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Greg Lemond's 1979 World Championship Race

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Greg Lemond's 1979 World Championship Race

Old 09-16-20, 09:50 PM
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spank226
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Greg Lemond's 1979 World Championship Race

Wow, I'd never actually seen the footage of this before but while stumbling around "the internets" and finding / watching some old Coors Classic footage (and reading how the former race director Michael Aisner was just busted for some heinous stuff @ 70 years old) I found video of Lemond "winning" the sprint at the 1979 Junior World Championships!

Not sure if anyone else would be as excited to see it as was/am, but here it is:


At 27seconds in, it looks like he has to bunny hop one of those tires that were used to narrow the road.
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Old 09-17-20, 08:56 AM
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Anyone know if he was ever awarded the Congressional Gold Medal? I read where he was nominated, but can't find info that he ever rec'd it. Always been a fan (not the reason I bought a LeMond road bike-but the bike is a great riding bike).
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Old 09-17-20, 09:01 AM
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Greatest bike racer the US has ever produced.
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Old 09-17-20, 09:28 AM
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I am a fan of Lemond as a rider and a fan of his steel/ti bikes. Whatever happened in his business world, or feuds with whomever, I am not concerned with. He was a great racer and had a lot to do with expansion of bicycling popularity in the USA.
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Old 09-17-20, 11:10 AM
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Same youtuber actually has a longer video that includes a few snippets of the Junior TTT (Which Lemond and team won Bronze in) and the start line of the Jr Men's RR. At 5:20-5:23 you see a shot of Jeff Bradley (or possibly Mark Frise??) and Andy Hampsten wearing the Stars and Stripes jerseys. Video is taken by a Belgian affiliate, so obviously shows a bunch of the Belgian team including a young Eric Vanderaerden

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Old 09-17-20, 11:42 AM
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My favorite cyclist.
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Old 09-17-20, 11:49 AM
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I can't tell from the video whatis being implied about LeMond's victory. Did he squeeze the second place rider against a barrier?
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Old 09-17-20, 12:33 PM
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If you read about him on Wiki, it covers his relationship with Trek which went sour when he got into the feud with Lance Armstrong. Trek built frames for Lemond and they pretty much derailed him when the feud started. Trek went with defending their money-maker at the time who was Lance. In the long run, they bet on the wrong horse. I believe LeMond got a new builder. I forgot what it said on Wiki.
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Old 09-17-20, 01:07 PM
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Originally Posted by delbiker1
I am a fan of Lemond as a rider and a fan of his steel/ti bikes. Whatever happened in his business world, or feuds with whomever, I am not concerned with. He was a great racer and had a lot to do with expansion of bicycling popularity in the USA.

His new bike business will be making an announcement sometime soon. The website says this month. He's heavily invested in carbon, so don't get your hopes up for a steel ride.

https://lemond.cc/

In 2016 he launched a new Tennessee-based company, LeMond Composites, which had rights to new technology developed at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for low-cost, high volume carbon fiber manufacturing. At the time, Greg LeMond told BRAIN that he learned of the technology while researching options for a new bike line. He said the technology would be ideal for bike frames but that the new company would first focus on sales to other industries, including the auto, aviation, and wind power industries.

The following year, LeMond Composites licensed carbon manufacturing technology from Deakin University in Australia in a 20-year deal reportedly worth $44 million. Late last year, LeMond and Deakin announced that the technology had been shown by an independent organization to enable carbon production at less cost and energy use than other methods. At the time, LeMond said it was operating a pilot carbon fiber manufacturing line at Deakin University's facility in Australia and was raising capital for a full-scale industrial carbon fiber production line it hoped to launch in 2021.
https://www.bicycleretailer.com/indu...aunch-imminent
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Old 09-17-20, 01:11 PM
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Lemond has integrity. I support him. I hope he continues doing well.
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Old 09-17-20, 03:21 PM
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When I was a kid, Lemond and Eric Heiden were 2 of my favorite athletes. Fantastic comeback story after getting shot too. He never got enough props or fame in the US for what he accomplished.
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Old 09-17-20, 05:01 PM
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Totally forgot about Eric Heiden. I remember he had one of those Exxon Grafteks. He was racing in Central Park once and some pedestrian walked in front of the him. Bingo! Grafteks were available in our local shop. Not sure that they sold at all.
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Old 09-17-20, 05:02 PM
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Don't forget Dave Stoller. He may only be a movie character, but one that we could look up to.
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Old 09-17-20, 05:31 PM
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Originally Posted by bg18947
If you read about him on Wiki, it covers his relationship with Trek which went sour when he got into the feud with Lance Armstrong. Trek built frames for Lemond and they pretty much derailed him when the feud started. Trek went with defending their money-maker at the time who was Lance. In the long run, they bet on the wrong horse. I believe LeMond got a new builder. I forgot what it said on Wiki.
I believe it was years later but LeMond had his steel bikes being built by Zen in Portland (?). I think Look was building his CF bikes. Trek's position on the LeMond-Armstrong issue is why I've never owned a Trek and never will.
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Old 09-17-20, 07:03 PM
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Originally Posted by bg18947
If you read about him on Wiki, it covers his relationship with Trek which went sour when he got into the feud with Lance Armstrong. Trek built frames for Lemond and they pretty much derailed him when the feud started. Trek went with defending their money-maker at the time who was Lance. In the long run, they bet on the wrong horse. I believe LeMond got a new builder. I forgot what it said on Wiki.
Regardless of what you think about Lemond, Armstrong, or Trek, it's hard to make the argument that Trek bet on the wrong horse.
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Old 09-17-20, 07:45 PM
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Originally Posted by tomato coupe
Regardless of what you think about Lemond, Armstrong, or Trek, it's hard to make the argument that Trek bet on the wrong horse.
I agree looking at Treks size and impact on the cycling industry today. Although Lemond bikes have a strong cult following he never was a manufacturer but rather a brand device marketing his name. He was an amazing a gifted Athlete and put America on the map in professional cycling however he always seams to have drama around him in his cycling and professional ventures.
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Old 09-18-20, 12:19 AM
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Originally Posted by ClydeClydeson
I can't tell from the video whatis being implied about LeMond's victory. Did he squeeze the second place rider against a barrier?
As you watch the video, Lemond tries to come up on the far side and gets pushed to the outside of the tires and has to sprint on the other side of them and then tries to come back in (because the finish line isn't as wide as the road which is why the tires were there to keep the cyclists from going too wide). When he tries to come back in he has to bunny-hop over one of the tires! He raises his hand after crossing the finish line in second place to protest the sprint. The Belgian rider who crossed the finish line in first place was relegated for an irregular spring and into last place in the group he was riding in at the time of the infraction, which was a 2-man group so he was relegated to 2nd place thereby giving Lemond the win.

Frankly, I was surprised to see they actually shook hands on the podium afterwards.

Lemond won second in the individual pursuit at the Junior Worlds that same year along with the bronze in the TTT.
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Old 09-18-20, 04:14 AM
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Originally Posted by bg18947
Lemond has integrity. I support him. I hope he continues doing well.
I'm with you on that.
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Old 09-18-20, 04:38 AM
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I was a huge fan of LeMond until he started feuding with Armstrong and then I decided he was just a jealous retired guy. But... we found out that he wasn't just a whiner but right all along. Went back to being a huge fan, again.
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Old 09-18-20, 12:39 PM
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Greatest bike racer the US has ever produced.
I sort of think that Bob Roll was. In the 1988 Giro de Italia He had pulled Andy Hampsten to the base of the Gavia pass and then dropped off and was through for the day, Then the team car pulled up along side of him and told him that there was a snowstorm at the top of the Gavia and that he had to carry winter clothing up to Andy. Though spending all day pulling Team 7-11 Bob took the clothing and caught Andy at the top of the Gavia under conditions so bad that most of the team leaders had already dropped out. Andy put on the winter clothing and finished, I think, 3rd and locked down the time so that he finished in the Pink. Roll finished not far behind Andy on that stage and finished 61st overall. Roll was a professional's professional and rode for many American based teams. It isn't the winners that are the great riders so much as those who allow them to win. Bob would probably replace Phil Ligget as the Tour announcer when Phil finally retires but like many of the riders from the early 2000's he had to take drugs to maintain employment and he has developed pancreatic cancer. Hopefully he can be successfully treated and keep his voice in our ears for years to come, but that is inevitably a fatal illness.
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Old 09-18-20, 12:49 PM
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Originally Posted by RiceAWay
I sort of think that Bob Roll was. In the 1988 Giro de Italia He had pulled Andy Hampsten to the base of the Gavia pass and then dropped off and was through for the day, Then the team car pulled up along side of him and told him that there was a snowstorm at the top of the Gavia and that he had to carry winter clothing up to Andy. Though spending all day pulling Team 7-11 Bob took the clothing and caught Andy at the top of the Gavia under conditions so bad that most of the team leaders had already dropped out. Andy put on the winter clothing and finished, I think, 3rd and locked down the time so that he finished in the Pink. Roll finished not far behind Andy on that stage and finished 61st overall. Roll was a professional's professional and rode for many American based teams. It isn't the winners that are the great riders so much as those who allow them to win. Bob would probably replace Phil Ligget as the Tour announcer when Phil finally retires but like many of the riders from the early 2000's he had to take drugs to maintain employment and he has developed pancreatic cancer. Hopefully he can be successfully treated and keep his voice in our ears for years to come, but that is inevitably a fatal illness.
Not to take anything away from Bob Roll, but I believe that Jim Ochowitz handed Hampsten some warm clothing at the top of the Gavia. I don't think Roll was there with Hampsten. Unless I am remembering this incorrectly?
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Old 09-18-20, 01:00 PM
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Bob Roll definitely seems to have the personality to connect with everyone. Life of the party. I wish him well.
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Old 09-19-20, 12:33 AM
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Originally Posted by RiceAWay
Bob would probably replace Phil Ligget as the Tour announcer when Phil finally retires but like many of the riders from the early 2000's he had to take drugs to maintain employment and he has developed pancreatic cancer. Hopefully he can be successfully treated and keep his voice in our ears for years to come, but that is inevitably a fatal illness.
Yea, I remember all those years when Alex Trebek suffered up the Kemmelberg, and brought his team leaders all through the Dolomites. Shame how all of his ped use caught up with him now that he's finally got a sweet gig on tv. If only he too had made better choices earlier in the early 2000s, maybe Alex wouldn't have come down with pancreatic cancer...

/sarcasm.

I can't find any reference supporting the idea that Bob Roll has pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, he was a professional from 1985 to 1995. Finally, I'm more than a bit offended that you are insinuating Bob Roll used peds.

I have little doubt Bob Roll would fail a drug test from time to time, but I doubt it would be for peds.
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Old 09-19-20, 12:50 AM
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Originally Posted by spank226
I can't find any reference supporting the idea that Bob Roll has pancreatic cancer. Furthermore, he was a professional from 1985 to 1995. Finally, I'm more than a bit offended that you are insinuating Bob Roll used peds.
RiceAWay uses a lot of “artistic license” in his posts.
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Old 09-19-20, 08:25 AM
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I was a Junior in '76 racing my first Milwuakee Super Week. First days race my friend comes up to me all excited, "Greg Lemond is here". I had no idea who that was. In '76 Greg was a 14 yr old Intermediate who was allowed to race in the Junior race that day. And he won. Saw him on the podium after the race, a skinny, slight build kid...he won the race? But at 14 he was already newsworthy, and beating the top Juniors of the day. And the Juniors of that era basically went on to be the core of the 7-11 team.
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