Tour de France: this surreal moment when the outgoing winner arrived late at the start


The history of the Tour de France is full of lunar anecdotes that marked the race. Among them, we count among others the unforgettable delay of the Spaniard Pedro Delgado in 1989.

Since its creation in 1903, the Tour de France has been the scene of many improbable events. There are too many to mention them all, but some of them deserve to be remembered. This is particularly the case of the legendary delay of the Spaniard Pedro Delgado on July 1, 1989. The 29-year-old rider, winner of the previous edition and favorite of the Tour, is preparing to participate in a time trial exercise of 7 .8 km to Luxembourg. As the rules require, Pedro Delgado must, as the outgoing winner, start last, two minutes apart from the rider in front of him. Only here: once the Dutchman Steven Rooks left, it is clear that the Spanish rider was nowhere to be found… No sign of him around the launch pad! He finally appears, when the stopwatch has already been triggered for 2 minutes 40 minutes. A significant delay which will get the better of him that day.

Tour de France: how Pedro Delgado saved the furniture in 1989

It’s my fault. I thought I still had enough time to do a little lap. And when I came back to the starting line, everyone was panicked. They told me I was more than two minutes late. So I went for it. Morally it’s fine, but I’m mad at myself, that’s all“, he explained after the incident. Despite this blunder, Pedro Delgado will still finish this Tour de France in 3rd place in the general classification, 3 minutes 34 behind the winner Greg LeMond. A more than honorable completion for 40 seconds late.

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7th stage between Tomblaine and Super Planche des Belles Filles of the Tour de France 2022, July 8, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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7th stage between Tomblaine and Super Planche des Belles Filles of the Tour de France 2022, July 8, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage

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8th stage between Dole and Lausanne of the Tour de France 2022, July 9, 2022. © Photo News/Panoramic/Bestimage



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