25 Jun 2023

Greg LeMond: The Last Rider

From Sunday Morning, 10:15 am on 25 June 2023

The Tour de France is one of the world's great sporting events and in the minds of most cycling journalists, the best-ever race of the Tour took place in 1989 when American Greg Lemond made one of the greatest comebacks in the history of sport, with dozen of shotgun pellets in his body and carrying a terrible secret in his heart.  

His winning margin in the end was 8 seconds, after racing more than 3,000 kilometres. He was 50 seconds behind as the last short sprint into Paris began. Against him were two recent former champions, Laurent Fignon and Pedro Delgado.  

The Last Rider poster

Photo: Supplied

That incredible race is now the subject of a new documentary The Last Rider , out in cinemas throughout NZ.  

Greg LeMond won the Tour three times and the World Road Race Championships twice and he joins us from Knoxville, Tennessee.  

American cyclist Greg LeMond celebrating victory in the 1989 Tour De France beating Laurent Fignon on the final day to record the narrowest victory in Tour history.

American cyclist Greg LeMond celebrating victory in the 1989 Tour De France beating Laurent Fignon on the final day to record the narrowest victory in Tour history. Photo: The Last Rider Film