Originally Posted by
bellweatherman
To those that didn't become a cycling fan since 2000, the sport of cycling is not just about the Tour de France.
Fignon's palmares are up there with the best. He IS one of the greatest.
Taking, Armstrong, and Contador out of the equation, haivng ridden in an era focusing on the TDF, Fignon's palmares are not that overwhelming in comparison to multiple Grand Tour winners.
Fignon had 3 classics wins, and a Giro win in addition to his 2 Tour de Frances.
That certainly doesn not put him in the same league as Merckx, Hinault, Anequetil, Coppi. Arguably not ahead of Lemond (with 3 grand tour wins and 2 world championships). And comparable to the palmares of a number of 2 time TDF winners.
And I'm not trying to denigrate Fignon. My point again is to suggest that with a little bit different luck, he could have been considered alongside Indurain, Hinault, etc., and as luck played out, he fell a bit short of that.