Three Weeks, Eight Seconds cover art

Three Weeks, Eight Seconds

Greg Lemond, Laurent Fignon, and the Epic Tour de France of 1989

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

The gripping story of the greatest race in cycling history, when Greg LeMond cinched victory by a mere eight seconds.

For a race as long as the mighty Tour (three weeks of testing the limits of human endurance), to have the ultimate victory decided by a margin of just eight seconds almost boggles the mind. But that's exactly what happened between American legend Greg LeMond and Laurent Fignon. After more than 2,000 miles in the saddle, it remains the smallest margin of victory in the Tour's 100-plus-year history.

But as dramatic as that Sunday afternoon on the streets of Paris was, the race wasn't just about that one time-trial. During the previous fortnight, the leader's yellow jersey had swapped back and forth between LeMond and Fignon in a titanic struggle for supremacy. At no point during the entire three weeks were the pair separated by more than 53 seconds, a razor-thin margin between ultimate triumph or agonizing torment.

In Three Weeks, Eight Seconds, Nige Tassell brings one of cycling's most astonishing stories to life, examining that extraordinary race in all its multifaceted glory, complete with fresh first-hand testimony.

©2017 Nige Tassell (P)2019 Tantor Cycling Sports Sports History Triathlon
All stars
Most relevant
This is a truly splendid biographical effort by Nige Tassell (of whom I had never heard) exploring the pain and the glory of the finest TDF to date. Initially I was disappointed with the nuanced and accented narration but I grew to appreciate and in the end to applaud Shaun Grindell’s interpetation. Chapeaux to both of you and to Greg and Laurent of course…

A masterclass in sports writing

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
The author manages to inmerse the reader/listener in that fateful race, and relive all the excitement and heartbreak in equal measure.

Brilliant account of the best Tour de France ever

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Obviously knew the story but now know much more details and background behind it. Well read.

really enjoyed this.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Really enjoyed the story of this tour, was before I started watching the tour so was quite gripping not knowing the outcome.
Not 100% on the narrator but was ok.

What a tour!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Although the story was interesting the narration lacked energy and enthusiasm. More feeling of excitement is needed for this book.

Narration.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
See more reviews