French cycling legend and Two-Time Tour de France Winner, Laurent Fignon Dies at Age 50 from Cancer
The 31st of August was not a good day for the world of cycle racing, as it was the day when a renowned cyclist, Laurent Fignon left the world forever at the age of fifty only.
The cycling legend from France was suffering from the fatal disease of cancer in a hospital in the French capital city of Paris. Laurent is known as the Tour de France legend, as he was the champ of the prestigious Tour de France in the year of 1983 and 1984, which is no doubt a strong prove of his dedication and love for the world of cycling.
His rivalry with Greg Lemond is iconic as well and will be remembered forever. Lemond’s victory with the lead of just 8 seconds over Lauren Fignon in the Tour de France edition of 1989 was the dramatic victory with the smallest winning margin ever. No doubt, Fignon was a great athlete and performer and has given the world of cycling something which cannot be ignored. His moments of glory are still unforgettable for his fans. The particular race between Fignon and Laurent in the Tour de France edition of 1989 is still remembered as one of the best dramatic races ever in the history of cycling. In the race, the Frenchmen gained the lead till the final stage of time trail but his small mistake let his American rival Greg Lemond grab the marvellous victory from him in the most dramatic finish ever. During his matchless profession, Fignon has achieved two Tour de France titles, nine stages and held the yellow jersey for 22 days while racing at the French tour.
Fignon was a very passionate athlete and was famous for his commitment for his targets during the race. His other prominent achievements in cycling contests are winning the Milan-San Remo cycling championship twice over. Laurent has also triumphed two stage victories in the Giro d'Italia and Vuelta Espana during his professional cycling career.
Fignon is remembered as a very lively and full of life man. His efforts for the sports cannot be ignored. The Frenchman introduced the game of cycling to the outer world in a unique and colourful way. His style and appearance made his persona and reputation very different and friendly for the other cyclists and fans. Fignon has given a detailed introduction of his colourful prime in his memoirs. The Frenchmen has quoted himself as young passionate and full of life person. He has confessed the use of drugs like amphetamines and cortisone during his cycling career and he has explained his usage as it was not considered as very bad during his times. In his book, Fignon has explained his views about negative results of doping and has said that doping can cause a very bad change and can ruin a life of an athlete up to an indescribable limit.
Now the cycling world is busy paying tribute to this legendry cyclist from France, as his life is not less than a symbol to follow for the upcoming athletes. Very recently, the veteran champ cyclist from Spain Alberto Contador paid his tribute to Laurent Fignon and expressed his views by saying that Fignon was one of the greats of cycling world and he will be remembered for his matchless efforts of promoting and defining the world of cycling in a unique way. Contador added that it was a real pleasure and privilege for him to compete and participate with such a passionate athlete.
The American veteran and former world number one Lance Armstrong expressed his views and said that knowing about Laurent Fignon’s death was shocking and bad news for him, as he was a lively and colourful character. It is hard for anyone to forget him. Armstrong added that Laurent was a special personality for the entire cycling world, his persona will be missed, and his racing moments will be recalled by his fans for many many years to come.
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