The Greatest Tour de France Finish
Finishing strong is the only respectable way to finish
Many people consider the 1989 Tour de France not just the most competitive edition of the race…but also the greatest.
It was an epic comeback story for the ages as never before, and never since, had the world’s premier bike event been decided in its final moments.
Here’s the backstory…
The Tour de France is one of the toughest most grueling races in the world. 138 racers take 21 days to cover over 2000 miles.
Going into the final leg on the final day…US cyclist Greg LeMond was 50 seconds behind the leader, Laurent Fignon
50 seconds was considered by the experts to be an insurmountable lead.
The distance of the final leg, from Versailles to Paris at 24.5 kilometers was considered to be too short, the experts said; the course which was slightly downhill was too easy; and the time to make up — 50 seconds — was just too great.
It was viewed by everyone as being absolutely impossible to overcome. Well that is to everyone EXCEPT Greg LeMond.
“Impossible is not a fact, it’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration, it’s a dare.” Muhammad Ali
It would have been easy for LeMond to give up, to listen to the voices of doubt, to surrender the idea of winning…and simply and settle for second place.
Instead, LeMond, did just the opposite…he believed he could win, he took on the an impossible challenge and he rode the race of his life…he chose to dig deep and FINISH STRONG!
LeMond not only overcame the 50 second difference…he went on to win the Tour de France with an 8 second lead.
BY CHOOSING TO FINISH STRONG…he silenced his critics, and rewrote his own legend with a heroic comeback and a magnificent finish.
While he danced in victory on the Champs-Elysees…his defeated competitor sat and wept.
WAIT…THERE’S MORE TO THIS STORY
Pulling off this incredible come from behind victory in a world-class race would guarantee LeMond immortality under any circumstances.
But consider this…Not two years before his big win, LeMond had hovered just minutes from death.
In April 1987, at age 25, LeMond was part of a turkey hunt on his uncle’s California ranch. A family friend mistook him for game and fired, spraying LeMond with 38 shotgun pellets.
He lost over one-third of his blood before rescuers arrived. His massive heart and lungs, once rated at a VO2 max of 93, probably saved him.
SO, how are you going to finish this year?
Are you going to play to win and finish each day strong, are you going to give it everything you’ve got and deliver a magnificent finish…are you going to end on empty?
Or, are you going to hold onto your current strategy and HOPE everything works out?
It’s non-negotiable…you’re going to finish, so why not do the honorable thing and…
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