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@dmczone
My Favourite Aero Advantage Story
The final stage of the 1989 Tour de France provides the most dramatic example of how advanced technology has assisted a Tour de France rider. At the start of the 15.2-mile (24.5-kilometer) time trial, American Greg Lemond trailed France's Laurent Fignon by 58 seconds, a lead that should have been large enough to protect Fignon's first-place position.
Looking for any possible edge, LeMond used an aerodynamic frame from Trek Bicycles equipped with a new form of handlebars called "aero" bars. Used in limited applications in the U.S. before the Tour, aero bars keep the rider in the most aerodynamic position comfortably. LeMond also wore a tapered helmet and wraparound sunglasses. By the halfway point, he had closed the gap and moved 24 seconds ahead of Fignon. Fignon, foregoing the then-exotic aero bars for a traditional racing bicycle setup, quickly fell behind LeMond's startlingly fast pace. After three weeks and 2,025 miles (3,259 kilometers), LeMond won his second Tour by just eight seconds, the closest margin in the race's history.