Born: June 26, 1961
LeMond Peddles To Two Wins … This was the headline on a story in the March 9, 1976, issue of the Nevada State Journal newspaper. Aside from the humorous misspelling of “pedals,” the brief story, the first I found about LeMond, described how the 14-year-old won the intermediate class of the Tassajara 20-mile road race and the intermediate class eight-mile race in Sacramento, California.
This was the first of several articles in Nevada newspapers (LeMond lived near Carson City, Nevada) about his cycling victories. In another …
Even though he had to receive special permission, LeMond is already competing with the juniors. He would normally have to wait until the end of this year before moving up to the 15-18 year-old division. In June, LeMond won the Northern California/Nevada State Road Championship for intermediates. He followed that with a second-place finish in the Nevada City Criterium Classis – in the junior division. LeMond has had a sixth and fourth place finish in two other junior races. Reno Gazette-Journal, Nevada, July 14, 1976
The article also described the diet of the 15-year-old, 118-pound cyclist …
No cokes, no ice cream, no cake and definitely no candy. His daily menu consists of a Grape Nuts breakfast with an occasional banana, fruit and vegetable salads, plus all the chicken and fish he can eat for dinner and supper.
The teenage LeMond was extremely serious about cycling and said he was determined to make the 1980 Olympic team and then turn professional and race in Europe, which, back then, would have been quite a leap for an American cyclist.
LeMond’s father, Bob LeMond, was also a bit of a bike racer …
The LeMonds – father and son – pedaled away with a first place prize and a 10th place finish in the Tassajara Bicycle Road Race in Fremont, Calif., Sunday. Greg LeMond, 15, placed first in the junior division with a sprint at the finish line. His father Bob LeMond finished 10th in the senior 1-2 race. Reno Gazette-Journal, February 21, 1977
The father-son LeMond duo led to an interesting mix up a couple months later at the Tour of San Joaquin Senior I and II race …
Greg, 15, was scheduled to compete in the 48-mile junior race held in conjunction with the Senior I and II event, while his father, Bob, 37, was entered in the 126-mile senior event. But race organizers mistakenly placed Greg’s name on the senior list, and when the Wooster High School freshman decided he’d like to test his elders, they said fine.
Nobody expected much of LeMond, partly because of his age and partly because junior racers have gear restrictions for their bikes. But LeMond, often moving his legs four times as fast as his opponents, still finished second overall … he was six seconds behind [John Howard, a three-time Olympian and] the current national time-trial champion. Bob LeMond finished 10th. “John Howard got up at the awards banquet and said Greg is the nation’s top young cyclist and our best hope for the 1980 Olympics,” said Buddy Frank, a member of the Reno Wheelmen. Nevada State Journal, April 12, 1977
The gear thing was a big deal; it meant LeMond had to turn his pedals faster to overcome the power advantage the senior races from the larger chainrings (gearing) on their bikes. However, it’s unlikely he moved his legs four times faster than Howard and the other top cyclists unless he was a cartoon character.
LeMond continued to upstage his elders and even Olympians at races …
Olympic Team bicycle racer George Mount of Berkeley won the 14-mile Mt. Tamalpais Hillclimb yesterday, but got upstaged by a 16-year-old rider from Reno in the road racing season’s final race. National Junior road champion Greg LeMond upset Mount by finishing less than a second ahead of him, the Senior and Junior races having started together at Stinson Beach. LeMond, Mount, state road champ Dave Perry and Junior Tom Hill pushed the pace on the grueling 10-mile ascent, pulling away from everyone in the 40-rider field … The San Francisco Examiner, October 17, 1977
If this was confusing, let me explain: The seniors and juniors started together and rode together, so it was two races within the one race with a senior winner and junior winner. Normally, the top seniors would be far ahead of the top juniors. But LeMond was not your typical junior rider. He was first across the finish line, just ahead of Mount, and won the junior title, but was not eligible to win the senior title.
While cycling got little coverage in the United States, the story of a young, talented kid was something reporters couldn’t help but jump on …
In Hartford for the sixth annual Travelers Criterium today in Bushnell Park, LeMond explained his feelings towards life at 17. “I go dancing whenever we stop in different cities,” he said. “Races are always different. Staying home and swimming every summer would be boring.” … As for LeMond, the climb to the top of the cycling world is an ever-ascending journey. In just three years of racing, the Nevadan has won the U.S. Junior National Road Championship and placed ninth in the individual road race in last year’s World championships – the best performance ever for a junior American … “My ultimate goals,” he said, “is to turn professional and race in Europe. It’s like having a job or playing professional football. But, it’s nice to make a living at it and do something you really like a lot.” Hartford Courant, Connecticut, July 1, 1978
LeMond continued his climb to the top of cycling world. At the 1979 World Junior Championships in Argentina he won the road race, took silver in the individual pursuit and bronze in the team time trial. LeMond qualified for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, but … didn’t get a chance to compete due to the U.S. boycott.
Although LeMond is relatively unknown in his backyard, folks in Belgium, France and West Germany can probably name the bike he rides and the color of his hair. In fact, LeMond’s blond head is becoming a recognizable fixture just about everywhere serious bicycle racers pedal for profit … “I’ve gotten about four major pro teams in Europe who have offered me contracts,” LeMond said … Nevada State Journal, June 15, 1980
LeMond eventually signed with the French team Renault-Elf-Gitane. He won the 1983 World Championship race in a bit of an upset and was quickly recognized as one of the best young riders in the peloton. LeMond finished third in the 1984 Tour de France, riding in support of teammate Laurent Fignon, who won the three-week race. The following year he joined the La Vie Claire team and rode in support of teammate Bernard Hinault, who would win his fifth Tour de France. There was controversary, as the team’s coaches forbid LeMond to attack and possibly beat his teammate on a mountain stage in which the popular French rider was struggling. The following year, LeMond topped Hinault to win the first of his three Tour de France yellow jerseys.
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