1989 Tour de France

In my last blog I was talking about some of the great athletes I remember as a kid.  One performance that really inspired me was the final time-trial in the 1989 Tour de France.  Greg Lemond was trailing Laurent Fignon by 50 seconds.  The final stage was a 32 mile time-trial, and Lemond set a world record, beating Fignon by 58 seconds and winning the Tour.  He rode the stage averaging over 34.5 mph…amazing.  Lemond didn’t have any split times given to him along the way, unlike Fignon who got time checks all along the way.  Lemond said later that he didn’t want or need any time splits, he was going 100% all the time, and there was no more motivation that could make him go any faster.  THAT is an outstanding example of how the mind can control the body.  It is also incredibly rare.  I will never forget how exhilarating that performance was, very inspiring.

I am excited to see the things that inspire my own children, and I am anxious to teach them how to win with class (without apology) and lose without complaint.  To do your absolute best, having left nothing on the table is to have won anyway.  It’s very rare these days for athletes or anyone else to really max out.  Oh, many people THINK they are maxed out, but they are not really.  We are capable of amazing things.  Kids can do remarkable things, so be sure to motivate them and inspire them with your own actions.  That’s their best teacher.