Laurent Fignon RIP

RichN95.
RichN95. Posts: 27,253
edited October 2010 in Pro race
Apparently French TV have just announced that Laurent Fignon has died.

Confirmed by Le Figaro: http://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/2010/08/31/97001-20100831FILWWW00458-cyclisme-deces-de-laurent-fignon.php
Twitter: @RichN95
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Comments

  • iainf72
    iainf72 Posts: 15,784
    RIP Laurent.

    One of my teenage heroes.
    Fckin' Quintana … that creep can roll, man.
  • FransJacques
    FransJacques Posts: 2,148
    http://www.lexpress.fr/actualite/sport/ ... 16085.html

    Damn. Poor guy, he must have really taken a downturn after the tour where he was commentating right up to Paris on France 2/3. Very sad, but he loved cycling to the end and wanted to be a part of the Tour.

    What he did when he wanted to say something was to tap the show's host on the elbow since his voice was so frail he wasn't able to break in "a haute voix". The host would then turn the 'parole' over to Fignon. He was able to talk for a couple minutes on end, but would sometimes crack. I must say he sounded like an ill man, but the tumours were so large they were impeding his larynx and throat.

    Best wishes to his wife and kids.
    When a cyclist has a disagreement with a car; it's not who's right, it's who's left.
  • davesvord
    davesvord Posts: 80
    Such ashame, loved seeing him race.

    Just read his book and highly recommended to all.
  • andyp
    andyp Posts: 10,549
    RIP Laurent.

    A fantastic bike rider and a courageous man.
  • dave milne
    dave milne Posts: 703
    RIP
  • all show no go
    all show no go Posts: 542
    RIP Laurent.

    A hero of mine and my generation.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qp2cXFO ... re=related
    Let's close our eyes and see what happens
  • afx237vi
    afx237vi Posts: 12,630
    That's terrible news. His era was a bit before I became interested in cycling, but from everything I read, he was obviously a great rider but also a great man too. RIP and sympathies to his family and friends.
  • TommyEss
    TommyEss Posts: 1,855
    Just saw this - very sad indeed.

    RIP Monsieur.
    Cannondale Synapse 105, Giant Defy 3, Giant Omnium, Giant Trance X2, EMC R1.0, Ridgeback Platinum, On One Il Pompino...
  • Gazzetta67
    Gazzetta67 Posts: 1,890
    Cycling has lost a true great at a very early age

    A Real hero of mine in the 80`s - His attacking style was a joy to watch.

    God rest his soul.
  • NervexProf
    NervexProf Posts: 4,202
    edited August 2010
    A Gallic giant of courage, stoic and a true professional.

    So many memories, notably his graciousness in defeat by 8 seconds in the 1989 Tour.

    He will be sadly missed in the peleton.

    My sympathies to his family and friends.
    Common sense in an uncommon degree is what the world calls wisdom
  • Gazzaputt
    Gazzaputt Posts: 3,227
    Awful news.

    RIP
  • victorponf
    victorponf Posts: 1,187
    So sorry for him and family

    Descanse en paz
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  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    Sad sad news.

    600636-01-09.jpg

    1983LaurentFignon.jpg

    laurent-fignon2.jpg

    49756_une-fignon.jpg
  • Monty Dog
    Monty Dog Posts: 20,614
    A loss for our great sport - a true champion
    Make mine an Italian, with Campagnolo on the side..
  • LangerDan
    LangerDan Posts: 6,132
    Sad, sad news - one of the greats, a battler who even at the end continued to "rage against the dying of the light"

    Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis


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  • Philip S
    Philip S Posts: 398
    Very sad news.

    He was one of the first great cyclists I became aware of. It was always good to hear his full and frank views on the sport.

    RIP
  • jimmythecuckoo
    jimmythecuckoo Posts: 4,718
    Terrible news RIP Laurent.
    http://fendrieneu.home.blog
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  • Greggyr
    Greggyr Posts: 1,075
    afx237vi Posted: 31 Aug 2010 12:06 Post subject:

    That's terrible news. His era was a bit before I became interested in cycling, but from everything I read, he was obviously a great rider but also a great man too. RIP and sympathies to his family and friends.


    +1
  • morstar
    morstar Posts: 6,190
    A sad, sad day.

    RIP
  • calvjones
    calvjones Posts: 3,850
    Shitfire. What a loss.
    ___________________

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  • schweiz
    schweiz Posts: 1,644
    RIP 'Le Professeur'

    You provided some of my earliest and best memories of cycling.
    VN BMC Cube SS
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  • ketsbaia
    ketsbaia Posts: 1,718
    RIP Laurent. :cry:
    One more gear

    Strava profile
  • bilirubin
    bilirubin Posts: 225
    This guy was one of the reasons I took up road biking, my thoughts go out to his family and friends.

    RIP Laurent
  • blazing_saddles
    blazing_saddles Posts: 22,725
    So sad. This year's Tour was his swan song.
    He was battling, right to the end.
    "Science is a tool for cheaters". An anonymous French PE teacher.
  • sonny73
    sonny73 Posts: 2,203
    RIP Laurent Fignon, the first hero of pro cycling for me too. Legend, cool and a truely superb rider... you will be missed.
  • greeny12
    greeny12 Posts: 759
    I was in France for some of the latter stages of the Tour so I got to hear the Great Man for a final time. Even with my fairly poor French I could tell his insight was sharp as a tack even though his voice was f*cked.

    "Legend" gets bandied about all too readily, but here we had the Real Thing.

    RIP Laurent.
    My cycle racing blog: http://cyclingapprentice.wordpress.com/

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  • sonny73
    sonny73 Posts: 2,203
    greeny12 wrote:
    I was in France for some of the latter stages of the Tour so I got to hear the Great Man for a final time. Even with my fairly poor French I could tell his insight was sharp as a tack even though his voice was f*cked.

    "Legend" gets bandied about all too readily, but here we had the Real Thing.

    RIP Laurent.

    I was in the Alps for the stages there and watched it in on TV too, my French isn't that good and I wondered who the chap with the husky voice was, I asume that was Fignon?
  • Neil McC
    Neil McC Posts: 625
    Very sad news. RIP Laurent.
  • disquieting_museeuws
    disquieting_museeuws Posts: 601
    Arguably one of the last Great Champions, rode the same aggressive race whether on the cols or the cobbles. The 8 seconds from 1989 seem pretty unimportant now.
  • micron
    micron Posts: 1,843
    Laurent Fignon is the top trending topic on twitter worldwide - Allez Fignon!!

    Can't believe it, I feel so gutted - agree with Greeny, he was the real deal and so stylish on the bike - and a brilliant commentator too, thought to hear him rasp through the Tour was heartbreaking

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