a stage of the Tour de France [Music] yesterday the tour lost its first rider a Colombian and Stage four starting in the edge may provide more casualties Delgado who's already lost seven minutes is great he'll lose even more time on the rough cobblestone roads that await him near the end of this marathon stage rattling over cobblestones of speeds of 30 miles an hour is an acrobatic exercise some riders fall and need wheels replaced by helpers from their team cars dust gets into the riders lungs as well but still the speed of the race is relentless the battle intensifies near the end even yellow jersey da Silva is up there but another rider breaks clear it's Yellin I'd am a Dutchman who's known for his finishing speed and he gets the stage victory to add to the one he won in nearby Li ever a year ago Dane yen's beggar B he lost 12 minutes the silver receives another yellow jersey but he'll almost certainly lose the lead on stage 5 an individual time trial in the west of France Delgado prepares for this race of truth his special time trial bike has aerodynamic disc wheels and high gears the Spaniard starts in the calm sunny morning perfect conditions for a Time Trial Delgado's one of the earliest starters as the bat markers start first and he's almost ten minutes behind they're silver on overall time the race leaders include Finland and Lomond and they won't start for another four hours yet Delgado's disc wheels slice through the still air he puts every ounce of strength to going quickly thirty miles into his effort Delgada races past fishing boats in the ancient port of Dien on he then crosses a narrow medieval bridge and heads into the hills the crowds lining the short climbs realized that Delgado is riding faster than any of the earliest starters he covers the first fourteen miles in less than thirty minutes already he's more than a minute better than anyone else [Applause] the finish is in whren the capital of the Brittany region and the Sun is still shining as Delgada races into town just after midday he's blasted through the second part of this time trial at almost 30 miles an hour his time is one hour 38 minutes 36 seconds the best time by four minutes two hours after Delgado finished a rain storm blows in the PDM team Sean Kelly suffers in the worsening conditions and he will lose five minutes to Delgado everyone now focuses on French favourite fini on his fans expect him to take over the race leadership today despite the rain and the strengthening wind pinyon has chosen to use two disc wheels which makes a bike hard to control in the crosswind pinyon detests the reins it pops up his glasses yet he still rides with power even so at the 30 mile time check he's 90 seconds slower than Delgado pinyon continues fighting hard he has weathered the worst of the storm is picking up time and he crosses the finish line in a time of one hour thirty nine minutes and eight seconds thirty two seconds back of Delgado his vital test LeMond has a secret weapon a set of aerodynamic handlebars never before used in the Tour de France he's feeling strong and determined as he prepares to leave the start ramp at Gino [Music] [Applause] [Music] the Mon feels relaxed on his new bars which support his elbows and bring his body into a more streamlined profile by halfway Lamond has caught and passed the rider prologue winner breaking the Mond is already 100 yards ahead of the Dutchman for the first time in three years Lomond is operating at full power his wheels are turning like a locomotives even so over the final 40 miles he has to make up 64 seconds on Delgado gets back into the tuck position for the final sprint the American causes a sensation he has won the stage and the yellow jersey on the next stage to Futuroscope Lamond has new responsibilities his ADR team now must ride with him at the head of the pack maintaining a strong tempo to discourage breakaways and when the pace eases it's the Frenchman Jacques Le a who makes a solo break even though there's more than 100 miles to go it's the avrt who had to start the chase and amongst the fallers venture and Ronin pence egg on the right who will lose 10 minutes even the yellow jersey is active in the later attacks behind Pell yet but despite a sudden storm before the finish Pelle a who was 10 minutes behind Lomond overnight wins the stage by a minute as the rain beats down on the geometric buildings of the future scope theme park the morning his men have another rough day in front of them on stage 7 160 miles to bordeaux it's not a pleasant prospect to set out in heavy rain knowing the seven hours of riding in front of you but the miserable condition riders from attacking as a fierce chase and another crash Kelly has fallen with teammate rau Alcala the Mexican has cracked a rib but he will catch up with a pack again there are many attacks that the Belgian Etienne de Wilda is the winner at Bordeaux the hilly 8 stage takes place in the Armagnac wine area starting outside a famed Chapel Our Lady of the cyclists which is celebrating its 30th anniversary pinion on race leader LeMond briefly share the podium with the chapel's priest after receiving his blessing the pack pedals away through the vineyards after 40 miles a breakaway group of four moves ahead they work hard together and just stay clear of the pack until po where Irishman Martinelli a teammate of Kelly phlegmatically wins the stage and French champion edit Carrie - and Michael Wilson of Australia there's no change in the overall positions and Lamond will wear the yellow jersey into the next day's much-awaited mountain stage there are three mountain passes to climb at 3,400 foot Mary Blanc 5600 feet of bisque and the final haul to the 4,300 feet cam Basque smaller chain wheels and sprockets are fitted to the riders bikes they'll need lower gears to tackle the steep gradients that lie ahead this beautiful race into the Pyrenees Mountains will be a root test philemon will he be able to stay with the mountain goats like Delgado in the early stages the Americans on the 7-eleven team set the pace they're hoping for a good performance today from their leader Andy Hampsten but their presence also gives moral support for the two riders great clear after 16 miles Robert Forrest of France and Dutchman Andrew van der Poel they work well together and gained three minutes before the Mary blonde on the climb Forrest has problems with his bike leaving Vanderpool to continue alone Forrest switches to a spur machine and after three more bike changes for us to rejoin his Dutch companion a mile before the summit but behind there are problems - Forrest Fagor team leaders Stephen Roche Ashwin roach is returning from injury after winning the Tour de France in 1987 today's hit his injured knee he's fighting the pain of the climb with teammate Paul Kimmage alongside a sweat drips from his nose wrote loses ground he'll concede ten minutes today and pull from the race tomorrow meanwhile 4s continues his charge in front he drops Vanderpool [Music] and then races towards the summit alone in front of enormous crowd [Music] as the tour radio reports the Packers split with a small group being led by the tall thin tourney sir the short Swiss have Bayard broy pinyon Kelly in green and Lamont in the yellow of course [Music] the leaders head now towards the second climb the called a VC where forest is caught by a lone chaser who quickly leaves the Frenchman to his fate and the man now in the lead it's the Spaniard maguey Linda reign a rising star a Spanish cycling and a devoted team lieutenant for Delgado injuring climbed the ten-mile longer beast with great confidence more than two minutes in front of the pack eager riders headed here by Jerome's team olive team Zed launched a counter-attack but tarnished earth leading the second group in the distance sets a steady tempo to keep the race together in front injuring continues his solo toward the Miss shrouded summit at the obese nearly six thousand feet above sea level the fans have been waiting here since dawn weight has been worthwhile as he crests the long climb enjoying grabs a newspaper from a fan and stuffed it up his racing jersey to counter the cold air on the rapid descent below [Music] 25-year old Spaniard in the Basque Country is one of the most skillful dissenters in the world and he reaches speeds of 60 miles an hour on this spectacular drop to the valley when hamster leaved the main pack into the town of our gallegos austin after the 50 miles of descending indurain has taken his lead to over six minutes [Music] only 30 miles remain in this stage but it's nearly all uphill to the final peak the can bask on the long gradual climb of the valley of the kotor a the leader stays cool despite knowing the package chasing hard and that several individuals are closing quickly [Music] Vineyards teammate and yet our drew a sets the pace for his leader with LeMond tucked in behind them both in German reaches kotor a were the great statements for the final three miles hold the finish his fatigue caused him to flutter gear change but the young Spaniard quickly recovered behind fin Yan is feeling strong and contemplates an attack on Lomond the Frenchmen need only make up 5 seconds to take the yellow jersey also in the group our hamster love 711 rooks and Kelly at PDM and in sunglasses the Canadian hopes Steve Bauer but Finland is beaten to the punch by Delgado the defending champion has finally reached his beloved mountains and Sprint's away the others can't follow but Lomond is very pleased to still be in the company of finial Brooks and the other top climbers he is passing his first mounting test with great distinction and so is Delgado who's showing his Spanish fans the same aggressive style showed a year ago [Music] and up in front his teammate in derange successfully completes his brave 60 miles solo to take his first ever stage win in the Tour de France and 90 seconds later Delgado comes charging over the crest of the cam Basque Hill knowing that he's finally starting to eat away at his huge deficit but after he crosses the line only 26 seconds tick by before the surprising Kelly leads home the group with Finland and Lomond the Americans yellow jersey survives another day the race remained in the pyrenees on stage 10-4 giant mountain climbs including the col de tormal a at 7,000 feet and ending with 6,000 feet of the superb a near climb above lucian with an afternoon start in quarter a the Sun is already at its hottest the heat will make the climb seem even tougher the pack rolls gently out of town before one of the John Dom's holds aloft a French tickler to give the official race start everyone is nervous especially the drivers of the team's technical support cars who seek their correct spot in the following Caravan [Music] soon the pack settled into a steady rhythm riding through deep gorges and past fields where the hay is being harvested the stage is only 42 minutes old when the real climbing begins and a breakaway group forms immediately led by the second French favorite Charlie mottai of the r-mo team in the break also if Mata is the red shirted Swiss champion Pascale Rashad and the Scottish climber Robert Miller Delgado's Reynolds team controls the pack to limit the advantage of the escape where the ponytailed Miller takes charge - he was crowned king of the mountain in the 1984 Tour de France and his relentless style soon has recharged struggling [Applause] [Music] with three miles the tormal a still remaining the swiss champion is dropped there are no second chances on such a long difficult climb and Rashad is gobbled up by the pursuing field Delgado still has his teammates alongside him while looks Kelly Lamond outlet and Hampsten are following comfortably but Finland is struggling near the back Miller's speed at the front of the break is relentless and mate' can only follow in his wake [Music] the chase is also strong and relentless with Delgado's blonde her teammate Julian philosophy doing the bulk of the work [Music] and Miller and mate' can't push the lead beyond a minute it's proving a magnificent tussle [Music] Delgado rooks turn Issa and Lomond or proving the strongest of the race favorites Miller is still the stronger the two leaders as a near the top of the 7,000 foot Summit mater grabs a newspaper in preparation for the drop [Music] [Applause] [Music] with two of the races most dangerous men up front that the suit behind is relentless as the riders have to stand on the pedals when the grade gets steeper and steeper nearly part of this century when these mountain roads were unpaved the tour men were forced to walk over these summits and jaunts and stamina are the keys to success in those days speed and anaerobic fitness are now more important [Music] and today it's Miller who's proving the fittest [Music] [Applause] the Scot crosses the summit of the Cove eternal a ahead of Mata [Music] [Applause] half a minute behind another ex-king to the mountains Lucho Herrera of Colombia bursts from the group and turny shirt goes with him [Music] and it's the lanky Dutchman who wins this particular joy there are still 20 or so men in the front group the other 170 are scattered down the mountainside and eighteen of them won't even survive this destructive day [Music] seeking to gain every precious second Miller Crouch is like a downhill skier as he zooms down the coal dirt or Malay with mati [Music] [Music] this a break lay in true tour tradition the two leaders extend their lead to a minute by the valley town of San Marino pound [Music] this is where the count attacks are coming thick and fast after his teammate gospel takes a flyer Delgada himself breaks clear of the LeMond group [Music] it's a conceived plan and quickly he joins his fellow Spaniard [Music] the Ross page does all of the pacemaking for his leader as they gain ground with every stroke of their pedals but Lomond is coming in pursuit but not even rooks will help the American chase after Delgado while Fenian well he's struggling in another group 200 yards behind they eventually closed the gap but only after a hard struggle and when the two groups merge the pace slows dramatically it looks as though Delgado's Escape is proving successful [Music] once the day ii climb begins Delgada races away from the faithful giris bay his job is done and he drops back to the pack launch so well into the lead Delgado soon bridges the gap of the two breakaways the most important move of the race so far is now underway [Music] the most dangerous move to to depose greg lemond as leader of the tour with this climb the aspen and two others to come the riders in the main group seem afraid to commit themselves to an all-out chase rook sets a steady tempo but the teammates of Mata Miller and Delgado try now to disrupt the efforts their tactics work the pace slows and many riders who are dropped on the tormal a are back in the group but there's no slackening of the pace in the front delgado mate' and that the remarkable miller are focused on the finish still 40 miles away they cross the Aspen's summit [Music] and plunge toward the next Valley at breakneck speed back on the mountain the crowds wait more than two minutes before the LeMond group comes into sight [Music] they cross the summit exactly 2 minutes 17 seconds after Miller Mattei and Delgado the leaders gain even more descent and they reach the feed zone an arrow for the four minutes to the good milligrams his food bag which stops his pockets knowing that he'll need every last ounce of energy of the two clients which lies still ahead The Scotsman again makes the pace of the third climb that pair the sword taking the trio farther and farther in front when the now 60 strong pack appears the gap is increased to almost 5 minutes and so mate' who was only four minutes nine seconds down on the Monde overnight becomes the new leader of the tour on the road at least [Music] it's no wonder the French fans are happy and they shout encouragement to Ma Tei as the leaders approached the Paris sword summit [Music] [Applause] and that's a gay man who's first over the top Robert Miller they always referred to Robert Miller as the man of the pyrenees he has twice won in these mountains his first ever stage weekend the tour the poise in 1984 coming after the descent into Lu Xiang now ironically he'll finish on a mountaintop high above Lucia the cold of supervan yet these three riders were creating the most damage since the Tour de France started in the city of Luxembourg after that marvelous time trial in the west of France Delgado is now trying to hammer home his next advantage his climbing ability in the Pyrenees he was doing it in front of a mainly Spanish crowd down on the borders in the far south of France while rooks internus has spent from the pack to gang war king of the mountains points ahead of yesterday's hero mid whale injury as the break passes through the streets of Lucia the leaders dropped now to four minutes [Music] mottai and miller have now led the stage for almost three hours and they still have to tackle another four thousand feet of climbing to the finish it's super van yeah a counter-attack is now launched by Dutch teammates at rocks and tourney center they quickly pull away causing pinion in the lead here to take up the chase ahead of the Americans Hampsten and the bond or in this group on the Mexican Alcala the Spaniard marina Loretta and Alvaro Pino Gianna Bunya of Italy and the French champion Eric Cala to every man is now digging into his physical reserves [Music] the three leaders are still together when they approach the final mile Oh God who is in the lead he's annoyed at an over-enthusiastic fan and angrily accelerates where the backfin yawn continues to lead while delgado charges toward what he thinks will be a magnificent victory that would be a powerful reply to all his 1988 critics mottai has been dropped but Miller inches his way back to Delgado now you see why mill is known as the man of the pyrenees [Music] [Music] still more than three minutes behind Finn Yan continues to push the place at the front of the next group [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] while the battle up front continues in earnest as pedo Delgado respond to the flags from northern Spain [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] finally the finish is in sight Delgado and Miller both start the sprint and remarkably it's the 30 years old Scott who starts the pull away and win what has been a superlative stage this is the third time that Miller has won a Tour stage in these mountains and this was certainly the best mate' comes in 19 seconds behind and he will move into third place overall back in the group the battle for the yellow jersey is at its height pinyon lurking at the back suddenly surges past the other four men [Music] alcala Hampson and carry to only watch but lamang summons up energy from somewhere and slowly he overhauls pinyon it's proving an epic battle in the Pyrenees [Music] the mom that catches his prey but he seems to be struggling overnight these two riders are separated by just 5 seconds it is still possible for laughing Yan to take the leader's yellow jersey away from the American at great Lomond pinyon continues keeping the pressure on [Music] and with the finish almost in sight that pressure is just too much with greg lemond [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] Lomond is joined by Andy Hampsten and Rao Alcala [Applause] [Music] but pinyin has gone and crosses the finishing line to reclaim the tour's yellow jersey and he last earned five years before after the mountains battle stage 11 is expected now to be much quieter the Pyrenees are gone and the race moves on from Lucia a stage of 97 miles but shortly after the race left Lou Shawn the pace picks up again and several men will be dropped including last year's third place tour finisher fabio para who suffers from a fever and quits the race speed is relentless Nova 60 miles are covered in the last two hours in the final mile the Belgian Rudy Dawn's is 50 yards clear but his rear tire rolls off and the pack races by him the tragedy of the Tour de France can all be felt in the heart of Rudy a sprint is led out by Canada's Bower but the Dutchman Matt Joe Herman's comes through to win the stage from Giovanni Ford Ensor of Italy on a day of 110 degree temperatures the long stage from ancient Toulouse should finally give the riders some relaxation but on the 150 miles route to Montpellier there was a strong favorable breeze blowing an early break is made by Valerio Tebaldi of Italy and Dominique Arnaud of France they're joined by another Italian Giancarlo Perini but again there are several crashes in the pack and 30 riders need treatment for injuries in front even Arnaud Falls and after five hours at the front the two Italians fight out the finish in Montpellier and in a close finish the 24 years old to bowel approves the faster he also won a stage in the 1988 Tour another four riders drop out of the race making a total of 42 who've quit since the start in Luxembourg 13 days ago and today July the 14th marks the bicentennial of the French Revolution it's expected to be a day favorable to the home riders after 45 miles the race crosses the river round but the pace itself doesn't pick up until the pack starts to head south the strong wind is now at their backs [Music] suddenly there's an attack by race leader long pinion and third-place mate' they gained fifty seconds in an amazing move Delgado and LeMond lead the chase for 25 miles and the leaders regroup 60 miles before the finish which is in Marseilles but in warm sunny conditions the pace is always hot as well the citizens of Marseille are celebrating their Bastille Day in the traditional manner and appropriately the news from the race is an attack by a French rider Vance on Barto one of Fein Yuans teammates he breaks clear on the final Hill he then cruises into the old port of Marseille a minute ahead of the pack to score a sympathetic victory [Music] Barto stage win enlivens the bicentennial celebrations which continue long into the night [Music] this long 14 stage up into the foothills of the Alps takes place on another hot day the early pace is not surprisingly slow and a break by former Mountain King Herrera with Frenchman mark Mario and Jerome Seymour is allowed to gain six minutes but the pack chases them down before the finishing gap we're in the final mile stage for winner Yellin I dam burst into the lead and scores another solo success just two seconds ahead of the rest [Applause] and there's another yellow jersey for long pinyon but his lead is in definite danger on the 24 miles Mountain Time Trial up to Mayer let this is a big day for Delgado and as he sets out in his time trial he thinks about the remaining two minutes and 53 seconds that separates him from the yellow jersey after to Mars on flat roads Delgado starts the course his first climb it's four miles long this challenging course seems to be built for the Spaniard following this initial climb and descent there's ten miles of flat before a five-mile halt to the mare let's finish [Music] also emerging as a contender is another Spanish veteran Mahina Loretta who is destined to take second place today [Music] [Applause] fasters of all his Stephen rooks the 1989 runner up who is slowly climbing his way back into contention he records the best time yet it's one hour ten minutes and 42 seconds another contender is Charlie Mott a trying perhaps too hard and is heading for only 14th place [Applause] [Music] in contrast Kelly is having a super day and will come in sixth only 17 seconds behind Delgado [Applause] [Music] [Applause] but of course the main focus is on greg lemond who is still only seven seconds behind long pinyon on overall time the French race leader is well aware of his vulnerability as well LeMond starts impressively he has again fitted the Aero handlebars planning to use them on the flat section between the courses two climbs the American knows he's within a few seconds of Delgado's time and he sprints in with a time just eight seconds slower than the Spaniard meanwhile Vignon isn't looking comfortable at all on the climbs [Music] he style is ungainly and although he's faster than Mott a tenth place 47 seconds slower than a Monde is worse than Finland feared so the yellow jersey is back on the Americans shoulders staying in the Alps the first of four mountain stages set out from gap at the start Greg LeMond strikes up a conversation with former teammate Andy Hampsten but there's no time for chatting in this speeding line of riders as they cross the serpent's on Reservoir the breakaways begin an 18 riders gain six minutes before the first mountain pass the cold of our swiss champion and we shard in the blue is bruno cornier of france and they split from the lead group they quickly gain time on the others they tackle the seven miles of climbing the pace in the main pack is steady on the approach to the VAR riche are the swiss champion and cornier still maintain a six minutes lead [Applause] while behind Greg LeMond has a flat tire he's given a wheel by his teammate Eddie blanket quickly the yellow jersey moves back towards the peloton [Music] as the leaders approach the 7,000 feet summit it's cornier who sets the pace behind there's a counter-attack being launched by Alcala Lomond on the right delgado attorney sir Loretta and Hampsten are also here the name missing dolphin yawn [Music] the Frenchman is desperately leading a chase group and is not receiving any help from alkalis PDM teammates rooks and Kellie Fournier is the best place to the two leaders although his 18 minutes deficit makes him no threat to the race overall he spins ahead and takes the mountain prize behind Miller has managed to join the Alcala counter-attack but where is the Finn Yong roof [Music] here they come led by finial just about 30 seconds back it's a serious situation for phenyl but luckily for him his teammate Tilly Mari has dropped back from the original breakaway group to help his leader close the gap on the descent meanwhile the focus returns to the leaders and after finial rejoins Lamond Rashad and cornier heads through the feed zone acquiesced they again stretch their lead to more than six minutes the wind remains favorable in the gorge approaching the day's main obstacle the mighty cold is while approaching the village of our viewer six miles from the summit the main pack is reformed [Music] in front on the steepest part of the twisting climb rashard rides away from cornier and he won't look round until the finish line Umbreon song it's still 60 miles away the Col deze word is a legend in Tour history everybody would like to lead here [Applause] [Music] the huge crowd always flopped to see the action on the is war which has seen some legendary battles in previous tours it's the mountain where two past champions are remembered Fausto Coppi and Lewis and Bob a corn a is steadily losing ground on rashon but he's in no danger of being caught by the small chase group being led by Mott a tourney sir and in yellow Greg LeMond Delgado makes his expected attack still trying to make up his two minutes 48 seconds deficit on the race lead but the yellow jersey is still in control of this particular situation [Music] the action behind is meant that Rashad's lead has been cut to only five minutes and his time now to bask in the glory of his energetic breakaway as he approaches the seven thousand seven hundred foot summit [Music] [Applause] Finland is again struggling and only Lomond mate' and turny sir have caught up with Delgado [Applause] [Music] just before the top Charlie mutti Sprint's ahead [Music] and he continued his effort to attack the long technical descent on his own while phenom desperately tries to close his 10 seconds deficit on greg lemond swiss champion is already down the steepest part of the descent just the finish - couple [Music] and behind LeMond that links up with Charlie mati in an opportunist attack to beat Vinny on they career around the corners at over 50 miles an hour inching their way clear of Delgado and the rest but the French ace bond fini on simply won't give up [Music] the finish in Rio song is up a viciously steep climb which proves no problem for the runaway rishard [Applause] [Music] but for long been yon well he still in desperate trouble in pursuit of the other leaders we Shah wins the stage with a lead of over two minutes on Bruno cornier who didn't get caught by the field while the leaders take their battle to the finishing hill as well mata and Lamont have been recalled by Delgado tourneys a rooks and Marshall daya of France but fini on still can't quite make contact Finland is just behind a few valuable seconds of being conceded [Applause] it's Charlie mati who spins away for third place on the stage ahead of Greg LeMond and the seconds tick by until in fact 13 will have passed before long beyond comes across the line and who was to know how valuable those few seconds might be greg lemond was now 53 seconds in front of the Frenchman and once more a memorable battle had been produced at the Citadel of Breann song on stage 17 the most demanding stage of the tour crossing the 8700 foot called Agra Libya and the 6,800 foot quad affair it's a notorious climb to the finish at Alpe d'Huez and consequently there was no hurry to begin with the first climb on the menu as always the call to deliberate [Music] close to the summit of the cold olivier stands a stone monument dedicated to only the groms the founder of the Tour de France in 1903 [Music] Delgado know that this stage is his final chance to make up time on Lomond and pinyon so to ensure that his rivals don't have an easy day his teammates Karass pay and Rodriguez Magro set a strong tempo [Music] but Lomond is looking secure in his yellow jersey a certain acceleration by the Frenchman lawn Biondi is of secondary interest even when a chase is started by Teresa and the Italian Franco Bona [Music] waiting anxiously at the roadside is Cathy Lomond she can barely believe that our husband is leading the Tour de France only a month after he'd spoken of quitting the sport [Music] up at the glib EA summit the highest point of the 1989 tour Turner says shows just why he's wearing the king of the mountains polka dot Lulu's Jersey the turn assert is followed over the summit 15 seconds later by this group which included rooks and Robert Miller Theresa is first into a long twisting descent [Music] but some riders can't control the speed such as this French riders yield Saunders lucky because crash isn't more serious [Music] Theresa has been rejoined by Verona and Biondi and continues the top speed plunge in their wake [Music] after descending for ten miles the leaders are joined by the Australian Phil Anderson along with yesterday's winner riche are and six other riders and just ahead of the Lord bone their heads off on the solo spin but Tony sir and company are just behind as they start the second part of the 30 miles descent [Music] they catch the Italian in the valley on now 11 riders in the front and minutes ahead of the main pack [Music] [Music] into a strong headwind a pack led here by some of LeMans ADR teammates by heading now towards the quad affair climb hidden away in the center of the pack is the yellow jersey of Greg Lomond he's ridden these roads before when he won the 1986 tour but he still checks out the details on his race map [Music] the 11 leaders reached the feed zone at San John de maurienne one minute 15 seconds ahead of the field and with only one feed zone in this five-hour stage it's particularly important not to miss your food bag but race leader Greg LeMond does just that no wonder he's angry the quad affair climbed 16 miles long starts right after the feed zone and turny Sur is soon forcing the pace only rashard Colombian Alberto Camargo and the Spaniard Anselmo suerte can stay with him while the monden Delgado's team climbing at an even pace only 20 or so can remain with them even charlie mati is dropped while green jersey Kelly is delayed by a puncher because of the constant pressure the breakaway group could never gain more than 90 seconds turn assert is relentless in his attack and ten miles from the summit the Dutchman rides away from Rashard and fuerte he's facing 43 miles before the finish line and of course out Luis [Music] the yellow jersey group continues to be led by Delgado's reynolds team [Music] now in glorious isolation the Dutch king of the mountains shows off his white and red leaders Jersey to his newly won public [Music] a call in The Wizard of Oz because he comes from the town of us in Paulaner others calling Hiawatha because of his flowing locks the pace is still steady in the chase group behind always under the policing of the Reynolds to [Music] and jolly mate' on the left here who was in charge in the Pyrenees is now receiving help from his teammate Carey tune in the trickle of Jersey while Kelly is still catching up from his puncture [Music] [Music] [Music] by the narrow summit of the quarter fer Turner shows no signs of weakening and he starts yet another long descent with a lead of one minute 27 seconds over the LeMond group Martin Kelly managed to rejoin just before the top where Miller Sprint's for the king of the mountains points ahead of pinyon rooks LeMond Alcala and Delgado [Applause] with his long limbs and her turn s is not the most aerodynamically shaped cyclist but his determined style sees him increases lead on this rapid descent [Music] after 17 miles of descent often at speeds over 60 miles an hour turning sir he's just over 2 minutes ahead of a group led by Robert Miller and three and a half minutes ahead of the LeMond group if the 26 years old Turner sir could maintain this lead to the finish he would climb into the top five of the tour but he had yet to survive the outlet a sign at the bottom of the ALP d'Huez Mountain Road signals the first of 21 switchback turns that will lift the races through 3700 vertical feet in just 8 miles over half a million fans are waiting on the mountainside [Music] and Tennessee is aware that roughly half of those fans often this native Netherlands the Dutch have a great reputation on this climb turn assert focuses on the climb only 13 kilometers eight miles to go [Applause] four minutes back of turn sir pinion throws down the challenge with a surprise early attack and Lomond is the first to react Delgado who'd expected to be dictating the tactics is the next to take up the chase he's quickly followed by Raul Alcala Alcala and delgado joined forces and for the next five minutes they pursue the to race leaders this now is a psychological battle as well as a physical one with several minutes in hand Turnus attempt to climb at a much steadier rate he's already been out front now for more than three hours and the cheers of the crowd give him the extra boost he needs there has been a slight lull in the chase and rooks and Loretta are slowly catching back they close in on Alcala the back here and Delgado just in front the monde and Feeny on [Music] two great climbers come back into the race Turner says now were the active chase behind him knowing the pinyons group is only three turns below the mom decides to put in an attack testing his rivals strength but Phenom is still feeling strongly beside the steep grade and the distance tourney sir is also fighting a battle against the heat of a 90-degree day again the pace has momentarily slowed in the group Delgado's Colombian teammate Abelardo Rondon links up Rondo immediately increased the tempo with Delgado on his will the others respond for 1x1 Alcala rooks and Loretta are shed from the group and only four men remain together Rondo Delgado LeMond d'Avignon only two men remain in front of these chasers the lead attorney sir and Robert Miller the only survivor of the very early counter-attack the chases pass under the four kilometers to go banner in the back fin young notices that LeMans head is rolling and immediately attacks [Music] pinions move stuns history companions [Applause] [Music] but just as they catch Robert Miller its pero Delgado who eventually takes up the pace the manga wangan are unable to follow [Music] Miller is one who has thrown everything into the attack and now he's paying for it Lomond has tried at least to keep Delgado in sight but he too is paying for it now as Juan Don comes alongside him [Music] Delgado is still chasing phenom and whoever wins this tremendous jewel may also win the Tour de France [Music] turn assert is still riding toward the summit with great strength advantage almost two minutes ahead of Finland [Music] while Lomond is now alone fighting a personal battle against fatigue who knows that he could even lose the Tour de France itself if he doesn't dig deeper into his reserves [Music] just over to my remaining Delgado finally catches longfin yawn but there's no let-up in their speed they hear a mond is already 52 seconds behind them [Applause] Lomond has now passed the last of those 21 turns and as he headed to outdo his town he's moving easier [Music] [Applause] at the other end of town Turner makes the final Turner heads up towards the finish line just 300 yards to go [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Genesis Marlys adventure has ended in success the sixth third cyclist to win at all stage of outdoors farther back the battle for the yellow jersey is still being waged with finial and Delgado racing as hard as they can to take the jersey from the mom and here's Lomond he seems to be getting his second wind but can he save his yellow jersey [Music] at the final turn of phenom and Delgado is still locked together a minute back of turn yourself [Music] and Lomond is going faster in his desperate pursuit [Music] the Sprint the second place goes to pedo Delgado and then the countdown it's been trading alone it's two most dangerous rivals are home seconds now mean exactly that we read LaVon started the day 53 seconds ahead of pinyon and he's already a minute behind him as he puts everything into his final effort [Music] he crosses the line in fifth place one minute 19 seconds behind fini on another sensational stage has ended and the result is that once again long pinyon is back in the lead of the Tour de France this is the third time he's taken the old jersey in his career the last two times he went on to win the Tour and they were both achieved here at Alpe d'Huez [Applause] nothing much is expected from this short 18th stage especially after the sensation of outdo Eze it's the Colombian national day and maybe the celebrating Colombian cyclists will find some success and predictably the stage spent in to life when Colombian national hero Lucho Herrera attacks 20 miles from the finish once again as a potential Tour winner herrera's had a poor race he's almost 30 minutes behind on overall time but now three minutes from the top of the sand knizia hill he's 42 seconds ahead of the pack when the incredible lot on phenom launches another surprise attack the yellow jersey is going away from the other leaders he wants to increase his overall 26 seconds lead over Lomond [Music] Fenian is soon up to herrera and races straight by the little Colombia there is panic behind is Lomond at Delgado and the rest are starting to chase they can see the yellow jersey just in front a certain acceleration strings out the pack and the back markers will concede ten minutes or more by the finish [Applause] [Music] the Mon Delgado and tarnished supple clear of Lucho Herrera [Applause] a battle to limit the escape of laughing yawn and the 15 seconds behind him as he nears the top of the climb with only 13 miles to go it's not a big lead but when Delgado Easy's back from the front of the other tree also relax for a while no one will chase down Finn yawn they could be allowing the tour to go through their fingers so Delgado reluctantly takes up the chase again [Applause] Alcala rooks Kelly and a few others have regrouped behind them they're now too far back and the race is remaining a battle between the LeMond trio and they to have their hands full the French hero is now 35 seconds ahead and there's only 7 miles to go it looks as though pinion is putting the yellow jersey totally out of reach but Alcaraz group is now closing fast [Applause] but when they catch that three chasers Binion's leaders left - 52 seconds [Applause] only two miles remain and it's all uphill to the finishing line pinyin is fighting hard but he's taken a lot out of himself and now rooks is really starting to move to pulling the chasers closer and closer Finland has clinched the stage and is delighted with his performance but how much time has he taken from Greg LeMond all eyes turn to the final Bend and here comes rooks and tourney sir with LeMond tucked in behind [Music] [Applause] the hmong that will lose twenty four seconds and Delgado a few seconds more everyone says the tour is over the Finland's new leader 50 seconds is too much for LeMond to make up in the final three stages stage 19 is the first of these and it contains the last three climbs of the 1989 tour and it all begins with a long downhill but the easy part is soon over and the TUF called the forth climb looms over Grenoble the yellow jersey seems to inspired finial and is again on the rampage and by the midpoint of the severe ten miles climb only four wide are left in his wake Loretta Delgado Turner sir and Greg LeMond [Music] by the top the five leaders have a lead of 90 seconds it seems now that Fenian is unstoppable and he launches another attack on the first slopes that called jakku Chiron he gains 150 yards but the world's finest climbers just behind him hadn't given up hope yet [Music] they persist in their chase and they rejoin the yellow jersey karmas restored in the top five men in the race continued to pull away from the rest their three minutes ahead when they press this tour's final mountain the cold the Granier the mon then tries to break clear on the sweeping descent but pinyin is too alert for that one the five are still together in the street to Sean Barie when they nearly all fall down at badly positioned traffic islands but there's no real damage done and together they head for the finish besides the lake it aches lay down while the mom sits neatly in behind the yellow jersey loretta leads out the sprint but the Spaniard is quickly overhauled and a delighted greg lemond passes way to the line for the stage win [Music] it's a great morale booster for the American who even suggests he might make up his 50 seconds deficit in Paris but before the final time trial there's this one final chance for the sprinters to find some glory like the rest of the 138 survivors Finland is happy at the end of the tour is near and they're ready for some fun on this completely flat penultimate stage Anderson makes a bid for victory five miles from the finish putting everything into his one attack but after a mile of freedom he will be caught the sprinters have waited for a week for this flat terrain and the young Italian Giovanni bodanza makes a last desperate thrust to take victory it seems that Finland's crown is safe for the final showdown in Paris which is reached by a 300 miles ride on the TGV Express LeMond relaxes on the two-hour trip while Delgado gives an interview and on their arrival in Paris VIN Yan gets upset when pursued by a TV news team perhaps Finland is nervous about this final time trial but it seems designed to give him a triumph into his hometown but maybe history will repeat itself it was 200 years ago during the French Revolution the king louis xvi was removed from his home the gigantic Palace of Versailles the king was taken to Paris and was executed three years later his King Finn you're also going to lose his crown and the only man who can do it it's Greg Lomond and he certainly looks confident at the start in Versailles if anything Fenian seems overconfident the ponytail parousia can't even consider losing 50 seconds in 15 miles for Delgado the stage is a formality he knows that he won't make 2 and a half minutes up on pinyon but he's proud these proven himself to come back from 198 place in Luxembourg to third in Paris has been a remarkable achievement but LeMond still has a 1 in 100 chance of winning this tour he's riding his aerodynamic bike burning his arrow helmet and using his narrow Aero handlebars and he says he feels strongly the timekeeper counts down the second [Music] allemande is away on this ultimate trip [Music] two minutes after his American rival Lavinia enters the starting house he too has his arrow bike but no arrow helmet and no arrow bars the countdown begins and now Finland is underway but his 27 minute ride to destiny [Music] the bond is a pure picture of power approaching 40 miles an hour on this opening stretch [Applause] [Music] on reaching the river Sen at six miles Finland is 18 seconds behind Lomond a loss of 3 seconds per mile at this rate he'll lose the stage by 45 seconds or win the tour by 5 [Music] the bond is relentless in his challenge of smoothly turning his biggest gear [Music] [Applause] with annoying contrast is more erratic he stands on his pedals in search of extra power but he only breaks his rhythm he's down 37 seconds only 30 seconds left in hand 4.7 miles to ride Kathy LeMond can't believe that the impossible is coming through but there's our husband Greg he's thumping down the shops Elysees about to catch Delgado for two minutes red LeMans time trial is over a time of 26 minutes 57 seconds a record speed of 34 miles an hour Cathy and her father-in-law gasped in astonishment Greg LeMond celebrates in anticipation with his coach auto jet away and there is Finn yawn can he still hang on to his crown he's across the line and the clock shows a time of 27 minutes 55 he's 58 seconds slower than the Hmong pinyin has lost the Tour de France by 8 seconds the smallest margin in the history of the tour there's only pain and sorrow for long opinion [Music] and tears and joy for Greg LeMond the Louisville France and delight for America phenol is shattered by his defeat he will live to fight another tour Lomond is rejuvenated by his win he says this was the hardest race of my career but the happiest day of my life on the victory podium the American tells his French rival now we've both won two tours we'll see next year who can wind up there [Applause] [Music]

Channel: Tim McPherson

Views: 92,375

Rating: 4.8573389 out of 5

Keywords: 1989 Tour de France, greg lemond, cycling

Id: 02HfrgyaZBU

Length: 91min 54sec (5514 seconds)

Published: Tue Apr 30 2019