There are all the ingredients of a thriller in the scenario of this 1989 Tour. Much more than we can imagine 35 years later. By watching this great documentary that is 8 seconds, you will discover the behind the scenes of this defining moment in cycling, with an incredible story of liar’s poker, bumper cars in the Alpe d’Huez stage, and all the cheating of the Belgian José De Cauwer (sports director of the Belgian ADR team, the only one that still wanted Greg LeMond but which did not pay its riders).
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It is no coincidence that RTBF is offering this film imagined by Rodrigo Beenkens dedicated to this legendary Tour. Indeed, 35 years later, the 2024 Grande Boucle will also end with an individual time trial (for climbers!) judged in Nice and not in Paris, due to the Olympic Games.
How did you come up with the idea for this documentary?
“I have always been very frustrated at never having seen this Tour 89. It was the last one that Théo Mathy commented on for RTBF. It was to be the one from my school to succeed him the following year. But I was at the army and I was not given a gift. I was given a categorical veto and since I was put on guard, I was almost unable to see this edition. terrible. So it was a very unclear Tour for me, in my mind, there was this matter of the triathlete handlebars and that was what made the difference. But it’s much more complicated than that.
When did you decide to embark on this adventure?
“During the pandemic, I started writing three documentary scripts, including the 8-second one that was close to my heart. They remained in a drawer until I started working with Éric Monami, responsible at RTBF of the Society theme. He deals in particular with Pigeons and making documentaries. I told him my story and he found it not bad. I started refining things two years ago, during the Coupe du. world of football, the first in which I did not participate. When I learned that the 2024 Tour was going to end in Nice with an individual time trial – a first in 35 years – I went for it. Aside from writing, it was almost a year of work. It was exciting and frustrating at the same time because I had material to do six episodes, many of which, I think, were never said. The bumper car stunt in the Alpe d’Huez stage is incredible. We want to make a film with a reconstruction of it.”
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Why not make it into a Netflix series?
“We’re not Netflix… I had a lot of fun making this documentary. It’s a format that I wasn’t at all used to. For 35 years, I’ve always worked with immediacy. Comment live events, it’s a vital energy for me and I thought it was all here, it took a while. wasn’t progressing. It’s a completely different way of working but it’s very fun. I discovered a passion for telling stories, I always loved it. long-term work, I didn’t think I would like it so much.”
Is this a new job for you?
“At sixty, it’s not bad to still be able to discover things, right? It’s one of the great opportunities we have at RTBF, that of doing other things in other departments. When you have your nose to the grindstone, you don’t always realize it.”
Does this experience call for others of the same type?
“The first documentary I wrote, well before 8 secondes, has not yet been released. It is almost finished. There is a third one for which we are in the early stages. I do not know yet if we will be able to do it. And if the opportunity presents itself this winter, it makes me want to write something. I have always been a man of verbal language. To be honest, I am not comfortable with new media like going on sites, writing articles on the Internet. On the other hand, sitting in my office, taking out a sheet of paper and a pen to go in all directions… In fact, I did not think I would like it. It is an emotional roller coaster.”
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Is a scenario like that of the 1989 Tour still possible today when there is a headset, etc.? ?
“You should never say never. But since 1903 and the creation of the Tour de France, 8 seconds remains the smallest gap. There was an incredible thriller in 1968, even if it was less publicized. There had a time trial on the last day and there were three of them, including two Belgians, Ferdinand Bracke and Herman Van Springel. The Dutchman Jan Janssen was the worst in the time trial but it was he who won (with 38 seconds of time). advance, Editor’s note). This year, there are too many question marks. At what level is Vingegaard after his fall, Roglic remains an interesting guy but in one on one against Pogacar, it seems difficult to me. discover the Tour. If Pogacar has the level he had at the Tour of Italy, it won’t be calculated in seconds. But he can also break down in the last week, and Vingegaard will be in good shape, and Remco will give us a thunderous Tour. . Who knows? Let’s imagine that on the last day, Pogacar, Vingegaard, Roglic and Evenepoel are in the same minute!
