Eddy B . as his coach?

Rightttttttttt

Yes the sprint was Kelly’s specialty, proving LeMonds true strength….

@@garyallen4313 Kelly said he was under geared for the tail wind in the final sprint.

And you could see their faces instead of bloody helmets and sunglasses. You must have seen the 1986 TDF dual between Lemond and Bernard Hinault , I think they are on the Alp d'huez, look it up if you haven't seen it.

Bad ass? Or plain stupid?

They are all professionals showing off their craft. 100% badass.

@@frederiklundberg3883 Plain stupid...

@Rich Rutledge go watch a sport where people get your level of brain damage

@Mr MERCEDES this is what happens when you don't wear a helmet

And clean most agree on, and he was also a critic of ARmstrong.. SO maybe we are watching the best cyclist the world has ever seen.

Yes LeMond was super strong at the finish…

@Robert , Kelly said in a few 1994 interviews at his retirement that he chose too low a final gear when he was training on the course the day before the race. As a result, he couldn't outsprint Lemond.

You are rigth, iwas 10 years old, i rember exatly those champions.

they were indeed m8 they were indeed

Was at 1982 Worlds at Goodwood and still have a treasured Swiss Team bottle given to me while they waited in the pits for the start. That memory is beyond money but means nothing too anyone else , that's what makes it so special . My first taste of carbo fuel but no bike with me. 😀

😂😂 the man was god awful, whatever about the 80s, listening to him in the 90s and 00s and how absolutely gutless he was to never call out the obvious

Yes. It is going to suck when he can no longer broadcast cycling. He is slipping for sure but his voice is magic.

Some people are never happy judging by the replies, I agree with you about Phil Ligget , is easily the best cycling commentator and I love the fact that even often referred to Eddy Merckx as "The great Eddy Merckx'. Is not necessarily his job to call out Armstrong, is always the case with abusers, they leave the uncomfortable job to everyone else hence the reason the get away with it.

But you gotta love Sean Kelly, coming out of nowhere for 2nd.

first american doper

@@danjo1967 Proof?

Don’t forget Bob Roll!

@@danjo1967 If you mean riding with a chest full of shot-gun pellets, I guess. Lemond was clean.

Great race. Unfortunately, Drebber couldn't pronounce the other French rider's name (Claveyrolet (sp?)) correctly, even when Liggett did so repeatedly.

@@osimnod admittedly, he had a bit of a diction problem that he made up for with enthusiasm and knowledge.

R.I.P. Brian Drebber 😪😪😪😪😪🚲🚲🚲🚲🚲🏍🏍🏍🏍🍺🍺🍺 my friend and great announcer

Poor Steve Bauer “Mr Bad Luck”

Are by any other rider in that regard !

That's very true... But at the time i didn't want Sean Kelly to lose either. But there can only be one eventual winner sadly in sport, and it can be a hard pill somewhat to swallow when you don't want neither one to lose.

@@BuffaloBuffalo-uc6zp Dont know if you follow boxing but I think it was like that when Sugar Ray Leonard fought Marvellous Marvin Hagler, toe to toe action, I think it was around 1990 so not long after Lemond's victory. Sean Kelly sure was a tough nut rider, loads of victories in the spring classics obviously.

@@pinarellolimoncello Always very nice to hear from an Italian person. !

@@BuffaloBuffalo-uc6zp Sorry to disappoint , am just from England, where are you Canada or USA? My user name just stemmed from a nutty neighbour that was raving over the limoncello from the local super market, being a big cycling fan I couldn't help but pull his leg and say there was an Italian bicycle called a Pinarello Limoncello, he lapped it up. Unable to collect Italian women and cars , I do however collect Italian bicycles, it is a beautiful sport.

A very nice tribute, and touching on the finer points of a great athlete and cyclist as we know him to be..The unforgettable and unreplacable the one and only Lauren fignon. !

Fignon was a one of a kind rider, a climber, a sprinter, and a excellent time trailist, he was an all a rounder just like LeMond!!! Long live the memories of Laurent Fignon!!!! RIP

Shut up

They used even more drugs back in the 80s you idiot

..No "water carriers" in those days ....

I met Kelly when he was doing a sponsor tour through the US. He said that he was under geared on the final sprint with the wind and could not come by Greg. Once he realized he could not win he shut down and got passed by the Russian.

Especially Kelly. Usually the strongest in a situation like this.

Kelly was probably pretty beat after closing the gap right before that last big effort too. He came out of nowhere at the end there. That alone was pretty impressive.

Little bit of history for you but you know Stephen Roche, Hinault and Merckx all won the Giro, Tour and World's in same year, I think there may be one other rider too but cant think who. Lemond up there with the best of the best though no doubting that, love him.

has it? i feel everything is still the same. rear derailleur design haven't changed since the 1950s.

Conor Williams well said

No change all still doping

yep! today's cycling is nothing but lab and technology! Big cheaters have been accepted by the UCI!

@Christy Dolan Lemond was respected by the French because he spoke French and raced for a French team early in his career. Fignon was always seen by the French as someone a little aloof and detached. I never felt Greg was in danger, it is just the nature of the press in Europe

The motors were their legs.

@Christy Dolan More like Sean Kelly made a tactical choice with his bike cassette and guessed wrong Hindsight is 20-20

+Sawdust Caesar....I was actually there for the entire 1989 WC road races. [I had moved to Chambery to stay with my French girlfriend]. I had watched the Tour de France a few weeks earlier as it came through Aix-les-Bains and Chambery [which was one of my favourite training rides!] then waited expectantly for the Worlds as they were being held in my adopted 'home' town. In fact, I rode the course many times and have to say it was pretty brutal - especially that last climb [where Lemond bridges up to Fignon]. But to make matters worse the weather was atrocious that Sunday. Oddly enough, it was baking hot for the juniors race the day before - with many riders abandoning due to the heat! But by Sunday the weather had completely changed and from early morning onwards there was a black ominous sky and soon a torrential downpour which persisted most of the day. There are a number of things that stand out - not least the brave effort of Dimitri Konyshev, who easily could have been the star of the race. He was so close and even after being in the breakaway most of the day, still had the strength to take second. He was a neo-pro at that time and a bit of a party animal by all accounts, but he won the hearts of the partisan crowd for his amazing ride that day. But the biggest star was Greg Lemond - who had such determination and probably wanted to win more than anyone else. [remember he just come back from the tragic shooting accident that had nearly ended his career and no team would touch him]. He washed up on the relatively minor ADR squad - and was on a mission to prove to everyone that he was still a force. He had won the TDF [with little or no team support] and winning the Worlds would be the icing on the cake. Something that's not very well known is that because of the heavy rains, the final twisty, technical descent became absolutely treacherous. Many riders had come off on one or more of the near hairpin bends and one was Greg Lemond. himself. Although he quickly remounted he soon discovered that his bike was damaged - but has there wasn't the levels of service support in those days compared to now, Lemond didn't want to stop as he knew he wouldn't be able to make up the gap. As a result Lemond rode the last two laps with a badly buckled front wheel! [I later heard from several spectators around the course that his wheel was so badly buckled that it was catching on the brakes and Lemond had had to release them!] Imagine descending at possibly 70kph+ on a really technical fast decent with no front brakes and with a virtual river of rain water as the only contact you had with the road! Ever since that day, I have always admired Greg Lemond - and feel his 'comeback' in 1989 didn't really receive the recognition it deserved. [although to be fair, he became the first 'million dollar' rider in history when he signed for Z-Peugeot a few months later!] He went on to win two more TDF's before eventually succumbing to the scourge of EPO-fueled riders whose numbers had grown exponentially in the early 1990's. He has one of the leading anti-drug advocates and his confrontations and disgusting treatment at the hands of the sociopathic Lance Armstrong - bear testimony to his dignity and character. I feel privileged to have seen him in person that day whilst he was still at his peak and can honestly say - he was a truly astonishing and gifted rider. Chapeau Greg!

Cool story with some great insights, thanks for sharing!

@@thesoultwins72 Long read, but I appreciate your insight, I wish I had the same privilege to watch it in person too. Than you for sharing

Get a life, dickhead..............

I met Kelly when he was doing a sponsor tour through the US. He said that he was under geared on the final sprint with the wind and could not come by Greg. Once he realized he could not win he shut down and got passed by the Russian.

@@jaycahow4667 very rare for lemond to lead out the sprint and win too

He won 2x Tours, 2x Milano-Sanremo plus a Giro he did ok for himself.

Buffalo 66 Buffalo 66 word. That finale was a who’s who of the top riders of that time. Epic finish. Priceless video. So glad it’s here.

It was also great that they continue attacking and counter-attacking until the last corner. These days they just wait...

lol it was all atrocious back then

Here's my analysis of what I could make out based on the condition of the video. Kelly initiated his attack in the sprint too early and could have taken advantage of the draft from Greg for a little longer to come around Greg with a big final kick. Maybe he initiated his attack when he did as a reaction to the 2 riders trailing closely behind in case they might have taken advantage and come around both Kelly and Lemond to block Kelly and drop him back to 4th position. It also looks like Kelly chose a lower gear ratio than Lemond for the sprint and was spinning his legs by the end which prevented his ability to produce a final kick in the sprint to get past Lemond. Whereas, it looks like Lemond had a higher gear ratio and could initiate a kick of power at the finish. Lemond showing that he is a champion all-rounder and master tactician.

@@groundswell3673 thank you! Great analysis. Just like Roche in '87, Lemond could walk on the water in 89. 😊

@@groundswell3673 Someone else in the comments talked to Kelly later and that’s exactly what Kelly said: he chose a freewheel that didn’t have enough top end and was under geared for the sprint. You nailed it.

Steve M. Is wearing a helmet like wearing shin guards at the professional level? Kinda optional

@@jamesbunda806 it was then. It's mandatory now bc someone died after a crash in 1995.

@@JDGreen-vj7wx yes when Fabio Castarelli died in 1995 it became mandatory to wear the helmet on the flat and the descent of a 4th category or higher rated downhill of a race. Cyclists had the option of not wearing them uphill to allow for comfort purposes. However, when Andrei Kiviliv was killed in 2003, the UCI made helmets fully mandatory and made sure the race officials enforced it.

That was design/manufacturing prowess on display there when it should have been utilitarianism.

I tried them , they were complete crap .

To be fair this was not live coverage

@Broc felix I had three sets. Loved them

It's most likely a magnetic speedometer; they were pretty bulky back in the day!

@@KOMTVcyclingprobably one of the old Sachs Huret multimeters that mounted low on the fork.

I love your comment! LeMond was truly on of the greats and a 100% class act, always!

saberXedge and clean.

Yeah, I like that they attack and counter-attack until the end and not just sit it out.

That's like saying anyone can run or jump or throw Not everyone can do it well though