Fignon, Laurent

Laurent Fignon, (born Aug. 12, 1960, Paris, France—died Aug. 31, 2010, Paris), French cyclist who was a two-time winner of the Tour de France (1983 and 1984).

Fignon began competing in cycling events as a teenager, and in 1982 he turned professional. The following year he raced in his first Tour de France and won the event. Fignon repeated as champion in 1984, besting fellow Frenchman and multiple Tour winner Bernard Hinault by more than 10 minutes. That year Fignon also finished second in the Giro d’Italia. Over the next few years, injuries hampered his performance, but in 1988 he won the Milan–San Remo. The following year he defended his title there and won several other races, notably the Giro d’Italia. After these strong showings, he entered the 1989 Tour de France as one of the favourites. However, Fignon lost by 8 seconds to Greg LeMond of the United States; it was the smallest margin of victory in the history of the event. Later that year he placed first in the Grand Prix des Nations.

Although Fignon continued to compete, he failed to win any more major events, and in 1993 he retired. He later worked as a race organizer and as a television commentator. In 2009 Fignon announced that he had advanced cancer. His autobiography, Nous étions jeunes et insouciants (We Were Young and Carefree), was published in 2009. In the book he admits to using banned substances while competing.