Laurent Fignon biography
Laurent Fignon, (born Aug. 12, 1960, Paris, France—died Aug. 31, 2010, Paris), French bike owner who was a two-time winner of the Tour de France (1983 and 1984).
Fignon started competing in biking occasions as a young person, and in 1982 he turned skilled. The following yr he raced in his first Tour de France and received the occasion. Fignon repeated as champion in 1984, besting fellow Frenchman and a number of Tour winner Bernard Hinault by greater than 10 minutes. That yr Fignon additionally completed second within the Giro d’Italia. Over the subsequent few years, accidents hampered his efficiency, however in 1988 he received the Milan–San Remo. The following yr he defended his title there and received a number of different races, notably the Giro d’Italia. After these sturdy showings, he entered the 1989 Tour de France as one of many favourites. However, Fignon misplaced by 8 seconds to Greg LeMond of the United States; it was the smallest margin of victory within the historical past of the occasion. Later that yr he positioned first within the Grand Prix des Nations.
Although Fignon continued to compete, he didn't win any extra main occasions, and in 1993 he retired. He later labored as a race organizer and as a tv commentator. In 2009 Fignon introduced that he had superior most cancers. His autobiography, Nous étions jeunes et insouciants (We Were Young and Carefree), was printed in 2009. In the ebook he admits to utilizing banned substances whereas competing.