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The Nailbiting Sprint Finish at the 1989 Worlds
Greg Lemond
Greg LeMond is one of the most accomplished and influential figures in professional cycling history, celebrated for both his athletic achievements and his role in transforming the sport. Born on June 26, 1961, in Lakewood, California, LeMond became the first American to win the Tour de France, achieving this landmark victory in 1986 as a member of the La Vie Claire team. That win was particularly significant, not only for its historical importance but also for the internal team rivalry it highlighted with French teammate Bernard Hinault. LeMond’s aggressive, attacking style and mastery of time trials quickly established him as a dominant force on the international stage.
In 1987, LeMond’s career was nearly cut short when he was accidentally shot in a hunting accident, suffering life-threatening injuries that required multiple surgeries. After a long and uncertain recovery, he returned to racing and staged one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. In 1989, he won his second Tour de France by just 8 seconds over Laurent Fignon—the closest margin in the race’s history—thanks to a legendary final-stage time trial. That same year, LeMond also won the UCI Road World Championship in Chambéry, France, making him one of only a few riders in history to win both the Tour and the Worlds in the same year. He claimed his third Tour de France title in 1990, riding for the Z–Tomasso team.
Lemond is one of only three riders to win the Tour three times (1986, 1989 and 1990). Beyond his victories, LeMond was a pioneer in equipment innovation, notably being one of the first to use aerodynamic handlebars and carbon fiber bikes in elite competition. He retired from professional cycling in 1994 due to a muscle condition later identified as mitochondrial myopathy. In retirement, he became an outspoken advocate for clean sport and was one of the earliest high-profile critics of doping within the peloton. LeMond was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1996 and remains a respected figure in the cycling community through his business ventures and advocacy.
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Sean Kelly
“On his best form there is nothing you can do against Kelly: he climbs better than the best climbers and sprints better than the best sprinters.”
—Greg LeMond offered this assessment of Sean Kelly in 1986.
Sean Kelly was one of the most successful riders of the 1980s and is widely regarded as one of the greatest Classics specialists in the sport’s history. Turning professional in 1977, Kelly amassed 193 career victories before retiring in 1994. In the Tour de France, he won the points classification (known as the green jersey) four times—in 1982, 1983, 1985, and 1989—becoming the first rider to achieve this feat. He also finished fourth overall in the 1985 Tour and claimed five stage wins during his career. In the Vuelta a España, Kelly won the overall title in 1988, along with 16 stage wins and four points classification victories, matching his total from the Tour de France.
Kelly also excelled in week-long stage races, claiming a record seven consecutive titles at Paris–Nice, as well as overall victories in the Tour de Suisse, Volta a Catalunya, Critérium International, and Tour of the Basque Country. In 1989, he won the inaugural UCI Road World Cup.
He dominated many of cycling’s most prestigious one-day races, including nine victories in the Monuments: Milan–San Remo, Paris–Roubaix, Liège–Bastogne–Liège, and the Giro di Lombardia. The only Monument he never won was the Tour of Flanders, where he placed second three times. Other notable wins include the Grand Prix des Nations.
On the world stage, Kelly earned bronze medals at the UCI Road World Championships in 1982 and 1989 and finished fifth in 1987, the year fellow Irishman Stephen Roche took gold. When the FICP world rankings were introduced in March 1984, Kelly became the first cyclist to be ranked World No. 1—a position he held for an unprecedented five consecutive years. His 1984 season alone saw him collect 33 victories, underscoring his status as a dominant force in professional cycling.
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