Question: You have been known as a quick descender. I read that when you were with 7-11 you were clocked at about 112 KPH down the Col du Tourmalet. Would you tell me a story where your descending abilities changed the complexion of a race?Sean: One race comes to mind - and that was the Dauphiné Libéré in 1990. I think we started the stage in Gap. …we went up this big main road and then we turned right down this descent, and we went straight down the valley road that leads toward the L'Alpe Du Huez. And it was pouring rain and Andy Hampsten was in good shape. And suddenly I had the bright idea…ok I am going to string this out a bit. And I told Dag Otto and Ron Kiefel and Andy…ok I have about 2-3 kilometers before we hit it… we just went. Then we turned right and it was quite a dangerous descent. It was so strung out down that climb that when we hit the other side I started going backwards. Guys from Colombia after only about 6 kilometers - they were going by me and I went as hard as I could up the climb and I got to the top...I think I was about five minutes down.
I then descended down to Grenoble, and I closed that five minute gap back to the leaders on a 15 Kilometer descent. I think that was my best descent ever. I was just flying and it was pouring rain. I was doing 100 Kilometers/hour next to the team car talking. I went by Sean Kelly so fast like they were standing still. That night he actually went to my bike to see if I had something special on it.
I felt like I needed to descend well because I could not climb. So I had to make up for my deficiencies in other areas. When I moved to Nice in ’88, I used to do a lot of climbing, and I used to practice my descending or try and go fast. I realized that I could save a lot of energy if I descended fast. If you had three climbs in a stage, you hit the first one easy and on the second one you start hitting the gas. And maybe between the second climb and the bottom of the third climb there is 51 kilometers of valley. And if you are in the pack, you can save so much energy, you know? So my plan was to always go flat out on the second climb, and if I was with a group just before the top, I would sprint to get a clear passage. And then just go hell for leather on the descent to catch back up, which I often did and then be in the pack for 51 kilometers and then go really easy on the last climb.
