jamesdak 

Am I the only one that still get's stoked over Greg's amazing 8 second win that happened so long ago now? It's been exactly 30 years.

https://www.velonews.com/2019/07/tou...s-later_497894

My way of tribute today was to take 5 of my Lemonds out after work for a 6 mile lap to give me 30 miles in honor of this amazing event. I'm just sorry I didn't have the Lemond Chambery I'm still sorting out ready to go. It's setup right now as a TT bike and would have been a fitting ride for today.

As it was, the Maillot Jaune (Yellow Jersey) proved the fastest on this route over the 4 other bikes. This does not surprise me as it's one of my favorite bikes because of how well it carries speed.

The ol' geezer and the steeds after the ride.



It was hot and windy and a total joy today despite temps in the mid 90's.

Kilroy1988 

That's awesome.

Lemond1985

A fine tribute to a great American sportsman. Had it not been for Greg's example, I may have never become the incurable cycling fanatic I am today.

noglider 

Thanks for the article! I don't follow spectator sports, and I occasionally make an exception for bike racing but really, not often. I did follow it when Greg was in the Tour de France, and I had a special affection for him and his victories. He's still a hero of mine.

And thank you for taking that ride.

I own a Lemond bike, too.

SpeedofLite 

I like everything about your tribute, including the great photo!

Thanks too for the VeloNews retrospective. Here's the story from Bicycling! Nov 1989:

BengalCat

His success inspired my first adult bike purchase in 1983 and I'm still riding today.

canklecat

Well done. The '89 TdF is one of my favorites and I've rewatched the highlights and entire final time trial many times. And that World Championship final extended sprint shootout with Fignon, Kelly, Konyshev, Claveyrolat and Fignon. Hard to top that finish for nail biting drama.

I have a similar aero bar and have tried it a few times this year on my '89 Ironman. Really renews my respect for LeMond. He barely had any experience with an aero bar and gambled on the aero advantage over the increased risk of crashing. Especially with downtube shifters. I realized why he used the aero tuck so erratically -- it's flirting with disaster to keep one hand on the aero bar while shifting a downtube shifter. But some of my fastest Strava segments came from those aero bar experiments.

Occasionally Fignon's last minute loss was described as a "tragedy", but it was really just a tactical error. Fignon had used some aero gear before -- helmet and disc wheels. He gambled on the familiar and his own power and lost. Not a tragedy.

texaspandj

Nice collection and good effort.

Yeah I remember cutting my long ride short that day and heading to my parents house to watch it. Me and my dad watched it in their bedroom because that's where the big TV was. I was happy Greg pulled it off and my dad was glad an American won. But he really didn't get cycling. Years before when I told him how much my new bike cost he said "For that price it should've come with a motor".

Gary Fountain

Great bikes and Greg, one of the true greats.

Lemond1985

I have tried watching the ABC coverage of the '89 Tour, but boy is it awful. I can't help but wonder what an excellent job CBS could have done with the race that year, especially after seeing what an outstanding job they did in 1988. The coverage of Hampsten's disastrous climb up Luz Ardiden that begins at 4:28 is absolutely riveting sports television (sorry for the horrible video quality) despite 1988 being a year that most agree was a relatively uneventful Tour:


CBS must have been awash in $$$ that year, what with their own motorcycle camera crews, soundtrack, and helicopter shots and great production values.

nomadmax 

Great bikes and tribute James!

I recently got to see Greg on two different days at the US Pro Championships. A genuinely nice guy who appreciates his fans. I also got to meet the CEO of LeMond Composites, Dean Hendrickson, a very good guy as well. According to Greg, they will have bikes for sale in spring of 2020.

RobbieTunes

Excellent. Excellent. Excellent.
I like the 5x6 time trials.
Interesting. Challenging. Fun.
And not easy.


I was waiting for @nomadmax to chime in.

qcpmsame 

Very nice quiver of Lemond bikes there, and some nice tributes to Greg here as well. +1 to all that has been said, including @nomadmax report that 2020 will see the name Lemond on new bicycles once again.

Bill

crank_addict

Excellent tribute and recognition!

Le Mond climbs more than mountains in life.

Been following the new CF technology including the company drama.

SpeedofLite 

bikemig 

I was in the middle of nowhere more or less during the '89 TdF. I could get the results the next day but not the day of. I went to sleep for sure thinking that LeMond had lost that race. Boy was that a good day when I woke up and found out he had won.

malcala622

I have no memories of the 89' tdf...


Oh wait I was only 13 months old

ryansu

I was aware of Greg at that time but didn't really follow until he who must not be named started winning, but going back and watching highlights and reading the book and watching the documentary Slaying the badger I have a ton of respect for Mr. Lemond to win is hard enough, to win with most of your team working for somebody else (86)is hard to fathom. To win after almost dying a few years earlier, with bird shot still in your body and to make up 50 seconds over that distance ? Magnifique!

madpogue 

Article mentions a father having been in the sport, and a sister exploring it. Dad would be 80 now, doing the math. Wonder if either have been heard of since.

Also a brief reference to (and sad reminder of) Robert Rodale.

canklecat

I remember those articles from the mid to late 1970s, making it clear LeMond was already so good as a teenager that it seemed a forgone conclusion that he'd be a world champion if he could get adequate team support.

Thanks for those clips! Good to reminisce. At the time I was in my late teens/early 20s, in the Navy and bicycle commuting to base. I felt like Dave Stohler, with fantasies of being a domestique on the grand tour circuit, treating every 10 mile commute like a time trial... riding my 30 lb hi-ten frame Motobecane Mirage! Good times.

philbob57

July 23, 1989 was a beautiful Sunday and my 45th birthday. Given the choice between riding and watching an abridgement of a TT, and believing there was no way Lemond could win, I chose to ride.

On Sunday July 20, 1986, my time was the same as Greg's to the minute. I rode almost half as far as he did.

Great trip down memory lane. Thanks for the photo and articles.

madpogue 

^^^^ Happy slightly-belated birthday.

eja_ bottecchia

The reason why I bought my Bottecchia...

Giuanin

About this robbery: https://sporza.be/nl/2019/07/23/jose...emond-tijdrit/