Laurent Fignon of France, the two-time Tour de France winner who worked in race organizing and as a French national television commentator following his long, successful career, has died at a hospital in Paris at age 50 following a battle with cancer.
Fignon, who retired in 1993, won the Tour de France in 1983 and 1984. He was also runner-up in 1989 when he lost by eight seconds, the smallest margin in the history of the race, to Greg LeMond.
Fignon, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 2009, had 76 victories during his career. But his successes were later overshadowed by positive tests for illegal substances twice in the late 1980s.
In his book about his career, ‘We Were Young and Unconcerned’, Fignon admitted taking amphetamines and cortisone. But he did not establish a direct link with his cancer of the digestive system.
“In those days everyone was doing it,” he wrote in the book. “But it is impossible to know to what extent doping harms you. Whether those who lived through 1998, when a lot of extreme things happened, will get cancer after 10 or 20 years, I really can’t say.”
Since 2006 and including this year's Tour de France, Fignon was a television commentator daily for the French national network. During broadcasts this year, Fignon's voice was scratchy, sometimes painful to listen to and sometimes nearly inaudible.
During one stage in the media center, I spoke with Philippe Brunel, the esteemed cycling columnist for L'Equipe, about Fignon.
"It's very important for him to be here," Brunel said. "Not many people know this, but he actually left the Tour for one day to get a chemotherapy treatment."
Brunel added that Fignon wanted to part of cycling for as long as he could. Fignon died 32 days after the final day of this year's Tour de France.
Comments
As a Canadian, I sometimes feel that I as one Person, need to Apologize to the world that Canadians are so uninterested in cycling. the Death of Laurent Fignon barely made any news in Canada.
I think it very unfortunate. A great racer and a great champion. A shame he died so young.
I think it very unfortunate. A great racer and a great champion. A shame he died so young.
This is a sad loss for cycling. He was a giant in the sport. That final race with Greg Lemond is the best of all time. Even though Fignon lost, he was a champion!
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