Greg LeMond

Greg LeMond
LeMond in 2024
Personal information
Full nameGregory James LeMond
NicknameL'Americain (The American)[1]
LeMonster[2]
Born (1961-06-26) June 26, 1961 (age 63)
Lakewood, California, U.S.
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Weight67 kg (148 lb; 10 st 8 lb)
Team information
Current teamRetired
DisciplineRoad
RoleRider
Rider typeAll-rounder
Amateur team
1976–1980U.S. National Team
Professional teams
1981–1984Renault–Elf–Gitane
1985–1987La Vie Claire
1988PDM–Ultima–Concorde
1989AD Renting–W-Cup–Bottecchia
1990–1994Z–Tomasso
Major wins
Grand Tours
Tour de France
General classification (1986, 1989, 1990)
Young rider classification (1984)
Combination classification (1985, 1986)
5 individual stages (1985, 1986, 1989)
2 TTT stages (1984, 1985)
Giro d'Italia
1 individual stage (1986)

Stage races

Tour de l'Avenir (1982)
Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (1983)

One-day races and Classics

World Road Race Championships (1983, 1989)

Other

Super Prestige Pernod International (1983)
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's road bicycle racing
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1979 Buenos Aires Junior road race
Gold medal – first place 1983 Altenrhein Road race
Gold medal – first place 1989 Chambéry Road race
Silver medal – second place 1982 Goodwood Road race
Silver medal – second place 1985 Giavera di Montello Road race

Gregory James LeMond (born June 26, 1961) is an American former road racing cyclist. LeMond won the Tour de France three times and the Road Race World Championship twice, becoming the only American male to win the former.

LeMond began his professional cycling career in 1981. Two years later, he became the first American male cyclist to win the Road World Championship. LeMond won the Tour de France in 1986; he is the first non-European professional cyclist to win the men's Tour. LeMond was accidentally shot with pellets and seriously injured while hunting in 1987. Following the shooting, he underwent two surgeries and missed the next two Tours. At the 1989 Tour, LeMond completed an improbable comeback to win in dramatic fashion on the race's final stage. He successfully defended his Tour title the following year, becoming one of only nine riders to win three or more Tours. LeMond retired from competition in December 1994 and was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame in 1996. He was the first professional cyclist to sign a million-dollar contract and the first cyclist to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

During his career, LeMond championed several technological advancements in pro cycling, including the introduction of aerodynamic "triathlon" handlebars and carbon fiber bicycle frames,[3] which he later marketed through his company LeMond Bicycles. His other business interests have included restaurants, real estate, and consumer fitness equipment.[4] LeMond is also a vocal opponent of performance-enhancing drug use in cycling and is a founding board member of 1in6.org, a nonprofit charity that assists male victims of child sex abuse.

  1. ^ Moore 2012, p. 67.
  2. ^ Andrews 2016, p. 252.
  3. ^ Walsh, Matt. "A Meeting of Minds" (PDF). Cycle Sport. Archived from the original (PDF) on November 16, 2012. Retrieved December 10, 2012.
  4. ^ "That's Tim as in timber". Denver Westword News. January 12, 1994. Archived from the original on April 26, 2010. Retrieved April 26, 2011.