Tour de France finish line drama has gotten complicated with all the debate about which moments truly define the race’s century-plus history. As someone who has watched countless hours of race footage and read every book on Tour history I could find, I learned everything there is to know about the finishes that genuinely changed cycling. Today, I will share the ten that still give me chills.
1. LeMond vs. Fignon – 1989 Final Time Trial
The Setup: Greg LeMond trailed Laurent Fignon by 50 seconds entering the final stage—a 24.5km time trial into Paris. No one in Tour history had overcome such a deficit on the final day.
The Drama: Probably should have led with this one, honestly. LeMond used aerodynamic handlebars that Fignon dismissed as gimmicks. Over 24 kilometers, LeMond averaged speeds that seemed impossible. Fignon, suffering, watched his lead evaporate second by second.
The Finish: LeMond won the Tour by 8 seconds—the smallest margin in history. Fignon collapsed on the Champs-Elysees, devastated. Those 8 seconds represented maybe 200 meters of road over three weeks of racing.
Video: Search “LeMond Fignon 1989″—the final kilometers remain the most dramatic individual time trial ever broadcast.
2. Pogacar Destroys Roglic – 2020 Penultimate Stage
The Setup: Primoz Roglic led Tadej Pogacar by 57 seconds with one mountain time trial remaining. Roglic was the better time trialist historically. Everyone assumed Slovenia would celebrate its first Tour winner.
The Drama: Pogacar rode supernaturally fast. At every checkpoint, he gained time. Roglic began visibly suffering—his time trial position deteriorating, his legs failing.
The Finish: Pogacar gained 1 minute 56 seconds over 36 kilometers, winning the Tour by over a minute. Roglic’s collapse remains unexplained—a physical implosion that changed cycling history.
3. Pantani Attacks Ullrich – 1998 Les Deux Alpes
That’s what makes this finish endearing to us climbing enthusiasts—it showed pure aggression overcoming measured dominance.
The Setup: Jan Ullrich held a dominant lead. Marco Pantani was 3+ minutes behind. The Galibier awaited.
The Drama: Torrential rain. Freezing temperatures. Ullrich wearing a rain jacket that ballooned in the wet. Pantani, in a sleeveless jersey, attacked on the Galibier and never stopped.
The Finish: Pantani gained nearly 9 minutes, shattering Ullrich’s Tour. The image of Pantani alone in the clouds, accelerating into fog, became iconic. Ullrich, hypothermic and destroyed, lost everything.
4. Voeckler Cracks – 2004 Stage 17
The Setup: Frenchman Thomas Voeckler had worn yellow for 10 days, defending against far superior climbers. The penultimate mountain stage would decide whether his fairytale continued.
The Drama: Lance Armstrong attacked repeatedly. Voeckler matched each acceleration, somehow finding reserves that shouldn’t have existed. France held its breath.
The Finish: Voeckler lost yellow by 22 seconds. His devastated face crossing the line—knowing he’d done everything possible and still lost—became one of Tour’s most emotional images.
5. Roche vs. Delgado – 1987 La Plagne
The Setup: Stephen Roche was 25 seconds behind Pedro Delgado before the mountain time trial. Irish cycling history hung in the balance.
The Drama: Roche rode himself into oxygen debt so severe he collapsed at the finish and needed oxygen. Medical staff surrounded him while commentators wondered if he’d DNF.
The Finish: Roche survived to win the Tour by 40 seconds, becoming Ireland’s only Tour champion. The image of him prostrate with an oxygen mask became legendary.
6-10: Honorable Mentions
Space limits the full treatment these deserve, but cycling fans should seek out: Armstrong’s Look at Ullrich (2001 Alpe d’Huez), Hinault and LeMond on Alpe d’Huez (1986), Merckx cracking at Pra Loup (1975), Froome running up Mont Ventoux (2016), and Landis’s Morzine attack (2006, whatever you think about what came after).
Each represents something essential about what makes the Tour unique—human drama at its most raw, played out on the roads of France for over a century.
