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Pro race history: Superbagnères’s last Tour de France appearance in 1989
1989. Madonna released Like a Prayer, Dead Poets Society hit the big screen and the closest winning margin in history separated the top two at the Tour de France. It was also the last time Superbagnères featured in the race, and now, after 36 years, it’s returning.
Stage 10 of the 1989 Tour was 136km from Cauterets to Superbagnères. Greg LeMond started the day in the yellow jersey with Laurent Fignon breathing down his neck just five seconds behind but the American had previously won here on his way to overall victory in 1986.
4,750m of climbing was packed into the day, taking riders over the Col du Tourmalet, Col d’Aspin, Col de Peyresourde and Superbagnères. Robert Millar, Pedro Delgado and Charly Mottet formed the breakaway.
There would be two storylines playing out on the road: one for the stage between Millar and Delgado, who had fought fiercely for the 1985 Vuelta a España in what some consider the ‘stolen Vuelta’, and the other for the maillot jaune between LeMond and Fignon. Coming into the race Fignon had won two Tours (1983, 1984) to LeMond’s one (1986), although the American had missed the 1987 and 1988 Tours in recovering from a serious gunshot injury in 1987.
Millar, now Pippa York, swept the maximum mountains points over the course of the day to jump up to second in the polka dot standings. By the final kilometre, Mottet had been distanced as Millar and Delgado rode almost side-by-side. Round the last bend Millar came around Delgado and the pair launched into their exhausted sprints. The Spaniard tried to fight back but couldn’t and Millar won the stage.
Robert Millar and Pedro Delgado, 1989 Tour de France, Superbagneres summit finish, Millar taking the stage. pic.twitter.com/atn4SkKbVF
— cycling archives (@mission753) December 16, 2018
Behind, Fignon sat at the back of a five-man group and looked to be struggling. However it was all smoke and mirrors as the Frenchman immediately launched a huge attack in search of the maillot jaune. LeMond managed to bridge to his wheel but a few hundred metres later his head dropped while Fignon carried on into the distance. The gap grew. Fignon was out of the saddle, shooting ahead, and LeMond was rocking and rolling.
After the line, Fignon was swarmed by video cameras as a battling LeMond came into view. He crossed the line 12sec down and out of the race lead by seven seconds.
The Superbagnères war was done, but battle continued to rage on. LeMond would surge back into the lead by 40 seconds after a 39km time-trial on Stage 15. The positions would swap once again on Alpe d’Huez a few days later when Fignon took back almost a minute and a half.
That set the stage for probably the most enthralling Tour finish of all time. LeMond, 50 seconds down in the standings, would win the final 24.5km time-trial, taking 58 seconds on Fignon to win the 1989 Tour de France by just eight seconds.
Superbagnères returns for the 2025 Tour de France. Check out the full route here.
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