Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, July 5, 1990 TAG: 9007050297
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: EVENING
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ROUEN, FRANCE LENGTH: Medium
The two-time champion from France, who lost a dramatic finish to Greg LeMond in last year's event, officially quit the race for the third time in five years.
"It's been a bad year," Cyrille Guimard, director of Fignon's Castorama team, said. "He's cursed."
While Canada's Steve Bauer remained the overall leader, Fignon again experienced disappointment as he fell victim to several mishaps that wore on him mentally and physically over the past three days
Bauer managed to keep his lead after the rain-soaked longest stage of the three-week race, 187 miles through northern France. Dutch rider Gerrit Solleveld won Wednesday's fifth leg by more than four minutes over Belgium's Johan Museeuw. Bauer again finished back in the pack, but still has a 30-second overall lead over Ronan Pensec of France, with Frans Maassen of the Netherlands dropping to third, 33 seconds back.
LeMond finished in the pack on Wednesday, leaving him more than 10 minutes off the overall lead.
The fifth stage, over a moderately flat route, became interesting at the 77-mile mark, when a number of riders fell and held back a larger group, including Fignon. The Frenchman was involved in another delay on Tuesday.
After a refreshment break, Fignon slowed, turned and rode against the pack looking for his team car. He then got off the bike and got in the car, officially quitting the race he won in 1983 and 1984.
Before Wednesday's stage, he complained of a strained right calf.
"The pain was increasing," Guimard said. "It was impossible to continue and wait for the transfer day [Thursday] that might have enabled him to recover."
In May, Fignon was hurt in a bad fall at the Tour of Italy. Since the start of the Tour de France, he has been plagued by bad luck. On Monday it was a flat tire and a minor fall. On Tuesday, he was stopped by a fall of others that made him lose 44 seconds to the pack, including LeMond. That dropped Fignon to 47th place, more than 11 minutes behind Bauer.
Fignon declined to be interviewed.
"The fact that he was never in front was an indication that he wasn't in good condition," said LeMond, who beat Fignon by eight seconds to win the 1989 Tour. "Anybody who wants to race and win has to be in the first 30."
LeMond thinks last year's loss may have contributed to Fignon's problems.
"I believe that he felt he had a lot of pressure," LeMond said. "Fignon was kind of in a no-win situation. Everything or nothing. He had to win this year because everyone was saying he could have won last year. To not succeed would be even worse for him."
The Tour riders are off today as the event heads to eastern France to begin the sixth stage on Friday from Sarrebourg.
Keywords:
BICYCLING
by CNB