Fignon
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Get well soon Laurent.
He runs a hotel these days near the foot of the Tourmalet, as well as organising a few races. He got married last year too.
I got into cycling after watching the yellow jersey flit like a butterfly between Fignon and LeMond in the 1989 Tour de France, a three week cliffhanger.0 -
That’s bad news, what a legend he is. Let’s hope he kicks it’s a**e.
Have to say here too he was the one that got me properly in to watching the Tour and hence cycling all round.0 -
He was always a fighter on the bike so hopefully that'll be evident as he battles with cancer. I wish him every success in fighting it.0
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That's really sad news. Rode past his cycling centre today and was dreaming of catching a glance, one of my big heroes"In many ways, my story was that of a raging, Christ-like figure who hauled himself off the cross, looked up at the Romans with blood in his eyes and said 'My turn, sock cookers'"
@gietvangent0 -
Kléber wrote:Get well soon Laurent.
He runs a hotel these days near the foot of the Tourmalet, as well as organising a few races. He got married last year too.
I got into cycling after watching the yellow jersey flit like a butterfly between Fignon and LeMond in the 1989 Tour de France, a three week cliffhanger.
Me too Kleber!! I'm sure the wily old dog will battle it and kick its ass!!0 -
Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0
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In that article they are pressing about doping...
Hope he gets through this, he's one of the main catalysts for my interest in cycling.0 -
Sad indeed.
Bonne chance, Professeur!0 -
Velonews version
http://www.velonews.com/article/93220
Poor guy, it doesn't sound good. Hopefully he can beat it.0 -
Poor "Larry Finnegan" - I really hope he can pull through
'This week I 'ave been mostly been climbing like Basso - Shirley Basso.'0 -
Absolutely awful news, I was thinking just recently that he has been somewhat airbrushed out for reasons I don't know or understand.0
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interesting that he has detailed what he took in his career. I wonder about the health of the 90s brigade, when they'll start falling ill? Yates had a dodgy heart. I don't imagine Fignon will tell all yet re specifics of races...but any cyclist should fear asking from the body what it doesn't have by nature0
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A tragic story, and if his illness has anything at all to do with doping it further shows just how sick the 'sport' is. Premature death, depression leading to suicide, drug abuse, cycle sport really gives people something to admire.
Fignon's fatalistic attitude reminds me of what he said in a 'Cycling Weekly' special a few years ago: 'Perhaps I was doped, but that is only my concern. I endured, I was serious and I did what I had to do. If I die when I am 50, that is my problem.'0 -
And how about the brigade of 2000 and afterwards? Do you really think that the doping methods of the Epo and "800 ml of packed cells" era are without risk? In addition riders still use the same sort of products that were used in the 90's, such as steroids. The only reason I can think of why many more recent era riders won't fall ill and die at some point in the future is that doping has already killed them.Dave_1 wrote:I wonder about the health of the 90s brigade, when they'll start falling ill?
The Times
24 February 2009.
World in motion: why we need to know what killed Frederiek Nolf
You may not have heard of Frederiek Nolf, but he is dead, so now is probably your last chance. He was five days short of his 22nd birthday
Guardian 16 February 2004
Inquiry into Belgian cyclist's death raises new fears over EPO
Denis Zanette (Italy)
Died January 11 2003, aged 32
Zanette, right, collapsed after visiting the dentist. Instantly linked to the use of the blood-booster EPO, which led to an outcry in Italy and demands for stricter drug controls.
Marco Ceriani (Italy)
Died May 5 [2003], aged 16
An elite amateur, Ceriani experienced a heart attack during a race, was admitted to hospital in a coma, and failed to recover consciousness.
Fabrice Salanson (France)
Died June 3, [2003] aged 23
Died of a heart attack in his sleep. Was found by his room mate in their team hotel. Had been about to compete in the Tour of Germany.
Marco Rusconi (Italy)
Died November 14 [2003], aged 24
Rusconi was leaving the party of a friend last November when he collapsed and died in a shopping centre car park.
Jose Maria Jimenez (Spain)
Died December 6 [2003], aged 32
Died from a heart attack in a psychiatric hospital in Madrid. Had retired two years previously but consistently claimed a comeback was imminent.
Michel Zanoli (Netherlands)
Died December 29 [2003], aged 35
Zanoli, who retired in 1997, was 35 when he suffered a fatal heart attack.
Johan Sermon (Belgium)
Died February 15 2004, aged 21
Suffered an apparent heart failure in his sleep. Had reportedly gone to bed early to prepare for an eight-hour training ride.0 -
Let's not forget the wrath wrought on me and others for daring to mention Nolf's and Narcs in the same publishing empire earlier in the year. Cover up, no ,the family managed it for the Pat abd Freddy and every one else who didn't know where to look that week for fear of getting sand kicked in their face by the beached whale bully that is the holier than thou cash cow that is the pro(stituted) peloton.0
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just watching the dauphine climb the Izoard...reminding me of 1989, Fignon chasing a few seconds behind Lemond, Theunisse, Delgado up the stretch they are on now...awesome fight backs he put in!, even post TDF 89 he didn't do the done thing-pack in, won Tour of Holland and rode worlds top 5...hope he fights on like again-good guy.
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I'll second all the above good wishes to Fignon, I remember an interview with him in CycleSport years ago where they got him to go up the Eiffel Tower. He admitted he'd never been up as he is a Parisian and in the photos you could see the white knuckles as he gripped the handrail..0
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These are pretty good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbPKMclFByY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOSh340P ... re=relatedFckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.0 -
It's very sad news.
Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest remission rates, partly because it doesn't start showing symptoms until it is well advanced, I gather. The next few months will not be nice. I wish him good luck - fight the b@stard, Mr Fignon.Head Hands Heart Lungs Legs0 -
pottssteve wrote:It's very sad news.
Pancreatic cancer has one of the lowest remission rates, partly because it doesn't start showing symptoms until it is well advanced, I gather. The next few months will not be nice. I wish him good luck - fight the b@stard, Mr Fignon.
Very true. Just lost a friend to pancreatic cancer and it's a b@stard. Lasted about two months after diagnosis. Very sad news, but we can only hope that he gives it a good kicking. Allez Laurent!!0 -
iainf72 wrote:
damn shame I can't figure out how to watch these...the state filters all youtube content out in China :roll:
Was just thinking...Fignon in 1988-89 must be the only rider in the past 20 years who's podiumed in TDF, bagged Giro in the same 12 months as podiumed in mounment cobbled classics..Paris Roubaix and also Milan San Remo.....could you imagine softies like LA and Indurain attempting to win Paris roubaix or Milan sanremo...not a chance !!! I guess we will never see riders like him again0 -
When I was a boy my dad who was a cyclist and Francophile would take us to France every year. One year he took us to watch a criterium in which Fignon took part. I have some photos of him taken no more than a few inches away and I thik my brother has his autograph. My dad died of pancreatic cancer about 2 years ago and it was painful to watch a man who ran marathons and cycled regularly die a slow and unpleasant death. I think the survival rate is something like 2%. My heart really goes out to his family.0
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Dave_1 wrote:just watching the dauphine climb the Izoard...reminding me of 1989, Fignon chasing a few seconds behind Lemond, Theunisse, Delgado up the stretch they are on now...awesome fight backs he put in!, even post TDF 89 he didn't do the done thing-pack in, won Tour of Holland and rode worlds top 5...hope he fights on like again-good guy.
It is not good for him and like others I hope he can come out of it but there must be some doubt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ride Daily, Keep Healthy0 -
I see the Moderator has done the hoovering.0
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If you are able to watch French tv, Laurent is inteviewed about his illness and forthcoming book this evening (Sunday) during France TF1 programme Sept a Huit. Approx time is 1845-1950 CET or 1745-1850 UK
http://www.tf1.fr/sept-a-huit/sommaire/sommaire-de-l-emission-du-14-juin-2009-4441899.html0 -
can an anyone give a translation of parts , he mentions Columbia and cocaine and also Hinault in another part, but can't get it fully
http://videos.tf1.fr/sept-a-huit/fignon ... 42116.html0 -
He's got colon cancer it's not certain that it has spread to the pancreas yet.
Columbia: he took cocaine during this race, "how do you avoid taking this during the race, the event was supervised by the drug barons".
1989 Tour de France: "there's not been a week where someone hasn't reminded me of my 8 second loss", "it helped me much more to lose that race because people talk about me".
Amphetamines: for riding during the criteriums where there were no controls and riders would take them for partying in the evenings.
Hinault: "I never had the class of Hinault, Bernard was much better than me".
Festina: "I knew EPO was circulating but I didn't realise the scale".
It's all coincided with the release of a biographical book in which he makes reference to his doping but sadly the French media have latched onto this, the classic cycling=doping formula once again. There's something to be discussed here but his illness is a seperate matter but of course "49 year old man diagnosed with cancer" is not the same.0 -
Kléber wrote:He's got colon cancer it's not certain that it has spread to the pancreas yet.
Columbia: he took cocaine during this race, "how do you avoid taking this during the race, the event was supervised by the drug barons".
1989 Tour de France: "there's not been a week where someone hasn't reminded me of my 8 second loss", "it helped me much more to lose that race because people talk about me".
Amphetamines: for riding during the criteriums where there were no controls and riders would take them for partying in the evenings.
Hinault: "I never had the class of Hinault, Bernard was much better than me".
Festina: "I knew EPO was circulating but I didn't realise the scale".
It's all coincided with the release of a biographical book in which he makes reference to his doping but sadly the French media have latched onto this, the classic cycling=doping formula once again. There's something to be discussed here but his illness is a seperate matter but of course "49 year old man diagnosed with cancer" is not the same.
Kleber, thanks very much for the translation,much appreciated. I thought he absolutely had pancreatic cancer...hope not...as that's the real bad one...colon cancer better remission chances??0
