1989 Tour de France
Encyclopedia
The 1989 Tour de France was the 76th Tour de France
, a race of 21 stages and a prologue, over 3285 km in total. In the closest tour in history, Greg LeMond
was behind by 50 seconds at the start of the final stage, a time trial into Paris. LeMond rode for an average speed of 54.55 km/h (34.52 mph), the second fastest time trial ever ridden in the Tour de France. He made up 58 seconds on Laurent Fignon
, to win the race by 8 seconds. LeMond and Fignon occupied the top two places between them from early in the race. The two men were never separated by more than 53 seconds throughout the race.
There were two transfers. The first was from Wasquehal to Dinard on a rest day in between stages 4 and 5. The second was between L'Isle d'Abeau and Versailles after the finish of the penultimate stage. The second rest day was after the mountain time trial stage 15. The race ended on July 23rd.
The race started outside of France, specifically in Luxembourg before then transiting through the Wallonia region of Belgium. The route then took an anti clockwise circuit through France visiting the Pyrenees prior to the Alps. The race consisted of 7 mountain stages, 2 Pyrenean and 5 Alpine. In total there was 5 time trials including the prologue, 1 team time trial, 1 mountain time trial and 2 individual flat stage time trials. Unusually the last of the time trials was held on the last stage of the race as opposed to the usual penultimate stage of the race. This was the race's first last day time trial since the 1972 Tour de France
.
The white jersey was not awarded to the leader of the Young rider classification
, although the classification was still held.
There was also 2 future winners in the line up who had not yet won the race at that point in their careers:-
Greg Lemond was destined to collect a third victory courtesy of the 1990 Tour de France
.
: Wildcard teams
third with all three finishing six seconds behind the winner on the day, Erik Breukink
.
Stages 1 and 2 were held on the same day. Breukink held yellow for only 1 day. Acacio da Silva
won stage 1 and became the first Portuguese to wear the yellow jersey. Fignon dropped to fifth for a day, the lowest position he would occupy on the leaderboard throughout the race. He was 2 mins 37 behind the yellow jersey.
The stage 2 team trial was won by the team of one the year's principle contenders, the Super U team of Laurent Fignon. LeMond's ADR team finished the stage fifth 51 seconds behind Fignon's team. This was to be LeMond's team mates' greatest contribution as Lemond's effort in the mountains, unlike his rivals, were characterised by his team mates having insufficient climbing ability to offer support. Delgado lost more time on stage 2 as his team finished last in the time trial at 4 mins and 32 secs behind the winning time of Fignon's team. After 2 days of racing, if last placed Delgado was to take yellow he would have to make up over seven minutes on Fignon with the then world ranked #1 well placed in 4th in the General Classification (GC).
Stage 3 was won by Raul Alcala
of the team who produced three stage winners who would finish in the race's top eight, PDM. Added to these three would be the man to finish in 9th overall and was rewarded with the green jersey for the consistency of his stage finishes, Sean Kelly. LeMond was placed fifteenth in the GC at this point, the lowest position he would occupy in the '89 tour. He was 3 mins 28 behind the yellow jersey.
In the Stage 5 time trial, LeMond surprised again by winning it and taking the yellow jersey by five seconds as leader of the General Classification. Da Silva had held yellow for four days. Delgado placed second on the stage 24 seconds behind with Fignon in third a further 32 seconds behind Delgado in the stage. This trio, three of the four previous winners to start the race, would end the race occupying the podium places. The other former winner in the race, Stephen Roche, placed 11th in the time trial. The race synthesised into LeMond and Fignon jousting for yellow with the top two positions in the GC occupied from now until the end of the race by these two men. Throughout the race they were never more than 53 secs apart in the GC. Delgado was battling to try to regain the time he lost in Luxembourg and was still some time away from moving into the top 3 in the GC. LeMond was thrilled to have won the jersey and was hoping just to remain competitive in the Tour.
Stage 6 proved unremarkable to the main classifications but produced a human interest story. 27 year old French domestique Joel Pelier
had never been watched in his pro career by his parents who were dedicated to caring for Pelier's severely disabled sibling who needed constant attention. Pelier's parents made arrangements to watch stage 6 from near the finish line to which Pelier responded with an attempted lone breakaway. Pelier held out to win the stage by 1 minute and 34 seconds. He rode on his own for 4 and a 1/2 hours through wind and rain for 102 of the stage's 161 miles. It was the then second longest breakway in Tour de France history after Albert Bourlon
in 1947 and since surpassed by Thierry Marie
. On the podium for the day's presentations a tear drenched Pelier was seen on television saying, "Mon per, mon per". "This win is so special to me because today is the first time that my mother and father have seen me in the Tour de France,’ said Pelier.
The second of the Pyrenean stages saw Delgado in a three man breakaway with Scot Robert Millar
and Frenchman Charly Mottet
. Millar took the Superbagnères
stage win in a 2 man sprint finish with Delgado. Fignon crossed the line in seventh place 3 mins 26 seconds behind Delgado and 12 seconds ahead of LeMond two places further back. This was enough for Fignon to take the yellow jersey from LeMond by seven seconds. Delgado's two top three finishes in the Pyrenees moved him up to fourth overall. He had gained 4 minutes on the yellow jersey from the tour's first two mountain stages and was 2 mins 53 behind Fignon. Third place at this juncture was occupied by Mottet.
bicentenary was won in Marseilles with a one man breakaway by Frenchman, Vincent Barteau
. Barteau was a surprise holder of the yellow jersey at the 1984 Tour de France
for 12 days. In 1984, Barteau eventually surrendered the jersey to Laurent Fignon, who won the race. Barteau's career went into a major tailspin following the 1984 race. The stage 13 victory in 1989 marked a redemption of sorts for Barteau.
Merlette once again in the yellow jersey. The time trial itself that day was won by a PDM rider, Dutchman Steven Rooks
. Delgado crossed the line 49 seconds behind in fourth to regain further time on his 2 main rivals. LeMond placed fifth on the day a further 12 seconds behind Delgado and 47 seconds ahead of Fignon who placed 10th on the stage. Thus LeMond was ahead by 40 seconds.
LeMond increased his lead on Fignon by 13 seconds in stage 16 to Briançon
, France's highest altitude town. Delgado finished in the same group as LeMond. The 53 second GC lead LeMond had over Fignon was the biggest gap between the two riders at any point in the race. Unlike the three previous mountain stages, Delgado gained no ground on the yellow jersey.
The stage 17 finish at L'Alpe d'Huez
, well established as the blue riband of the mountain stages, was won this year by a lone breakaway ride by another PDM rider, Gert-Jan Theunisse
of the Netherlands. Delgado and Fignon crossed the line together in second and third 1 min 19 secs ahead of fifth placed LeMond for Fignon to regain the yellow jersey with a lead overall of 26 seconds. Delgado, convincing winner the year before, now moved into third at 1 min 55 behind the leader. Also, for the first time in the race he was now within the 2 mins 40 of the yellow jersey that he had lost by missing his starting time on day 1. For Delgado though, this was the last time in the race in which he regained any time on either of the two men ahead of him and represented his high water mark in the race. While he placed second on three stages in this year's race, he failed to win a Tour de France stage for the first time since 1984 when he had been unable to complete the race. Delgado had won back time in four mountain stages as well as in the stage 5 time trial. While the Spaniard would retain his third place to the race's end, he would lose time on the race leaders twice before the podium to eventually finish 3 mins 34 behind yellow. Theunisse's efforts had him now up to fourth in the GC with Mottet slipping from third to fifth.
Fignon took Stage 18 at Villard de Lans extending his lead by a further 24 seconds to 50 seconds with LeMond finishing in the group of five behind Fignon. Delgado lost time on his two main rivals finishing in seventh on the day 12 seconds further back from LeMond. Of the seven mountain stages in the race, this was the only one where Delgado ended the day worse in his challenge to win the yellow jersey than he had been at the start of the stage.
LeMond took the next stage (at Aix-les-Bains
) in a mountain stage where the race's top four overall positioned riders plus Spain's Marino Lejarreta
broke away from the rest of the field. LeMond outsprinted his rivals at the finish to mark the end of the mountains in that years race. Fignon finished second in the stage in the same time as LeMond and still in yellow in the overall classification ahead of LeMond. Delgado at the end of his preferred terrain was placed third in the stage and also in the race overall. Theunisse similarly ended with a 4th place in both the stage and the overall placing with Lejarrata another to end the stage in the position that matched his position in the overall classification, in his case fifth. The stage finish order of LeMond, Fignon, Delgado, Theunisse, Lejarreta was also the order in which that year's tour would end.
in stage 19, which gave him pain and made it impossible to sleep in the night before the time trial.
Although LeMond was riding spectacular individual time trials, many people still felt 50 seconds would be too much to make up. French newspapers had prepared special editions with Fignon on the front page, preparing for his victory. The final stage from Versailles
to Paris was billed as a showdown, but many did not expect LeMond to catch Fignon. On the stage, LeMond innovatively used triathlon handlebars while Fignon rode a conventional bike. LeMond told his team not to give him his time splits as he wanted to ride all-out.
The final time trial was over a course approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) long, with a net elevation loss of 75 metres (247 ft). The riders had a moderate tailwind. LeMond put his bike into a huge 55 x 12 gear. His effort was the fastest individual time trial for a distance longer than 10 km ever ridden. A November 1989 Bicycling Magazine article, supported by wind-tunnel data, estimated that LeMond may have gained 1 minute on Fignon through the use of the new aerobars. He also could have gained 16 seconds by wearing his aero helmet with a slightly elongated tail section for better aerodynamics, while Fignon rode bare-headed with his ponytail exposed to the wind. Fignon did perhaps gain a 5-second advantage by using a disk front wheel, while LeMond used a 24-spoke bladed radially spoked front wheel. Fignon finished third in the final time trial with an average speed of 53.59 kilometres per hour (33.3 mph). Fignon's time 58 seconds slower than LeMond meant LeMond won the 1989 Tour de France by a winning margin of 8 seconds ahead of second placed Fignon.
Another change in the general classification top 10 produced by the time trial was Kelly finishing ninth in the GC overtaking Millar by 21 seconds.
. Fignon and Barteau each had 2 wins with one of these being in the team trial.
All of the decisive racing took place in the time trials and mountain stages. There was no significant changes among the genuine contenders in the plain stages. In the four individual races against the clock, Fignon managed no better against LeMond than matching his time in the prologue. In the other three individual time trials LeMond gained time on his principle rival.
The nation with the greatest number of stage wins was Netherlands with six (Breukink, Nijdam x 2, Mathieu Hermans
, Rooks and Theunisse) The race team to win the most stages was PDM with four (Alcala, Martin Earley
, Rooks and Theunisse).
Fignon spent the most days in the leader's yellow jersey with nine ahead of LeMond's eight. In all during the race the leader changed seven times. The only other two riders to win a spell in yellow that year were Breukink for 1 day after the prologue and then da Silva for the 4 days subsequent to Breukink. Delgado wore yellow on the prologue as the reigning champion.
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
, a race of 21 stages and a prologue, over 3285 km in total. In the closest tour in history, Greg LeMond
Greg LeMond
Gregory James LeMond is a former professional road bicycle racer from the United States and a three-time winner of the Tour de France. He was born in Lakewood, California and raised in Reno, Nevada....
was behind by 50 seconds at the start of the final stage, a time trial into Paris. LeMond rode for an average speed of 54.55 km/h (34.52 mph), the second fastest time trial ever ridden in the Tour de France. He made up 58 seconds on Laurent Fignon
Laurent Fignon
Laurent Patrick Fignon was a French professional road bicycle racer. He won the Tour de France in 1983 and in 1984. He missed winning it a third time, in 1989, by 8 seconds, the closest margin ever to decide the tour. He also won the Giro d'Italia in 1989, after having been the runner-up in 1984,...
, to win the race by 8 seconds. LeMond and Fignon occupied the top two places between them from early in the race. The two men were never separated by more than 53 seconds throughout the race.
Race format
3285 km of racing was scheduled to start on July 1st and divided into 1 prologue followed by 21 stages. The race would last 23 days with 21 racing days and 2 rest days. One day, July 2nd, was scheduled to host 2 stages. These were a plain stage followed later in the day by the team time trial.There were two transfers. The first was from Wasquehal to Dinard on a rest day in between stages 4 and 5. The second was between L'Isle d'Abeau and Versailles after the finish of the penultimate stage. The second rest day was after the mountain time trial stage 15. The race ended on July 23rd.
The race started outside of France, specifically in Luxembourg before then transiting through the Wallonia region of Belgium. The route then took an anti clockwise circuit through France visiting the Pyrenees prior to the Alps. The race consisted of 7 mountain stages, 2 Pyrenean and 5 Alpine. In total there was 5 time trials including the prologue, 1 team time trial, 1 mountain time trial and 2 individual flat stage time trials. Unusually the last of the time trials was held on the last stage of the race as opposed to the usual penultimate stage of the race. This was the race's first last day time trial since the 1972 Tour de France
1972 Tour de France
The 1972 Tour de France was the 59th Tour de France, taking place July 1 to July 22, 1972. It consisted of 20 stages over 3846.6 km, ridden at an average speed of 35.371 km/h. The long awaited clash between Eddy Merckx and Luis Ocaña after Ocaña crashed on Col de Menté in the 1971 Tour de...
.
The white jersey was not awarded to the leader of the Young rider classification
Young rider classification in the Tour de France
-History:From 1968 to 1975, there was a white jersey awarded in the Tour de France to the lead rider in the combination classification . In 1975, this classification was removed, and replaced by the Best Young Rider Classification...
, although the classification was still held.
Competing previous and future winners
The 1989 Tour de France contained four previous winners in the line up of whom three were to be the principle combatants in the race:-- Pedro DelgadoPedro DelgadoPedro Delgado Robledo , also known as Perico, is a Spanish former professional road bicycle racer. He won the 1988 Tour de France, as well as the Vuelta a España in 1985 and 1989....
, age 29, had won the 1988 Tour de France1988 Tour de FranceThe 1988 Tour de France was the 75th Tour de France, taking place from July 4 to July 24, 1988. It consisted of 22 stages over 3281 km, ridden at an average speed of 38.909 km/h...
with a comfortable winning margin of over 7 minutes. He had also placed second overall in the 1987 Tour de France1987 Tour de FranceThe 1987 Tour de France was the 74th Tour de France, taking place from July 1 to July 26, 1987. It consisted of 25 stages over 4231 km, ridden at an average speed of 36.645 km/h...
race when he lost by 40 seconds to Stephen RocheStephen RocheStephen Roche is a retired professional road racing cyclist. In a 13-year professional career, he peaked in 1987, becoming only the second cyclist to win the Triple Crown of victories in the Tour de France and the Giro d'Italia stage races, plus the World road race championship...
, the second narrowest margin of victory in tour history prior to the '89 tour. Delgado had consistently challenged strongly since his first appearance, the 1983 Tour de France1983 Tour de FranceThe 1983 Tour de France was the 70th Tour de France, run from 1 to 22 July 1982 in 22 stages and a prologue, over a total distance of 3862 km., won by French rider Laurent Fignon. Sean Kelly of Ireland won the green jersey, and Lucien Van Impe of Belgium won the polka dot jersey...
. However on two occasions he had to withdraw, once after a crash and once due to his mother's death. Delgado followed his '88 Tour win with more winning form for victory in the 1989 Vuelta a Espana1989 Vuelta a EspañaThe 44th Vuelta a España , a long-distance bicycle stage race and one of the 3 grand tours, was held from April 24 to May 15, 1989. It consisted of 21 stages covering a total of 3656 km, and was won by Pedro Delgado of the Reynolds cycling team.Pedro Delgado had won the previous Tour de France...
seven weeks before the '89 Tour.
- Stephen Roche, age 29, as well as winning the triple crown in '87 of Tour de France, Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'ItaliaThe Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
and World Championship had finished third in 1985 Tour de France1985 Tour de FranceThe 1985 Tour de France was the 72nd Tour de France, taking place June 28 to July 21, 1985, over 4109 km in 22 stages and a prologue.Bernard Hinault would attempt to equal the records of Jacques Anquetil and Eddy Merckx who had each won the Tour de France five times. Hinault was unable to...
. However he had suffered a serious knee injury in 1986 that was to overshadow much of his career and had shown little since '87 to suggest he would contend for the top spot again. He had though finished ninth three weeks before in the 1989 Giro d'Italia1989 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1989 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 17 May to 10 June 1989, consisting of 22 stages. It was won by the French Laurent Fignon.This 72nd edition was 3,623 km long, completed at an average speed of 38.747 km/h.- General classification :...
. Roche's knee problem was to attract attention in the '89 tour.
- Greg Lemond, age 28, won the 1986 Tour de France1986 Tour de FranceThe 1986 Tour de France was the 73rd Tour de France, taking place July 4 to July 27, 1986. The total race distance was 4094 km, distributed over 23 stages and a prologue. It was won by Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour...
after having finished third and second respectively in the '84 and '85 tours. A near fatal shotgun accident on 20th April 1987 had cost him 2 years of his career since the '86 tour victory. In the lead up to the tour he completed the 1989 Giro d'Italia1989 Giro d'ItaliaThe 1989 Giro d'Italia of cycling was held from 17 May to 10 June 1989, consisting of 22 stages. It was won by the French Laurent Fignon.This 72nd edition was 3,623 km long, completed at an average speed of 38.747 km/h.- General classification :...
in which he wasn't in contention for any of the race jerseys. However, something since highlighted attracted little attention at the time. In the latter stages of the 1989 Giro with the racing miles from the Giro's earlier stages now in his legs, LeMond showed indications of returning to fitness. This was less than a month before the start of the '89 Tour.
- Laurent Fignon, age 28, won the 1983 and 1984 Tour de France1984 Tour de FranceThe 1984 Tour de France was the 71st Tour de France, run over 4020.9 km in 23 stages and a prologue, from 29 June to 22 July 1984.French rider Laurent Fignon won his second consecutive Tour, beating former teammate Bernard Hinault by over 10 minutes. Hinault was pursuing his fifth Tour...
before injury impacted his form for a number of seasons. His resurgence to form though had won him the 1989 Giro d'Italia three weeks earlier and was the current #1 ranked cyclist in the world.
There was also 2 future winners in the line up who had not yet won the race at that point in their careers:-
- Future five times winner Miguel IndurainMiguel IndurainMiguel Ángel Indurain Larraya is a retired Spanish road racing cyclist. He won five consecutive Tour de Frances from 1991 and 1995, the first to do so, and the fourth athlete to win five times. He won the Giro d'Italia twice, becoming one of only seven people in history to achieve the Giro Tour...
(Indurain's 25th birthday was during the '89 Tour) was riding his second tour. At this point he rode as a support rider for Delgado.
- Bjarne RiisBjarne RiisBjarne Lykkegård Riis , nicknamed The Eagle from Herning , is a Danish former professional road bicycle racer who placed first in the 1996 Tour de France, and is now the team owner and manager of Danish UCI ProTour outfit Team Saxo Bank Sungard...
, age 25, rode the 89 tour supporting team mate, Laurent Fignon. Riis won the 1996 Tour de France1996 Tour de FranceThe 1996 Tour de France was the 83rd Tour de France, starting on June 29 and ending on July 21, featuring 19 regular stages, 2 individual time trials, a prologue and a rest day ....
, the year after the last of Indurain's wins.
Greg Lemond was destined to collect a third victory courtesy of the 1990 Tour de France
1990 Tour de France
The 1990 Tour de France was the 77th Tour de France, taking place June 30 to July 22, 1990. The total race distance was 21 stages over 3504 km, with riders averaging 38.62 km/h...
.
Teams
The Tour organisation invited 22 teams to the Tour, with 9 cyclists each.
|
|
: Wildcard teams
Early stages
At the start of the 1989 Tour de France, the defending champion, Pedro Delgado, missed his start time at the prologue. Delgado would lose 2:40 before the race had even begun as the clock ticked for him to appear at the start gate. The Spaniard ended the first day of the race placed last of the 198 riders with a time of 2 mins 54 slower than the day's winner. LeMond surprised by placing fourth in the opening prologue. Fignon was second, Sean KellySean Kelly
Sean Kelly may refer to:* Sean Kelly , Professor of philosophy at Harvard University* Sean Kelly , Irish professional road bicycle racer...
third with all three finishing six seconds behind the winner on the day, Erik Breukink
Erik Breukink
Erik Breukink is a former professional road racing cyclist. In 1988, Breukink won the youth competition in the Tour de France. In 1990, Breukink reached the podium in Paris, finishing 3rd in the 1990 Tour de France...
.
Stages 1 and 2 were held on the same day. Breukink held yellow for only 1 day. Acacio da Silva
Acácio da Silva
Acácio da Silva Mora is a former Portuguese professional road bicycle racer. He was a professional from 1982 to 1994 during which he won stages in the Tour de France, the Giro d'Italia and stages in many other stage races. He won three stages in total in the Tour de France, one in 1987, one in...
won stage 1 and became the first Portuguese to wear the yellow jersey. Fignon dropped to fifth for a day, the lowest position he would occupy on the leaderboard throughout the race. He was 2 mins 37 behind the yellow jersey.
The stage 2 team trial was won by the team of one the year's principle contenders, the Super U team of Laurent Fignon. LeMond's ADR team finished the stage fifth 51 seconds behind Fignon's team. This was to be LeMond's team mates' greatest contribution as Lemond's effort in the mountains, unlike his rivals, were characterised by his team mates having insufficient climbing ability to offer support. Delgado lost more time on stage 2 as his team finished last in the time trial at 4 mins and 32 secs behind the winning time of Fignon's team. After 2 days of racing, if last placed Delgado was to take yellow he would have to make up over seven minutes on Fignon with the then world ranked #1 well placed in 4th in the General Classification (GC).
Stage 3 was won by Raul Alcala
Raul Alcala
Raúl Alcalá is a professional road racing cyclist, who competed between 1985 and 1999 and again in 2008. In 1986, Alcalá became the first Mexican cyclist to compete in the Tour de France. In the 1987 Tour de France, he received the Maillot blanc, awarded to the best rider under 25...
of the team who produced three stage winners who would finish in the race's top eight, PDM. Added to these three would be the man to finish in 9th overall and was rewarded with the green jersey for the consistency of his stage finishes, Sean Kelly. LeMond was placed fifteenth in the GC at this point, the lowest position he would occupy in the '89 tour. He was 3 mins 28 behind the yellow jersey.
In the Stage 5 time trial, LeMond surprised again by winning it and taking the yellow jersey by five seconds as leader of the General Classification. Da Silva had held yellow for four days. Delgado placed second on the stage 24 seconds behind with Fignon in third a further 32 seconds behind Delgado in the stage. This trio, three of the four previous winners to start the race, would end the race occupying the podium places. The other former winner in the race, Stephen Roche, placed 11th in the time trial. The race synthesised into LeMond and Fignon jousting for yellow with the top two positions in the GC occupied from now until the end of the race by these two men. Throughout the race they were never more than 53 secs apart in the GC. Delgado was battling to try to regain the time he lost in Luxembourg and was still some time away from moving into the top 3 in the GC. LeMond was thrilled to have won the jersey and was hoping just to remain competitive in the Tour.
Stage 6 proved unremarkable to the main classifications but produced a human interest story. 27 year old French domestique Joel Pelier
Joël Pelier
Joël Pelier is a French former professional road bicycle racer.In the 1989 Tour de France, then 27 year old French domestique Joel Pelier had never been watched in his pro career by his parents who were dedicated to caring for Pelier's severely disabled sibling who needed constant attention...
had never been watched in his pro career by his parents who were dedicated to caring for Pelier's severely disabled sibling who needed constant attention. Pelier's parents made arrangements to watch stage 6 from near the finish line to which Pelier responded with an attempted lone breakaway. Pelier held out to win the stage by 1 minute and 34 seconds. He rode on his own for 4 and a 1/2 hours through wind and rain for 102 of the stage's 161 miles. It was the then second longest breakway in Tour de France history after Albert Bourlon
Albert Bourlon
Albert Bourlon is a former French professional road bicycle racer. He was born in Sancergues. In 1947, Bourlon won the 14th stage of the Tour de France. Almost directly from the start, he broke away, and rode solo for , the longest solo in post-war Tour de France history.- Palmarès :1947- External...
in 1947 and since surpassed by Thierry Marie
Thierry Marie
Thierry Marie is a former French cyclist. Marie had a very good prologue: he won the Tour de France prologue three times in his career, and because of that he wore the yellow jersey in those three years, for seven days in total.- Major victories :1985198719881989- Tour de France :*1985 - 67th*1986...
. On the podium for the day's presentations a tear drenched Pelier was seen on television saying, "Mon per, mon per". "This win is so special to me because today is the first time that my mother and father have seen me in the Tour de France,’ said Pelier.
Pyrenees
In the Pyrenees Delgado clawed back some lost time. The first of the two Pyrenean stages however was notable for the first tour stage win in the career of the man who would go on to win five straight tours in the 90s, Miguel Indurain. Indurain would finish the Tour de France in 17th. Delgado finished the stage in third place reclaiming 29 seconds on Fignon and LeMond who crossed the line together in seventh and eight respectfully. This was the last stage Roche completed in the tour that year before withdrawing after hitting his troublesome knee on the handlebars.The second of the Pyrenean stages saw Delgado in a three man breakaway with Scot Robert Millar
Robert Millar
Robert Millar is a former Scottish professional cyclist who won the “King of the Mountains” competition in the 1984 Tour de France and finished fourth overall – sharing the highest Tour position for a British cyclist with Bradley Wiggins, and the first time a Briton had won a major Tour...
and Frenchman Charly Mottet
Charly Mottet
Charly Mottet is a French former professional cyclist .He was one of the best French road cyclists of his era, Mottet won a total of 67 races, including the Tour de Romandie in 1990, and has 8 participations in the Tour de France. His best results in the Tour de France were the 4th positions in...
. Millar took the Superbagnères
Superbagnères
Superbagnères is a ski resort above the town of Bagnères-de-Luchon in the French department of Haute-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrénées region.-Overview:...
stage win in a 2 man sprint finish with Delgado. Fignon crossed the line in seventh place 3 mins 26 seconds behind Delgado and 12 seconds ahead of LeMond two places further back. This was enough for Fignon to take the yellow jersey from LeMond by seven seconds. Delgado's two top three finishes in the Pyrenees moved him up to fourth overall. He had gained 4 minutes on the yellow jersey from the tour's first two mountain stages and was 2 mins 53 behind Fignon. Third place at this juncture was occupied by Mottet.
Bastille Day bicentenary
Stage 13 held on the Bastille DayBastille Day
Bastille Day is the name given in English-speaking countries to the French National Day, which is celebrated on 14 July of each year. In France, it is formally called La Fête Nationale and commonly le quatorze juillet...
bicentenary was won in Marseilles with a one man breakaway by Frenchman, Vincent Barteau
Vincent Barteau
Vincent Barteau is a former French road racing cyclist. He is best known for wearing the yellow jersey in the 1984 Tour de France and winning the stage on Bastille day in the 1989 Tour de France.- Palmarès :1984...
. Barteau was a surprise holder of the yellow jersey at the 1984 Tour de France
1984 Tour de France
The 1984 Tour de France was the 71st Tour de France, run over 4020.9 km in 23 stages and a prologue, from 29 June to 22 July 1984.French rider Laurent Fignon won his second consecutive Tour, beating former teammate Bernard Hinault by over 10 minutes. Hinault was pursuing his fifth Tour...
for 12 days. In 1984, Barteau eventually surrendered the jersey to Laurent Fignon, who won the race. Barteau's career went into a major tailspin following the 1984 race. The stage 13 victory in 1989 marked a redemption of sorts for Barteau.
Alps
In the first of five alpine stages, LeMond emerged from the Stage 15 mountain time trial at OrcièresOrcières
Orcières is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*...
Merlette once again in the yellow jersey. The time trial itself that day was won by a PDM rider, Dutchman Steven Rooks
Steven Rooks
Steven Rooks is a former Dutch professional road racing cyclist known for his climbing ability. His professional career ran from 1982–1995.- Tour de France :...
. Delgado crossed the line 49 seconds behind in fourth to regain further time on his 2 main rivals. LeMond placed fifth on the day a further 12 seconds behind Delgado and 47 seconds ahead of Fignon who placed 10th on the stage. Thus LeMond was ahead by 40 seconds.
LeMond increased his lead on Fignon by 13 seconds in stage 16 to Briançon
Briançon
Briançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department....
, France's highest altitude town. Delgado finished in the same group as LeMond. The 53 second GC lead LeMond had over Fignon was the biggest gap between the two riders at any point in the race. Unlike the three previous mountain stages, Delgado gained no ground on the yellow jersey.
The stage 17 finish at L'Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d'Huez
L'Alpe d'Huez is a ski resort at . It is a mountain pasture in the Central French Alps, in the commune of Huez, in the Isère département in the Rhône-Alpes region.-Tour de France:L'Alpe d'Huez is one of the main mountains in the Tour de France...
, well established as the blue riband of the mountain stages, was won this year by a lone breakaway ride by another PDM rider, Gert-Jan Theunisse
Gert-Jan Theunisse
Gert-Jan Theunisse is a Dutch former road bicycle racer. In the 1989 Tour de France, he won the King of the Mountains competition.-Biography:...
of the Netherlands. Delgado and Fignon crossed the line together in second and third 1 min 19 secs ahead of fifth placed LeMond for Fignon to regain the yellow jersey with a lead overall of 26 seconds. Delgado, convincing winner the year before, now moved into third at 1 min 55 behind the leader. Also, for the first time in the race he was now within the 2 mins 40 of the yellow jersey that he had lost by missing his starting time on day 1. For Delgado though, this was the last time in the race in which he regained any time on either of the two men ahead of him and represented his high water mark in the race. While he placed second on three stages in this year's race, he failed to win a Tour de France stage for the first time since 1984 when he had been unable to complete the race. Delgado had won back time in four mountain stages as well as in the stage 5 time trial. While the Spaniard would retain his third place to the race's end, he would lose time on the race leaders twice before the podium to eventually finish 3 mins 34 behind yellow. Theunisse's efforts had him now up to fourth in the GC with Mottet slipping from third to fifth.
Fignon took Stage 18 at Villard de Lans extending his lead by a further 24 seconds to 50 seconds with LeMond finishing in the group of five behind Fignon. Delgado lost time on his two main rivals finishing in seventh on the day 12 seconds further back from LeMond. Of the seven mountain stages in the race, this was the only one where Delgado ended the day worse in his challenge to win the yellow jersey than he had been at the start of the stage.
LeMond took the next stage (at Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains is a commune in the Savoie department in the Rhône-Alpes region in south-eastern France.It is situated on the shore of Lac du Bourget, by rail north of Chambéry.-Geography:...
) in a mountain stage where the race's top four overall positioned riders plus Spain's Marino Lejarreta
Marino Lejarreta
Marino Lejarreta Arrizabalaga is a retired Spanish professional road racing cyclist. His biggest victory was capturing the 1982 Vuelta a España, a Grand Tour stage race, and he is the inaugural and record three-time winner of the Clásica de San Sebastián , which is now considered a one-day classic...
broke away from the rest of the field. LeMond outsprinted his rivals at the finish to mark the end of the mountains in that years race. Fignon finished second in the stage in the same time as LeMond and still in yellow in the overall classification ahead of LeMond. Delgado at the end of his preferred terrain was placed third in the stage and also in the race overall. Theunisse similarly ended with a 4th place in both the stage and the overall placing with Lejarrata another to end the stage in the position that matched his position in the overall classification, in his case fifth. The stage finish order of LeMond, Fignon, Delgado, Theunisse, Lejarreta was also the order in which that year's tour would end.
Finale
LeMond was down 50 seconds to Fignon going into the final time trial. Fignon had developed saddle soresSaddle sores
A saddle sore in humans is a skin ailment on the buttocks due to, or exacerbated by, cycling on a bicycle saddle or horse riding. It often develops in three stages: skin abrasion, folliculitis , and finally abscess....
in stage 19, which gave him pain and made it impossible to sleep in the night before the time trial.
Although LeMond was riding spectacular individual time trials, many people still felt 50 seconds would be too much to make up. French newspapers had prepared special editions with Fignon on the front page, preparing for his victory. The final stage from Versailles
Versailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
to Paris was billed as a showdown, but many did not expect LeMond to catch Fignon. On the stage, LeMond innovatively used triathlon handlebars while Fignon rode a conventional bike. LeMond told his team not to give him his time splits as he wanted to ride all-out.
The final time trial was over a course approximately 25 kilometres (15.5 mi) long, with a net elevation loss of 75 metres (247 ft). The riders had a moderate tailwind. LeMond put his bike into a huge 55 x 12 gear. His effort was the fastest individual time trial for a distance longer than 10 km ever ridden. A November 1989 Bicycling Magazine article, supported by wind-tunnel data, estimated that LeMond may have gained 1 minute on Fignon through the use of the new aerobars. He also could have gained 16 seconds by wearing his aero helmet with a slightly elongated tail section for better aerodynamics, while Fignon rode bare-headed with his ponytail exposed to the wind. Fignon did perhaps gain a 5-second advantage by using a disk front wheel, while LeMond used a 24-spoke bladed radially spoked front wheel. Fignon finished third in the final time trial with an average speed of 53.59 kilometres per hour (33.3 mph). Fignon's time 58 seconds slower than LeMond meant LeMond won the 1989 Tour de France by a winning margin of 8 seconds ahead of second placed Fignon.
Another change in the general classification top 10 produced by the time trial was Kelly finishing ninth in the GC overtaking Millar by 21 seconds.
Stages
As well as winning the yellow jersey, LeMond was the year's top stage winner with three. The only other rider to win more than one individual stage was the Dutchman Jelle NijdamJelle Nijdam
Jelle Nijdam is a Dutch former professional cyclist. Nijdam turned professional after the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. He participated in the Tour de France 10 times, winning six stages and wearing the yellow jersey for three days...
. Fignon and Barteau each had 2 wins with one of these being in the team trial.
All of the decisive racing took place in the time trials and mountain stages. There was no significant changes among the genuine contenders in the plain stages. In the four individual races against the clock, Fignon managed no better against LeMond than matching his time in the prologue. In the other three individual time trials LeMond gained time on his principle rival.
The nation with the greatest number of stage wins was Netherlands with six (Breukink, Nijdam x 2, Mathieu Hermans
Mathieu Hermans
Mathieu Hermans is a former Dutch professional road bicycle racer. Mathieu Hermans was the Lanterne rouge of the Tour de France twice, in 1987 and 1989. He won a stage in the 1989 Tour de France...
, Rooks and Theunisse) The race team to win the most stages was PDM with four (Alcala, Martin Earley
Martin Earley
Martin Earley is a former Irish professional road bicycle racer.He turned professional in 1985 with the Fagor team with whom he stayed until 1987. In 1986 he won the 14th stage of the Giro d'Italia and the second of the Vuelta al País Vasco...
, Rooks and Theunisse).
| Stage | Date | Route | Terrain | Length | Stage Winner | GC Leader | LeMond / Fignon GC gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| P | 1 July | Luxembourg Luxembourg (city) The city of Luxembourg , also known as Luxembourg City , is a commune with city status, and the capital of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. It is located at the confluence of the Alzette and Pétrusse Rivers in southern Luxembourg... |
 Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... |
7 km (4.3 mi) | Panasonic | Equal | |
| 1 | 2 July | Luxembourg |  |
135 km (83.9 mi) | Carrera | Equal | |
| 2 | 2 July | Luxembourg | Team time trial A team time trial is a road-based bicycle race in which teams of cyclists race against the clock .Teams start at equal intervals, usually two, three or four minutes apart... |
46 km (28.6 mi) | Super U | Fignon 51 secs ahead | |
| 3 | 3 July | Luxembourg – Spa Spa The term spa is associated with water treatment which is also known as balneotherapy. Spa towns or spa resorts typically offer various health treatments. The belief in the curative powers of mineral waters goes back to prehistoric times. Such practices have been popular worldwide, but are... |
|
241 km (149.8 mi) | PDM | Fignon 51 secs ahead | |
| 4 | 4 July | Liège Liège Liège is a major city and municipality of Belgium located in the province of Liège, of which it is the economic capital, in Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.... – Wasquehal Wasquehal Wasquehal is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.The town originally had a Flemish name; it was written as Waskenhal in the 11th century.The third stage of the 2004 Tour de France finished in Wasquehal... |
|
255 km (158.5 mi) | Superconfex | Fignon 51 secs ahead | |
| 5 | 6 July | Dinard Dinard Dinard is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.Dinard is on the Côte d'Émeraude of Brittany. Its beaches and mild climate make it a popular holiday destination, and this has resulted in the town having a variety of famous visitors and residents... – Rennes Rennes Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:... |
Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... |
73 km (45.4 mi) | ADR | LeMond 5 secs ahead | |
| 6 | 7 July | Rennes – Futuroscope Futuroscope Futuroscope, or Parc du Futuroscope is a French theme park based upon multimedia, cinematographic futuroscope and audio-visual techniques... |
|
259 km (160.9 mi) | BH | LeMond 5 secs ahead | |
| 7 | 8 July | Poitiers Poitiers Poitiers is a city on the Clain river in west central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and of the Poitou-Charentes region. The centre is picturesque and its streets are interesting for predominant remains of historical architecture, especially from the Romanesque... – Bordeaux Bordeaux Bordeaux is a port city on the Garonne River in the Gironde department in southwestern France.The Bordeaux-Arcachon-Libourne metropolitan area, has a population of 1,010,000 and constitutes the sixth-largest urban area in France. It is the capital of the Aquitaine region, as well as the prefecture... |
|
259 km (160.9 mi) | Histor | LeMond 5 secs ahead | |
| 8 | 9 July | La Bastide d'Armagnac – Pau | |
157 km (97.6 mi) | PDM | LeMond 5 secs ahead | |
| 9 | 10 July | Pau – Cauterets Cauterets Cauterets is a spa town, a ski resort and a commune in the Hautes-Pyrénées department in south-western France.-Geography:Cauterets is located southwest of Lourdes in the beautiful valley of the Gave de Cauterets and borders the Pyrenees National Park.... |
 |
147 km (91.3 mi) | Reynolds | LeMond 5 secs ahead | |
| 10 | 11 July | Cauterets – Superbagneres Superbagnères Superbagnères is a ski resort above the town of Bagnères-de-Luchon in the French department of Haute-Garonne in the Midi-Pyrénées region.-Overview:... |
|
136 km (84.5 mi) | Z | Fignon 7 secs ahead | |
| 11 | 12 July | Luchon – Blagnac Blagnac Blagnac is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.It is the third-largest suburb of the city of Toulouse, although governed by a separate council, and is adjacent to it on the northwest side. It is a member of the Urban community of Greater Toulouse... |
|
154 km (95.7 mi) | Paternina | Super U | Fignon 7 secs ahead |
| 12 | 13 July | Toulouse Toulouse Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea... – Montpellier Montpellier -Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council.... |
|
242 km (150.4 mi) | Chateau D'ax | Fignon 7 secs ahead | |
| 13 | 14 July | Montpellier – Marseille Marseille Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of... |
|
177 km (110 mi) | Super U | Fignon 7 secs ahead | |
| 14 | 15 July | Marseille – Gap Gap, Hautes-Alpes Gap is a commune in southeastern France, the capital of the Hautes-Alpes department.-Geography:An Alpine crossroads at the intersection of D994 and Route nationale 85 the Route Napoléon, Gap lies above sea level along the right bank of the Luye River... |
 |
238 km (147.9 mi) | Superconfex | Fignon 7 secs ahead | |
| 15 | 16 July | Gap – Orcieres Orcières Orcières is a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in southeastern France.-Population:-References:*... Merlette |
Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... stage with mountain(s) |
39 km (24.2 mi) | PDM | LeMond 40 secs ahead | |
| 16 | 18 July | Gap – Briancon Briançon Briançon a commune in the Hautes-Alpes department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department.... |
|
174 km (108.1 mi) | Helvetia | LeMond 53 secs ahead | |
| 17 | 19 July | Briancon – L'Alpe d'Huez | |
162 km (100.7 mi) | PDM | Fignon 26 secs ahead | |
| 18 | 20 July | Bourg d'Oisans – Villard de Lans | |
125 km (77.7 mi) | Super U | Fignon 50 secs ahead | |
| 19 | 21 July | Villard de Lans – Aix les Bains | |
125 km (77.7 mi) | ADR | Fignon 50 secs ahead | |
| 20 | 22 July | Aix les Bains – L'Isle d'Abeau | |
127 km (78.9 mi) | Chateau D'ax | Fignon 50 secs ahead | |
| 21 | 23 July | Versailles Versailles Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre... – Paris Paris Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region... |
Individual time trial An individual time trial is a road bicycle race in which cyclists race alone against the clock . There are also track-based time trials where riders compete in velodromes, and team time trials... |
24 km (14.9 mi) | ADR | Greg LeMond wins 1989 Tour de France by 8 secs |
Jerseys
LeMond won the yellow jersey as the winner of the General Classification. The strength of the PDM team was reflected by their winning four of the race's six classifications (Kelly won both the points and sprints jerseys, Theunisse won the mountain competition and Rooks won the combined jersey). France's Fabrice Philipot in the Toshiba team won the prize for the best young rider.Fignon spent the most days in the leader's yellow jersey with nine ahead of LeMond's eight. In all during the race the leader changed seven times. The only other two riders to win a spell in yellow that year were Breukink for 1 day after the prologue and then da Silva for the 4 days subsequent to Breukink. Delgado wore yellow on the prologue as the reigning champion.
General classification
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ADR-Agrigel-Bottechia | 87h 38' 35" | |
| 2 | Super U | +0' 08" | |
| 3 | Reynolds-Banesto | +3' 34" | |
| 4 | PDM | +7' 30" | |
| 5 | Paternina-Marco-Equizabal | +9' 39" | |
| 6 | RMO-Mavic-Liberia | +10' 06" | |
| 7 | PDM | +11' 10" | |
| 8 | PDM | +14' 21" | |
| 9 | PDM | +18' 25" | |
| 10 | Z | +18' 46" |
| Final general classification (11–138) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | Name | Team | Time |
| 11 | Chateau d'Ax | +24' 12" | |
| 12 | RMO-Mavic-Liberia | +28' 14" | |
| 13 | Super U | +28' 28" | |
| 14 | Z | +28' 31" | |
| 15 | Helvetia-La Suisse | +31' 16" | |
| 16 | B.H. | +31' 17" | |
| 17 | Reynolds-Banesto | +31' 21" | |
| 18 | Z | +34' 10" | |
| 19 | Café de Colombia | +36' 15" | |
| 20 | Café de Colombia | +37' 13" | |
| 21 | Domex-Weinmann-Eddy Merckx | +38' 35" | |
| 22 | Seven Eleven-American Airlines | +41' 41" | |
| 23 | Helvetia-La Suisse | +42' 07" | |
| 24 | Toshiba | +44' 43" | |
| 25 | Reynolds-Banesto | +45' 42" | |
| 26 | B.H. | +48' 39" | |
| 27 | Histor Sigma-Fina | +51' 28" | |
| 28 | Reynolds-Banesto | +53' 17" | |
| 29 | PDM | +55' 00" | |
| 30 | Reynolds-Banesto | +55' 23" | |
| 31 | Fagor | +1h 00' 41" | |
| 32 | Toshiba | +1h 02' 33" | |
| 33 | Reynolds-Banesto | +1h 02' 41" | |
| 34 | Toshiba | +1h 02' 46" | |
| 35 | Super U | +1h 03' 33" | |
| 36 | Hitachi-VTM | +1h 04' 07" | |
| 37 | Helvetia-La Suisse | +1h 09' 25" | |
| 38 | TVM | +1h 11' 38" | |
| 39 | Domex-Weinmann-Eddy Merckx | +1h 14' 47" | |
| 40 | Carrera Jeans | +1h 16' 36" | |
| 41 | TVM | +1h 18' 00" | |
| 42 | Paternina-Marco-Equizabal | +1h 21' 11" | |
| 43 | Toshiba | +1h 22' 09" | |
| 44 | PDM | +1h 26' 45" | |
| 45 | Seven Eleven-American Airlines | +1h 27' 04" | |
| 46 | Z | +1h 27' 08" | |
| 47 | Toshiba | +1h 27' 30" | |
| 48 | B.H. | +1h 27' 37" | |
| 49 | Café de Colombia | +1h 27' 57" | |
| 50 | Helvetia-La Suisse | +1h 28' 18" | |
| 51 | Domex-Weinmann-Eddy Merckx | +1h 28' 47" | |
| 52 | Super U | +1h 28' 53" | |
| 53 | Fagor | +1h 30' 05" | |
| 54 | RMO-Mavic-Liberia | +1h 31' 31" | |
| 55 | Panasonic-Isostar | +1h 33' 29" | |
| 56 | Reynolds-Banesto | +1h 33' 53" | |
| 57 | RMO-Mavic-Liberia | +1h 33' 59" | |
| 58 | Z | +1h 35' 02" | |
| 59 | Z | +1h 36' 19" | |
| 60 | Seven Eleven-American Airlines | +1h 37' 24" | |
| 61 | Hitachi-VTM | +1h 38' 41" | |
| 62 | Reynolds-Banesto | +1h 39' 31" | |
| 63 | Paternina-Marco-Equizabal | +1h 39' 58" | |
| 64 | Super U | +1h 40' 15" | |
| 65 | Fagor | +1h 41' 46" | |
| 66 | Hitachi-VTM | +1h 41' 50" | |
| 67 | RMO-Mavic-Liberia | +1h 42' 28" | |
| 68 | Helvetia-La Suisse | +1h 43' 26" | |
| 69 | Helvetia-La Suisse | +1h 44' 05" | |
| 70 | RMO-Mavic-Liberia | +1h 46' 05" | |
| 71 | Toshiba | +1h 47' 52" | |
| 72 | Super U | +1h 48' 22" | |
| 73 | Seven Eleven-American Airlines | +1h 48' 38" | |
| 74 | Carrera Jeans | +1h 49' 08" | |
| 75 | Fagor | +1h 49' 39" | |
| 76 | Café de Colombia | +1h 49' 57" | |
| 77 | TVM | +1h 50' 24" | |
| 78 | Paternina-Marco-Equizabal | +1h 50' 56" | |
| 79 | Fagor | +1h 52' 18" | |
| 80 | Domex-Weinmann-Eddy Merckx | +1h 53' 02" | |
| 81 | Carrera Jeans | +1h 53' 04" | |
| 82 | Café de Colombia | +1h 53' 14" | |
| 83 | Paternina-Marco-Equizabal | +1h 53' 35" | |
| 84 | Carrera Jeans | +1h 54' 16" | |
| 85 | RMO-Mavic-Liberia | +1h 54' 42" | |
| 86 | Seven Eleven-American Airlines | +1h 54' 58" | |
| 87 | PDM | +1h 55' 48" | |
| 88 | Café de Colombia | +1h 57' 23" | |
| 89 | Z | +1h 58' 50" | |
| 90 | Toshiba | +2h 00' 46" | |
| 91 | ADR-Agrigel-Bottechia | +2h 01' 20" | |
| 92 | Reynolds-Banesto | +2h 01' 22" | |
| 93 | Z | +2h 01' 43" | |
| 94 | Chateau d'Ax | +2h 03' 10" | |
| 95 | Super U | +2h 03' 37" | |
| 96 | Toshiba | +2h 03' 56" | |
| 97 | Super U | +2h 07' 18" | |
| 98 | Histor Sigma-Fina | +2h 07' 29" | |
| 99 | Superconfex-Yoko-Opel | +2h 08' 06" | |
| 100 | Domex-Weinmann-Eddy Merckx | +2h 09' 58" | |
| 101 | Histor Sigma-Fina | +2h 10' 29" | |
| 102 | Carrera Jeans | +2h 12' 09" | |
| 103 | Superconfex-Yoko-Opel | +2h 12' 27" | |
| 104 | Helvetia-La Suisse | +2h 13' 35" | |
| 105 | Histor Sigma-Fina | +2h 13' 38" | |
| 106 | ADR-Agrigel-Bottechia | +2h 13' 51" | |
| 107 | Superconfex-Yoko-Opel | +2h 16' 56" | |
| 108 | Domex-Weinmann-Eddy Merckx | +2h 17' 36" | |
| 109 | Histor Sigma-Fina | +2h 18' 57" | |
| 110 | Superconfex-Yoko-Opel | +2h 19' 05" | |
| 111 | B.H. | +2h 20' 29" | |
| 112 | Domex-Weinmann-Eddy Merckx | +2h 22' 42" | |
| 113 | Hitachi-VTM | +2h 22' 48" | |
| 114 | Superconfex-Yoko-Opel | +2h 23' 45" | |
| 115 | Helvetia-La Suisse | +2h 24' 56" | |
| 116 | Paternina-Marco-Equizabal | +2h 25' 15" | |
| 117 | Carrera Jeans | +2h 26' 57" | |
| 118 | RMO-Mavic-Liberia | +2h 27' 15" | |
| 119 | Panasonic-Isostar | +2h 27' 27" | |
| 120 | TVM | +2h 28' 00" | |
| 121 | Superconfex-Yoko-Opel | +2h 28' 29" | |
| 122 | Chateau d'Ax | +2h 31' 09" | |
| 123 | ADR-Agrigel-Bottechia | +2h 31' 13" | |
| 124 | Panasonic-Isostar | +2h 31' 22" | |
| 125 | Panasonic-Isostar | +2h 32' 32" | |
| 126 | Chateau d'Ax | +2h 33' 17" | |
| 127 | Chateau d'Ax | +2h 33' 37" | |
| 128 | B.H. | +2h 33' 48" | |
| 129 | TVM | +2h 34' 43" | |
| 130 | PDM | +2h 35' 02" | |
| 131 | B.H. | +2h 35' 49" | |
| 132 | TVM | +2h 36' 30" | |
| 133 | Panasonic-Isostar | +2h 38' 59" | |
| 134 | Carrera Jeans | +2h 40' 16" | |
| 135 | Paternina-Marco-Equizabal | +2h 40' 49" | |
| 136 | Superconfex-Yoko-Opel | +2h 54' 16" | |
| 137 | Domex-Weinmann-Eddy Merckx | +3h 01' 01" | |
| 138 | Paternina-Marco-Equizabal | +3h 04' 01" | |