Closest TdFs ever

pomtarr
pomtarr Posts: 318
edited April 2010 in Pro race
I'm reading Graeme Fife's book "Tour de France; the History, the Legend, the Riders" and he points out this pattern (chapter 4 in case you're interested):

1947: Robic wins the Tour by 3' 58" on the final stage, having been 2' 58" down on Brambilla at the start of the stage and having never been in yellow throughout that Tour.

>> Fast forward 21 years >>

1968: Jan Janssen wins the Tour by 38" on the final stage having been 16" down on Van Springel at the start of the stage and having never been in yellow throughout that Tour.

>> Fast forward another 21 years >>

1989: Greg LeMond wins by 8" on the final stage having been 50" down on Fignon at the start of the stage, the smallest TdF winning margin ever.

>> Fast forward yet another 21 years >>

2010: Who knows?! :shock: I for one can't wait though!
"Difficult, difficult, lemon difficult"

Comments

  • dulldave
    dulldave Posts: 949
    <ignore if you hate football>

    This reminds me of a post I started a few years back on Singletrack about Liverpool winning the European Cup the year prince charles got married, along with Ken and Deirdre Barlow on Corrie, and Wales also won the grand slam. The same events were happening in 2005 and I posted after the quarter finals suggesting that fate was pointing toward a repeat win for Liverpool.

    Liverpool couldn't buy a win in the Premiership (bruce grobbelaar had long since retired) so everyone but Liverpool fans said it was impossible. The Liverpool fans got all superstitious and asked me to post this up on the day of the remaining ties. I did this and every time, non-Liverpool fans ripped the p1ss only to eat their words after the game.

    Come the final, I dutifully created a new post yet again stating this coincidence and left it to go and watch the game. Milan went 3-0 up but in the 2nd half Liverpool scored 3 goals in 6 minutes. They then won in a penalty shoot-out.

    It was fun to go back to the thread and read through it. Some people were obviously posting up whilst watching the game.

    <OK come back if you hate football>

    So what d'you reckon 3 or 4 seconds? I'm presuming Contador will have crashed out on the cobbles and lost a bucket of time if this is going to happen.
    Scottish and British...and a bit French
  • RichN95.
    RichN95. Posts: 27,241
    Pomtarr - all of those last stages that you've mentioned were time-trials, which haven't been done on the last stage since 1989. Up to the second last stage and you would have a point.
    Twitter: @RichN95
  • takethehighroad
    takethehighroad Posts: 6,811
    <Avoid if you hate football>
    That's kinda like the people who were saying at World Cup 2002 that England hadn't beat Argentina since 1966 so they were bound to win.

    <Right now come back>

    Contador would have to have some serious bad luck to make this year's Tour anyhting but a walkover.
  • pomtarr
    pomtarr Posts: 318
    I know I know, don't get me wrong, I'm not superstitious at all and I know a Contador whitewash is the most likely scenario...... but you just never know....

    @RichN95, 1968 and 1989 final stages were TTs, but the 1947 final stage was not.
    "Difficult, difficult, lemon difficult"
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    pomtarr wrote:
    I know I know, don't get me wrong, I'm not superstitious at all and I know a Contador whitewash is the most likely scenario...... but you just never know....

    @RichN95, 1968 and 1989 final stages were TTs, but the 1947 final stage was not.

    Yep Robic attacked on a small climb iirc and went on to take enough time out out of Brambilla to win overall.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • moray_gub
    moray_gub Posts: 3,328
    TakeTheHighRoad wrote:
    <Avoid if you hate football>
    That's kinda like the people who were saying at World Cup 2002 that England hadn't beat Argentina since 1966 so they were bound to win.

    <Right now come back>

    Contador would have to have some serious bad luck to make this year's Tour anyhting but a walkover.

    +1

    hope i am wrong but i cant see anything but a snoozefest for overall this year.
    Gasping - but somehow still alive !
  • deejay
    deejay Posts: 3,138
    pomtarr wrote:
    1989: Greg LeMond wins by 8" on the final stage having been 50" down on Fignon at the start of the stage, the smallest TdF winning margin ever.

    2010: Who knows?! :shock: I for one can't wait though!
    !989 the one that was won by New Technology only.
    I still feel just as Sick as the French do. (did you say Level playing field)

    2010, and do you think the old fella is going to be as close as Fignon was or maybe you think he might do another Lemond then.
    I can't see this year being close at all. tararaboom,de,a.
    Organiser, National Championship 50 mile Time Trial 1972
  • DaveyL
    DaveyL Posts: 5,167
    deejay wrote:
    pomtarr wrote:
    1989: Greg LeMond wins by 8" on the final stage having been 50" down on Fignon at the start of the stage, the smallest TdF winning margin ever.

    2010: Who knows?! :shock: I for one can't wait though!
    !989 the one that was won by New Technology only.
    I still feel just as Sick as the French do. (did you say Level playing field)

    2010, and do you think the old fella is going to be as close as Fignon was or maybe you think he might do another Lemond then.
    I can't see this year being close at all. tararaboom,de,a.

    I believe Lemond had already used the aero bars earlier in the Tour, and possibly also in the Giro that year. The benefits were evident but Fignon chose not to use them, perhaps trusting in his DS who thought they were no good.
    Le Blaireau (1)
  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    DaveyL wrote:

    I believe Lemond had already used the aero bars earlier in the Tour, and possibly also in the Giro that year. The benefits were evident but Fignon chose not to use them, perhaps trusting in his DS who thought they were no good.

    He'd used them twice in the Tour before then. 7-11 had used them in Giro.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • Smokin Joe
    Smokin Joe Posts: 2,706
    Fignon also went with a front disc wheel, who knows how much that cost him?
  • greasedscotsman
    greasedscotsman Posts: 6,962
    Smokin Joe wrote:
    Fignon also went with a front disc wheel, who knows how much that cost him?

    And a pony-tail :D
  • Garry H
    Garry H Posts: 6,639
    greasedscotsman wrote:
    Smokin Joe wrote:
    Fignon also went with a front disc wheel, who knows how much that cost him?

    And a pony-tail :D

    My calculations suggest that the pony-tail cost him 9 seconds :wink:

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