How GOOD Was Greg LeMond REALLY?
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- čas přidán 9. 09. 2022
- Greg Lemond the most decorated American cyclist in history, famed for his incredible last stage moment victory of the 1989 Tour de France and his epic rivalry with team-mate Bernard Hinault and a VO2 max of 92.
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#greglemond - Sport
Greg LeMond was the reason why I got into cycling. The guy was outstanding to watch and a great American cyclist.
👍👍👍
Greg is a nice guy too. Nothing like the other guy from Texas...
Same here, he inspired me to get into cycling!
I have had the pleasure of cycling with him on several occasions. Greg is a true gentleman and a champions champion.
Me too. I actually purchased my first road bike the summer of '86. It was raced in the Coors Classic that year (and possibly Worlds as I believe it was in C Springs that year.)
The best. You can't really judge him without an appreciation of how many challenges he faced as an American racer in Europe. It's not a stretch to suggest he would have been likely to win the tour in 87 and 88 if he had not been injured in the hunting accident. On top of all that, he spoke out against the doping of the Armstrong era and paid the price for it. But he continued to speak out. He was amazing on the bike and a class act off it.
Greg only spoke out when Trek chose to focus on Lance and limit their support of Lemond Cycles which they had previously acquired. Greg never spoke out about the rampant doping going on in his own era which would have been impossible for him not to have known about. I bought a Lemond Zurich because of my admiration of him but felt he and his wife’s attack on Lance was purely financial sour grapes.
@@mamille1963 There may have been some but doping was not rampant back then. However...starting in 92 and 93 he did notice something was going on and has stated as much. He has said that he was flying and feeling as good and strong as he ever had yet others were flying by him like he was standing still. And not just one or two riders...but seemingly everyone. He also ntoiced that, like now, suddenly the entire peleton was able to stick together for a long way up all of the longer tougher climbs, whereas in prior tours the pack would quickly get strung out and the climbers quickly formed there breaks.
Lance threatened to ruin all kinds of folks including LeMond...who never definitively accused him of doping. Lance was even willing to pay people to say LeMond was doping. Not a good guy. That said...I believe you have your timeline confused. When TREK found that LeMond was starting to questions lance, Trek pulled away from Him.
This is an accusation:
July 15, 2004
PARIS (AFP) - Triple winner Greg LeMond has queried whether five-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is as clean as he claims.
LeMond, the first American to win the Tour, says just because Armstrong has never tested positive for banned substances does not necessarily prove he is not using drugs.
"Everybody says that. But neither had David Millar tested positive and he now admits he took EPO," LeMond told Le Monde daily.
From a 2014 Cycling News article
"Maybe it's easier to ignore the scandals at PDM or the widespread use of cortisone in the 70s and 80s than accept the situation which existed when he was competing. Laurent Fignon's autobiography sets out the situation quite clearly, the culture of cheating existed and apparently in teams where Hinault worked, if we are to believe the confessions of retired riders. When you read that national federations were willing to blood dope their athletes at the Olympics and the never ending stream of positives for amphetamines, ephedrine and cortisone based medications before, during and after the Hinault era, then you realise that Armstrong didn't invent the doping problem. The problem was institutional."
Cheating is cheating
Greg could not stand being second fiddle to Lance and Trek stated as much in the lawsuit. He then started the accusations. You are correct about Trek distancing themselves AFTER the mudslinging. But based on what I have read I truly believe he wanted to knock Lance down a few pegs when Trek went all on Lance.
I agree with you about him not being a nice guy. But that has nothing to do with his abilities. In a field full of dopers he was the best.
@@sprintn918 Doping as always been part of Cycling that is just one of those sad facts of this sport, it was how it was organised from the end of the 80' on a professional level with Team Doctors and Medical services. That really started with the Renault Team under Cyrille Guimard .
Le Mound mentions in his Book about certain Cyclists vanishing off to special training camps and returning looking like completely different riders.
Fignon in his book goes on about certain riders receiving brown paper bags while others did not.
Remember Le Mound left PDM or wash sacked at the time and end up joining the low level ADR team in 1989. I knew a PDM Rider back then the official line was Greg's lack of form in early season races.
But it later came out it was about PDM's doping program then taking.
Greg however did not say anything at the time. The only Voice back then was the Irish Rider Paul Kimmage who who wrote a book and basically was branded a lier and never rode again as a professional rider but kept the fight going and spoke from for decades before Armstrong became the fall guy for the EPO erea of Cycling.
Greg's may have quite PDM but he used them to his own benefit in winning the 1989 Tour his ADR was not strong enough to help him battle Fignon and System U .but with PDM riding high in the GC with Kelly then were the team in form to do all the chasing down of Fignon's attacks in the last days of the Mountains .Greg using his head again.
From Greg and Fignon the real change came in the 91 Tour the EPO Tour for me . PDM were hit with a mystery illness officially food poisoning, these day most say it was bad blood doping that sidelined the whole team that year.
The year that Donkeys started winning the tour Big mig for sure was juiced up as were the top half of the field.
While all the former TDF winners were 10 minutes down Greg had won the Tour the year before and now struggled to hold the wheels in the mountains. With hindsight it was plain as day that there was rampant doping . Back then we all thought it was just progress.
@@mamille1963, I hear your point, and I'm sure money had something to do with it. But, as long as he himself was not doping (and I've never heard any evidence of that), I judge him less harshly for not speaking out about it going on around him during his career. He was already treated as an outsider by the European establishment - speaking out about doping at that moment would have been hard to do without destroying his career. But, I agree he should have said something after he retired.
LeMond was a true champion. Not a prolific winner but an inspiration to many including myself. Thanks Greg.
Greg is one of the nicest guys ever. Way back in the day, before he became famous, my sister rode with him. They rode from Sacramento to Lake Tahoe like it was a milk run. He was just "Greg", he treated the pain in the ass little brother (Me) like a human being.
What, you don't think Lance Armstrong would have treated you the same way? You'd probably still be therapy, trying to recover.
Thanku for telling that .. lemond one of my heroes!! Always assume he'd be down to earth and pure class, no matter How great he was .U confirmed it !! Lemond living legend
The 30 for 30 doc Slaying The Badger is what sparked my passion for all things bikes. Prior to that I knew ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about bikes or cycling. Flash forward eight years: I watch every UCI race, I own four bikes (including a 1998 LeMond Tourmalet) all of which I maintain on my own, and I'm even lucky enough to have a career in the bike industry.
I'll always love Greg LeMond for leading me to a treasure and a freedom I didn't even known I'd been seeking. I'm really happy to read comments from folks that have such nice things to say of meeting him.
Awesome. God Bless.
First time I ever watched the TDF was in 1989, late one night on ESPN. I was instantly hooked with the drama of the sprints and even more once they hit the mountain stages. I have been watching ever sense. Watching Greg Lemond defeat Laurent Fignon by just 8 seconds has to been one of the greatest moments in sports history. Unfortunately, Greg Lemond never got the recognition he so richly deserves. Even after Lance Armstrongs fall from grace, most Americans don’t know who he is, unless they are diehard cyclists fans. To me, he is the reason I watch TDF every single year.
I was watching that exact same broadcast, and did my first race a few months later... it was my passion for 30+ years of my life after...
The only reason I know of Greg Lemond was because of his cameo on Phineas and Ferb.
Greg Lemond was one of my role models as a youngster. As was Andy Hampsten and the Seven Eleven cycling team. I distinctly remember when and where I was when Greg Lemond won the 1989 Tour de France. I was a teenager just getting into cycling. Hands down the best Tour de France race I've ever watched. At the time, cycling coverage was limited in the U.S., so I had to settle for abridged documentary style TV shows hosted by Phil Liggett. I also followed the races with cycling magazines and news articles. I was mesmerized every time I watched them. I am still motivated by them to this day.
Imagine watching that race today with the kind of coverage we have now it would’ve been epic.
that is a great anecdote. when I was following Hinault and then the young LeMond, we relied almost exclusively on french cycling magazines! But you never forget how it all captured your imagination at the time.
I remember, when and where, too. I had just turned 20 and was watching in my parents’ kitchen. I jumped up and down and yelled myself hoarse. The only other time I’ve ever been that happy over a sporting result was Kirk Gibson’s home run the year before.
The GOAT for sure, my favorite no contest. Heart, guts , talent and determination is what he showed on the bike.
Became aware of the TdF in 1974 when while stationed in Germany, tried to visit Paris only to find it impossible due to "bicycle race" Read up on TdF and cycling in general. It was not until LeMond came on the scene that I actually became an enormous fan of racing. Old grandma now, but still a huge cycling fan thanks to LeMond.
As an amateur racer in the 80’s he was a big hero of mine. He visited our town in MN in the late 90’s and I got to pick him up at the airport and helped show him around. He was learning to fly and flew up with his instructor. He couldn’t have been more affable, just a class act in every respect.
Definitely the greatest professional cyclist the United States has contributed to the sport and an even greater human being.
Greg wasn't just a great cyclist,he is a real down to earth man.
Hear hear!!
Yeah, I met him on two occasions. Once in a bike store, where he was speaking to a group. The second in France after the end of a Fall classic, my buddy and I saw him after the race and, showers, standing with Steve Bauer, just chatting. I called out to him, "hey Greg to you have time for a couple of Americans?" He said, "sure" and security let us pass. A genuine gentleman. I had been racing in France myself the summer he and Hiault had battled for the Tour. I was the only American on the team and there was some national pride and emotions at play, for sure.
@@markthomas207 Totally cool,I met him at two wheel transit in Huntington Beach back in the day. Great story of racing in Europe. Thanks
Greg LeMond is absolute Class. As an amateur racer at the time of his heyday I would see him at races and he was always cordial and would take time for autographs and conversation. The way Lance Armstrong and other maligned him was criminal. In my opinion the Best Cyclist the USA has ever known. I wish him the best of everything in his daily life now.
Totally agree with you!!
Just as Peter Sagan showed up at an amateur MTB Over the Hump race in California after winning the Tour of California. He met with many racers, including my 16 year old son who was the season winner in Mens U30. A friend of ours took the photo of the two and posted it to Facebook, mentioning the Tour winner Peter & my son. My comment turned the story the 'other way' describing Tour winner Peter meeting with the16 year-old OTH Men's U30 winner - and Peter was gracious - he "liked" the comment.
It’s an insult to even question his greatness. Best American cyclist ever, and one of the greatest in history, period. 👍🤪🇨🇦
Lemond holds the 4th fastest time trial in history; his 1989 speed of 54.55km/hr over a 25KM distance was beaten by only 3 in the history of cycling:
2005 David Zabriskie on a shorter 19km course (3/4 distance of LeMond's stage and 16 years later). Zabriskie was a TT specialist who admitted to doping during the 2005 season when he beat Greg's time.
1994 Chris Boardman on just a 7KM prologue (almost 1/4 the distance of LeMond's stage and 5 years later): Chris Boardman, a 2-time Olympic medalist and 7-time Wold Championship medalist. Perhaps one of the most well-known TT specialists who pushed the envelope repeatedly in aero advancements
2015 Rohan Dennis on a short 13KM course (1/2 the distance of Lemond's stage and 26 years later). Dennis, a 14-time medalist in both the Olympics and World Champion races and modern-day aero wizard who has famously been kicked off teams for using a better/faster bike instead of his sponsored ride.
Notable Riders Who LeMond Beat: Next let's consider the riders who LeMond beat in the history of fastest TT's (keep in mind many of these are decades later and bike/aero technology has advanced considerably since LeMond's record was set):
LeMond was faster than David Millar's 2003 record (14 years after LeMond), the year before Millar was busted - and admitted - for doping.
Faster than Fabian Cancellara's 2007 record (18 years after LeMond). Cancellara is a 4-time world TT Champion (plus 3 bronze) and 2-time Olympic TT champion (plus 1 silver) along with countless other TT and individual wins. LeMond was faster than Cancellara despite Cancellara only doing 8k, or 1/3 the distance of LeMond.
Faster than Lance Armstrong: No comment required on doping record, Tour wins, aero technology, etc.
Faster than Levi Leipheimer: Convicted doper.
Faster than Tony Martin's 2013 record (24 years after LeMond). Martin is a 13-time World Championship medalist (7 Gold Medals) and Olympic Medalist, and a TT specialist with a nickname of Der Panzerwagen for his ability to blow people away in TT's.
Technology: Next let's consider the cycling advancements from Lemond's 1989 era to that of today, all of which have been tested, developed and proven in a wind tunnel to dramatically increase performance:
Skinsuits
Aero helmets
Shoe covers
Aero bike frames (wind tunnel proven 50 seconds faster over 25km vs steel tube bike)
Aero bike wheels
Aero bars
The biggest aero gain of them all: rider position (head position alone wind tunnel tested >1 minute over 25 km)
Doping: LeMond won 3 individual stages and won the Tour 3 times: 1986, 1989, 1990. During any of those years not a single rider in the Tour peloton failed a drug test. However in future testing 31% of the riders that took part in the 1986 Tour tested positive, 32% of the riders in the 1989 race tested positive, and 37% of the riders taking part in the 1990 Tour tested positive. You'd have to make a decision here, either nobody doped during the 1986/89/90 Tours - but oddly 1/3 the peloton doped and was caught in subsequent races, or the doping tests weren't any good, or the test results were hidden.
To recap: Lemond beat ALL of these:
Multi-time world TT champions
Multi-time Olympic TT champions
Convicted dopers
TT specialists
And ALL combinations of the above.
On a course that was up to 3x longer than the above riders set their speed records on
And he beat them all on a round tube steel frame bike with box section, spoked aluminum wheels (rear disk), downtube shifters, clip-on "bullhorn" aero bars, a floppy skinsuit and a walmart-looking helmet.
Either LeMond doped, or you believe modern-day cycling advancements like wind tunnel testing, aero wheels/bars/helmets/skinsuits/shifters, power meters, diet and training methods and their related advancements over the last 32 years haven't helped riders get faster.
It's as simple as that.
My opinion: LeMond was the best doper in history. He set records on laughable equipment, won the Tour, and never got caught.
@@usualsuspectsfor1k ok Lance…🤪🏳️🌈
@@user-hf8ie8mf3n Funny how you call Lemond the greatest cyclist ever yet when someone presents you with facts proving otherwise you dismiss them. I'm not a Lance fan.
Did you even read what I posted?
Did you research ANY of it yourself? If you did, you'll see everything I wrote is true. I did the research because I wanted to know. I pretty much knew Lance was doping because he beat all the other convicted dopers. Once LeMond really started hounding Lance, I started digging for info on LeMond, his races/stats, and the people he raced against and won. I didn't set out to prove he was a doper, I was hoping he wasn't because we Americans got disgraced with Lance. But when you look at the facts, there is no other explanation other than LeMond doped. And he doped big. And The Tour was complicit in covering it up/hiding it, I can only assume because of his last name.
@@usualsuspectsfor1k get a life 😘
@@user-hf8ie8mf3n Look up ONE of the facts I posted. Just pick one. If it's right, look up the next one.
Every one of them is correct.
LeMond is the greatest doper of all time.
He was amazing, even as a Junior, lapping Senior I/II fields multiple times in Criteriums. He was breathing different air..
Someone else that remembers Lemond lapping the Seniors multiple times. He soloed away from the best Northern California riders at the Davis Criterium, caught them and took off again.
LeMond is one of the greatest. Despite all of the hardships he faced throughout his career, including riding on French teams against incredibly popular French riders and getting shot twice in his life, his palmares are matched by few. He truly only had the support of his team on his last Tour... What might have been. What a legend.
I had the great fortune of meeting Greg and spending time one on one time with him at a promo event at Bloomingdales in NYC. What a gentleman, great guy and totally a down to earth person he is. He is the total, real deal. Unique. Amazing. Inspirational. He had the last laugh on Armstrong. It was a karma moment when Armstrong lost all after Armstrong smeared him. He is definitely the GOAT of American cycle. An absolute icon.
I also had the great pleasure of riding with Greg up in Battenkill, NY on a benefit ride for his foundation to combat child abuse--which he had suffered from his uncle. Greg was gregarious, generous and had a photographic memory of most every turn of every European road he'd raced or trained on. He had huge enthusiasm for the bike and he really loved riding with his fans.
LeMond, Kelly, Roche, Hinault, Bauer, Anderson, Criquielion, Hampsten were some of riders that inspired me to club race.
Yep, and not forgetting Fignon
The guy is a genuine legend.
They guy nearly dies after being accidentally shot, comes back and wins the Tour. He nearly dies from appendicitis requiring emergency surgery, comes back and wins the Tour. Virtually loses his entire team, goes it alone and wins the Tour. Then we discover he has a muscular dystrophy, a genetic condition that predisposes him to be weak. Just incredible!
He was indeed diagnosed with Mitochondrial Myopathy. That diagnosis is what it took to make him finally give up racing and training.
LeMond was the one who sparked my interest in pro cycling. I had never even heard of the sport prior to that.
Where have you been living never heard of pro cycling?
Remember his Taco Bell sponsorship?
@@robbiddlecombe8392 typical American story
Same here. I was about 11 years old and my folks bought me a Sports Illustrated subscription. Those articles got my attention. Said I'd never wear a cycling kit. 30 years later, Lycra everywhere
@@robbiddlecombe8392 Winning was a fantastic magazine!
Thanks for covering this Scott. He’s one of my heroes, for sure. I bought my first bike during the summer of ‘85, when LeMond came in 2nd in the Tour. I rode all summer long during July ‘86 when Greg won the Tour, it was so inspiring. Hate to say it, but most people agree that the ‘86 Tour was the best in history. Not only was it pre-EPO, but it was pre-race radios, back when cyclists attacked based on sensations and eyeing their rivals and rode with panache. Stephen Roche raced with panache in ‘87 as well, in a marvelous pre-race radio style. Ahh, the glory days…I know you and your fellow Danes had a fantastic July, so there’s still some magic there.
@@robbiddlecombe8392 But some of the racing was better to watch without the help of radios and richer teams dominating the 3 tours with 4 or 5 riders driving the pace up most of the climbs. It was more a case of rider against rider back then and pre-EPO which meant that the ridiculous attacks like Armstrong and Riis couldn't happen. The last few COVID years have been great to watch though.
@@robbiddlecombe8392 too true, Rob, too true. You have to admit though, that cycling before race radios was an entirely different thing and was much more exciting due to its unpredictability
race radios were a ruination. So sad.
As an American, following the disgrace of Armstrong, Lemond is the greatest American rider in history. It is impossible to measure the long term effects of Lemond on whole generations of riders here. Without him, there is no American presence in the TDF. God bless him and his struggle with leukemia.
, and a big thank you for this video to The Cycling Dane!
What in the world makes you think that Greg Lemond was clean with all his success coming after EPO went into clinical trials till 1½ years after it was on the market. Fignon was doped - why would you assume that because Lemond was no efficiently doping checked that he was clean?
@@jenspetersen5865I raced in Northern California in the 80s and saw Lemond race with junior gears against the best Seniors. I assume he wasn't doping as a 15 year old beating people like George Mount and Howard. I talked to Howard about it and he confirmed that Lemond stayed with him on junior gears. VO2Max 92.5
@@bradcarvey How different do you think that is from other TDF riders that bloom early? Similar stories are told about ex. Tyler Hamilton.
Doping is the jump from great to exceptional, and at least 10 riders in each TDF field has dominated at young age.
@@jenspetersen5865 You could be right. Perhaps, if you saw what I saw in the 80s in Norther California you would have doubts. I would be curious to hear from the best riders from the late 80s, about what they think about LeMond and doping.
@@bradcarvey I agree with Greg Lemond in the statement that there are no miracles in cycling that he used against Armstrong, but the story of being the best among dopers is less of a miracle than being the clean rider that beat all the dopers in a time where doping was rampant and where tests were not really a thing.
EPO was not illegal in cycling till 1997, and at least according to Armstrong they stopped using it prior to the 2001 TDF due to the test coming out, and went back to blood doping like they had used prior to 1988/89.
There were no standards for blood doping/EPO before 1997, which means that ex. Bjarne Riis that hit 64 in hematocrit values during the 1996 tour was legally clean except for steroid use.
From ChatGPT
Cycling's regulation of hematocrit values to stay under 50% began in the early 1990s. Hematocrit is the volume percentage of red blood cells in the blood, and it can be used as an indicator of potential blood doping, which was a common practice in professional cycling. Blood doping involves artificially increasing the red blood cell count to enhance an athlete's oxygen-carrying capacity and thus improve endurance performance.
To counter this, the International Cycling Union (UCI) introduced a limit on hematocrit levels in 1997. The limit was set at 50%, meaning that cyclists' hematocrit levels could not exceed this threshold during doping controls. This regulation aimed to prevent blood doping and create a fair playing field for all cyclists.
Subsequent advancements in anti-doping measures have involved more sophisticated testing methods, such as the use of the Athlete Biological Passport (ABP). The ABP tracks an athlete's blood parameters over time, looking for unusual or suspicious changes that might indicate doping.
Met Greg Lemond at a restaurant during a Bicycle trade show in Las Vegas near the end of his career. We waved and he came by, his arm in a sling from broken collar bone. He could not have been nicer and down to earth. He was happy to chat for a few minutes until his wife, and family, who were waiting at another table waved him over. Again, one of the nicest guys in cycling and one of the toughest competitors we've ever had from the USA. I also saw him ride the Coors Classic( I lived in Boulder, CO at that time) when he brought over some the top European stars to race. I was a competitive road runner at the time, but once finished picked up cycling. Greg had a lot to do with that and I still cycle today, with intensity. . . I hope Greg beats this latest health challenge. He is one of the best on and off the bike.
He was a complete ass to a poor waiter who did not refill his water fast enough. The restaurant was crowded and unexpectantly more busy than usual so it was short-staffed. The bullied waiter had no idea who LeMond was since the waiter was a young kid and this was the 2000s. I've followed cycling since the 1970s and recognized him immediately. So disappointing that the hype of "nice guy" is just that.
@Geoff LeMond Were you there? I was. Stillwater, Minnesota. The bike series had not gone smoothly. I saw him several times during the event. He was "nice" to all except that poor waiter. The fact that he was nice to some does not mean it is impossible he was not nice to others. Being frustrated, thirsty, hungry, and perhaps tired could explain the crack in his public persona.
As a kid I had Greg’s Puma poster on my wall. He was one of my childhood hero’s.
It is because of Greg that I had an interest in cycling back in the 80's, and love it even more today. Thanks Greg and thanks for this video.
Personally, I think Greg Lemond could have won at least 5 TDF if it wasn't for the hunting accident, Such a great talent. I bought his first guide to cycling in 86" and it changed my life. From positioning to diet and all his great incite, it was my go too for my first years on the bike. Growing up and literally living on the old Coors Classic stage from Nevada City to Truckee Ca, me and a buddy would follow the caravan on a motorcycle and find race bottles, even finding a coveted one from Greg's team! The icing on the cake was getting to see how great of a guy Greg is, during prerace warmups in downtown Reno, we happened to run into Greg and Andy Hampsten, and they were very friendly and signed autographs. To this day I use Greg's bike positioning reference created by Cyril Guimard his former DS, high saddle and move the saddle way back, it feels very natural and balanced to me and my hands feel light on the bars.
Agreed, should have won 5 in a row. Hopefully he never went hunting ever again.
I still have that same book!
If Greg didn't get side lined in 1987 by that shooting accident, He would have been up there with the 5 timers of the Tour de France, or better. He put America on the cycling map.
Excellent presentation of a true champion. My favourite cyclist of all time!
There’s a lot of what ifs in Greg’s Career but I think his most lasting legacy was that he brought modern science based training, conditioning, diet and equipment to the peloton and at that time he was widely criticized in Europe for not abiding by tradition. Lemond changed all of that.
Then his success resulted in the rest of the English speaking work getting introduced to Europro racing and the TdF.
In the respect, as an individual, Greg was probably the most influential, if not the very best rider, athlete in the modern era of professional cycling.
From a talent and success standpoint he was certainly one of the all time greats.
The fact that LeMond even won a race was truly remarkable. I think his 86 TdF was his greatest accomplishment. I mean the TdF is just so physically inhuman but to put up with the crap he did was just amazing.
LeMond not only had to race against the rest of the peloton, that did not want to see him win, he had to race against his own damned team half of whom didn’t want to see him win either. So a lot of younger cycling fans don’t understand how huge the odds were against Lemond winning that TdF. His victory not only defied all the odds but it certainly showed how huge his determination to win was. A normal human would have crashed and burned.
I didn’t know about LeMond till 82 when I started cycling (we’re the same age) when I was a Sophomore in College majoring in human biology. I’ll say the same thing now that I did back then about his physical metrics. The man is a freak.
Lemond is not the one that brought "science" to cycling. Renault (that he joined) was looking at "science" based engineering and all of the top teams were interested in nutrition. The riders themselves sometimes objected to "showboating" and odd behavior but that's a different story. The most important "scientist" in cycling is probably Francesco Conconi, a cardiologist. He took research from rehab medicine and human performance research from running and cross country skiing and so forth and applied it most famously to Francesco Moser. At the same time (more or less) a guy known as Eddy B. was coaching US amateurs and getting most of them involved in "blood doping" that relied on some of the same "science" and traditional abuses. In terms of metrics for "science" the age of measuring riders on the bike also started with Conconi and Moser. They were the first to use portable heart rate monitors on the bike. Lemond's first HRM on the bike was a Casio with a wired ear lobe sensor. I think it was just a photo op for Casio. Polar already had an ECG based wireless strap with a wristwatch to store the data. Lemond wasn't even the first to use an SRM power meter. As far as I know he only used that gear after his accident in the spring of 1987. Lemond's coach at La Vie Claire (and then Toshiba) was very good but he wasn't "cutting edge". Not only that but Greg propagated a lot of pseudoscientific takes on his views and fears as he struggled to find his peak fitness and then to explain Lance Armstrong. The worst thing is that Lemond reported a small breakthrough in the 1989 Giro where he surged in the end to place well in the last ITT. Wonderful. His explanation was a "vitamin shot" from his "aid". OK. But then when convenient he starts talking about how he can't quite repeat his "purple patch of 1989 because it must be that everyone beating him is doping. Maybe they are. But maybe he needs to pay more attention to what his "aids" are injecting in to him that suddenly help him in the same kind of "miracle" that helped Floyd Landis recover in the 2006 Tour.
The 1986 Tour was a great victory but it's not like there was any conspiracy against Greg. Lemond raced twice before and place third and then second before his first place. He was racing against past winners (first against defending champ Fignon in 1984, then against Hinault in '85 and '86) on his own team. All team sports are like that when the upstarts want to prematurely defeat the established greats. Especially on their own team. And it was shameful for him to flub a corner in the ITT and then propagate "sabotage" fears. And Greg was constantly fighting with his family. I hope he has finally found some peace. He was his own worst enemy while racing and then trying to build his magical cycling brand. His latest project looks pretty good. Respect for him if he proves that he can continue to become wiser with age.
not to forget he still raced with shotgun pellets still having in his body, because doc´s couldn´t remove them.
@@robbiddlecombe8392 Kochli was a cyclist that turned in to a very good coach, not a researcher. I'm not saying he wasn't "cutting edge" but he wasn't really a "scientific" pioneer. That's all I'm saying.
Bernard Tapie apparently got Hinault to try the innovative Look pedals designed from "safety" ski bindings. They were white and intended to help Hinault fully recover from an injury he suffered in 1983. They say he got a bad bike setup during the Vuelta. Greg got the second generation (black and about 50 grams lighter) the season after Hinault previewed them. So here again this was not a "Lemond" innovation. Greg was rightly ridiculed for shitty discipline. The most famous example was returning to California in 1987 after he broke his wrist in Milano-San Remo. That is when he went turkey hunting with his brother in-law and got shot. (In Lincoln, California, not far from Rancho Murieta where he was residing at the time.) He was also criticized for playing golf during the cycling season and eating ice cream during long stages of some races. To be fair, Hinault and others have also been caught with ice cream but I think this criticism is really rooted in the fact that Lemond tried to show that he was a great champion because of his unmatched discipline and so forth. His character was compared to Hinault, who Lemond implied could beat him only because of team support and French cultural biases. And then when he struggled to gain form after the accident he blamed everything but his debatable discipline. Think of Chris Froome's struggles (after winning 4 Tours) and how stoically he works to regain lost form. He doesn't offer up any excuses. Greg...always had stories about sabotaged bikes and whatnot and I honestly think his family drove him kind of nuts. His father and wife were always pushing him and complaining. I don't really care about any of this except that when he started echoing stories from gasbag journalists about Armstrong, who at worst continued using his "cancer recovery" drugs well in to his training periods, I just remembered what a dumbass Greg was to throw out those accusations when I know for a fact that the riders almost never scrutinize what they're given by team doctors. And EPO has legitimate "therapeutic" uses. For cancer recovery, anemia, etc. It's just very expensive and you would not normally give it to some random dude with low red blood cells. What is the ethical difference between blood transfusions and EPO when properly administered EPO is safer? But Greg instead started talking about these Manichean stories of good and evil. Greg is the victimized Saint in all of his stories.
@@indonesiaamerica7050 I had EPO injections as part of my cancer treatment.
@@indonesiaamerica7050 Shit I love cycling! All the intrigue, half truths, and truth! Makes me just love it even more!!
Thank you for this beautiful and insightful video about Greg Lemond. Without a doubt the greatest American cyclist without a peer, and one of the most amazing stories in all sports history. I had the great pleasure of meeting Greg, and photographing him for the first Giro helmet ad campaign way back in the day, at his home outside Reno. He was a consummate professional and a very generous human being.
Glad you enjoyed it and I am jealoous of your meeting with him :P
Lemond was one of the super early riders to embrace power meter training, diet, training camps. He was known to live in the Alps for long periods of time to focus on all 3 of those in isolation with just Kathy.
Don't forget AERO 😏
And then he got fat.
Heart rate but no power meter then?
Too much ice cream in the off season
He was also known for gaining a lot of weight in the offseason and starting the racing season being chubby and out of form as 50% of the peloton in that time. Nowadays, you will never see a pro cyclist getting overweigh in the offseason.
BRILLIANT! greg lemond was beyond words.
LeMonster 😅👍🇺🇸
@@pagejustin5572 The Reno ROCKET😉🚀
Thanks for putting this together. Still my most favorite rider in the sport.
Glad you enjoyed it! and thanks for watching
Gosh--so many memories! The first 6 minutes of you program cover my first years racing USCF. LeMond is 4 years older than me me, and while we all had Hinault posters (pulled from Le Miroir du Cyclisme magazins) we were amazed and excited by the very young LeMond. I used to see Davis Phinney at races such as Sommerville, Nutley etc--he and Jon Boyer were relative "old men" compared to Lemond in 1983. When Eddy B's book came out, there was that photo of Greg with his original pidgeon-toed stance and Eddie's comments that he was a "diamond in the rough."
Watching this is like opening a photo album that has been missing for 40 years. Thanks for doing such a great job at this story!
A great cyclist and athlete 🇺🇸
How good - unreal. One of the most talented since Merckx. No one will ever match Eddy, but LeMond coming from the US and succeeding is enough. raised in Belgium, he would have had an even better resume.
Good video. Take out the picture of him with Armstrong. That's a discrace for everything Greg stands for.
Greg was my hero, as a MTB XC rider in the 90's I bought his book and used it as my guide towards training. I thank Greg and his training methods for helping me to win many local races, 3x regional XC titles and 1x national title. Now more of a road rider and gravel rider it's only been in the past few years that I have changed my training methods to a more polarised approach but I don't compete like I used to. When I do have a race I want to do I still incorporate many of Greg's training philosophies.
He did it without drugs and I still have the USA Today newspaper with his picture on the front page when he won the 1986 TDF. Awesome very powerful rider much more muscle than the guys today. Overcoming Hinault who was not friend in a race and then later overcoming the gunshot wound is amazing. Good bless him in his new battle.
Strange that no rider no matter how doped has ever done a long timetrial as fast as Clean Gregg
@@jenspetersen5865 makes me think he was doping
@@johnlabry325 Amgen developed and clinically tested EPO for Anemia in Southern California where Greg Lemond lives between 1984 and 1988, before it was released for general sale before the 1989 cycling season where Greg Lomond did the best time trials of his life in the Giro and the TDF - and especially at the Giro had a miracolous recovery after he got some vitamin injections.
It is highly likely that Lemond during treatment for his shooting accident would have recieved EPO as part of a treatment.
@@jenspetersen5865 Please provide actual proof of these accusations. Its amazing how people slander others without any proof at all, just create and argument fueled by pure conjecture. EPO was not being used on humans when Greg Lemond had his shooting accident which of course occurred in 1987. It was not approved for humans for more than two years and it would not have been any part of a protocol for recovery from a shotgun blast had it even been available. It was approved exclusively for patients on dialysis (which was who it was designed for) in June of 1989, then for chemo patients with reduced kidney function in April of 1993. And, you clearly have no understanding of Lemond's history nor geography. Lemond was born in Lakewood, California, which IS in Southern California, near Long Beach but far away from the where the Amgen campus is east of the San Fernando Valley. But Lemond left Southern California and grew up in the mountainous Squaw Valley-Lake Tahoe-Reno area, on the border of California and Nevada, an eight hour drive from Amgen. From the beginning he spent his life at altitude and from the time he was fourteen and was already competitive with the best amateurs in the United States, it was clear that he was an almost unique talent with a massive engine. Those of us who were around at the time knew he was far more talented that any American we had seen. And when he began racing on the pro circuit he was immediately successful, winning his first pro race at the age of nineteen, when every other rider or the day was riding as a first year amateur. I saw him win the World Championships in Switzerland, a few months after he turned 22. Many say he was the greatest talent of his generation. I have yet to see any actual proof that any riders were using EPO in the summer of 1989, least of all Greg Lemond. Blood boosting was of course a well-known aid, especially since the 1984 Olympics (where it was used advantageously by the United States team, then not prohibited) and it was probably in effective use in the professional peloton in the late 1980s, but I have yet to see a specific accusation or a shred of proof as far as Lemond was concerned. A time trial record on a one-way course with the probably aid of a tailwind as well as the advantageous use of disc wheels and a brand new aero position and helmet are hardly evidence of doping, especially when the man who set the record was thought to have one of the best cardiovascular systems on record. Its actually something of a miracle that Lemond was able to come back to form after the accident, but he was in his 20s, with more than a decade of intense training. But clearly such a shooting and all the foreign matter that remained in his body is not something any of us would want in the long term. The illegal use of EPO seems to have become more and more common in the pro peloton somewhere between 1991 and 1993, as Lemond's career came to a close because his body or his mind could no longer take the stress of professional racing.
@@barrysmith8920 Tailwind - go drink some more coolaid. The videos do not show any significant wind neither along the Saine or at the finish. Leaves are not moving, trees are not bending, flags are not showing any sign of significant wind, there are no waves or signs of wind gusts on the water.
All that is left are unsubstantiated claims that Greg Lemond never doped, and records that cannot logically be explained without it. Fact is that no matter how doped no one has topped Greg Lemond even on much better equipment.
And sorry the arguments of how great he was as a junior in local races in the US really does not set him apart from other elite cyclists.
I was in France bike touring in 89 and we followed the tour on tv from wherever we were every day. When LeMond won it by 8 seconds it was a fantastic win and put down of hubris. I admired his balance in sport and life with doing cross-country in the winter, NOT doing dope (huge problem in cycling at time and in the after era), and fighting through health problems. Great guy.
My biggest cycling hero for sure. He could have been a 6 time winner if he had not been shot and held back in '85. One of the all-time best in any case.
Greg Lemond was and is the classiest act America has produced on the bicycle. He was ruthless on the bike. If he had not gotten shot he would have far eclipsed anything done prior to him. I fucking love that guy
I match him with Davis Phinney.
At 15-16 he raced in Cat 1 races in Northern Ca and i watched him dominate the best senior 1 men in USA. In Pacific Grove he finished an 80 mile Criterium 2 and 1/2 laps ahead of second place. At Leguna Seca he raced a 128 mile road race and remained uncatchable at half a lap ahead of the entire field.
I saw Greg race in the 4Jul race in Davis, CA when he was Junior racer (14 or 15). He triple lapped the pack and his dad came in second in the seniors race. Then at the Nevada City Classic in the mid 80s, when he was a professional, he double lapped the pack. Eric Haydan was in that race too.
All the best and success to Greg. Beat that "C" now.
The Sunday of the final TT stage of the Tour de France in 1989, our club was hooking up with another club out of the Westside of L.A. We all knew that LeMond was trailing Fignon by an insurmountable time for such a short stage. We were meeting up at the bike shop on Westwood Blvd that sponsored the other club, Velo Le Grange. We were all milling around for a few minutes when one of the Le Grange group rode up shouting. He had just gotten a phone call from a relative in France following the Tour. He was screaming "LeMond won" over and over again. When he calmed down we got the whole story. I think we all set personal bests up Franklin Canyon that morning!
Clearly, he is a magnet ,to many like myself, to the sport and strategy of cycling. He is able to comfortably sit at the table of the greatest of the sport. His spirited approach screams never die. Hats off!!!!
He was possibly the last non doping winner of the Tour until recently and his last Tour win is even more impressive when you take into account that it was the beginning of the EPO use among the Spaniards especially Indurain under the tutelage of Dr. Michele Ferrari. An interesting story, when he won the US Junior National Road Championship he lapped the field 3 times.
Until recently? Are you kidding?
@@isitrachelorj3953 No ones been busted recently, so I'll give them the benefit of the doubt.
@@techvelo Froome was caught cheating in 2019, and got away with it. Wiggo in 2012. Two Austrians in 2019/20 - Denifl was one of them. Remember, Lance was never busted. Or Levi. Or Museeuw. Contador was. 7 Portuguese riders were suspended last year. They are all still cheating, and that makes Lemonds efforts more spectacular.
@@isitrachelorj3953 Armstrong did test positive on more than one occasion. He and his big money sponsors greased all of the right palms to have it overlooked again and again.
@@prestachuck2867 Chuck, I think you are missing the sarcasm. They all probably tested positive, and had those results buried; "officially" they never returned a doped test result. They've all admitted doping since, hundreds of them
His dramatic win in 1989 was one of the most exiting moments in all of sports. I'll never forget watching it I think on ABC at the time, at my house, windows open (summer), and when it was clear he had won, my neighbors must have thought I was a mad man. I yelled and screamed, jumping up and down all over the living room in pure excitement. This when on for a couple minutes! For some reason, I can clearly still see Fignon's mother in my mind, wandering around in utter disbelieve. What a win!!
A true champion of the sport.
Hear hear!
He certainly helped U.S. cycling A LOT, as the first real 'break through' rider who proved that being born in this country does not automatically, and existentially disqualify one from competing, and WINNING in Europe.
(Jacques Boyer was the first real U.S. born roadie 'pioneer' to seriously go over there, against ALL odds, and try to get established into a pro trade team, but of course, he did not win much at all.)
He gave me some hope that my chosen sport would not be permanently relegated to be a totally unknown, outer-fringe, non-accepted oddity in the land of the exclusively stick and ballerz activities. (Typical 'muricun attitude; "Those are the ONLY 'real sports', right?!" 😡)
I started racing back in the very 'dark days' when the N.Y Times would have a one sentence blurb about Eddy Merckx winning the Tour, and not even in the sports pages, IF YOU WERE LUCKY!!!
So all of the TV and press coverage once there was a GREAT American rider was a GODSEND!!!!
A true champion. Greg changed, in my opinion, how TDF is raced. When Eddy Merckx and his class raced, if there was a finish line in front of them, they made it their business to be the first man across it. Greg didn't see it that way. He concerned himself with the overall win, not the stages. Why risk injury contesting a sprint against a man that you already hold a twelve minute lead on ? His critics held he wasn't a true international champion because he had little interest in the spring classics or tours of Italy and Spain, but that didn't seem to faze him. It's worth pointing out that Miguel " Big Mig " Indurain used that model for his five wins , nobody seemed to complain about that.
Err you omitted big migs BIG affection ❤ for epo
@@samgiamarelos4524 Exactly. M.I. was a revolutionary cheater. 5 straight years as a PED user. Unprecedented at the time.
The competition was stiffer in LeMond's era, and Merckx was just an animal. While I wouldn't say Greg was lazy, it seemed clear that he was more concerned about conserving his energy. Also, Merckx was done after ten years because he worked so hard. He aged fast, especially after '75. Greg's retirement was forced by birdshot in his butt and a congenital health problem.
@@monkmchorning The birdshot that was the likely cause of many of his problems is not in "his butt", he has lead shot gun pellets in the lining of his heart muscle.
Miguel did giro double twice consecutively attempted it 3 times. They didn't have same approach but the softening of stage contention from Greg's generation to Miguels definitely helped him adopt and approach probably never better suited to just one rider. In that 5-6 year window indurain had no competition in time trials , while getting over the mountains with some ease. He won mountain stage in 88 working for Delgado lemond likely has a head to head in 89 but Delgado showed up late to start. Still considered best tour in modern era
Vuelta was raced in different time of year then..wild looking back at it now 🙌 Greg learned French moved to region. Had amazing learning curve fascinating athlete
GL will always be recognized as the standout and the American who overcame challenges like a true champion. Very well produced video.
An absolutely top tier rider. One of the very best. More importantly a man of integrity.
An excellent, balanced review of Lemond's career, thank you.
Thank you for that, appreciate it :)
In addition to the many great acts noted here, he took the trouble to become quite conversant in French, and the French loved him in return.
Absolument. J’adorais Greg LeMond qui parlait français avec un accent américain ! Un grand champion, un athlète d’exception, une légende du cyclisme mondial et du Tour de France.
Took on the European pro peloton as an outsider from a nation which ignores the sport. Took on one of the strongest riders of all time in Hinault. Barely escaped death in a hunting accident and almost bled to death in the woods. Returned to beat one of the strongest riders of all time in Fignon.
THEN took on Armstrong and the financial clout of Trek, Nike, USPS, and Oakley.
LeMond is simply a hors categorie sportsperson.
Him and Hampsten opened the door for Americans in major European road racing.
And bob roll
@@arthurreyes2632 711 yes.... Bob Roll rode for Team 711.... A bunch of cavemen 🤣😅🤣👍 legit
Andy Hampsten is definitely underrated, if American had a rider as good as Hampsten today we'd be talking about him like crazy..... He won a grand tour, he won Alp d'Huez and came in the top 10 of like eight grand tours which is damn impressive
@@pagejustin5572 Yup, STILL the ONLY, single U.S. born winner of the Giro, just as Chris Horner is for La Vuelta. 😉👍👍
Was very impressed with all his tours that he won and in 91. It was so close in 91 but even though indurain didn't test dirty until 94, I still have to question his earlier result. Especially 92. No question about lemond being the real deal.
He showed the true spirit of cycling when he left a team when he found they were doping. True character.
Lemond was not only a great bike rider he made also the greatest comeback ever done in the sport history.
Thank yoo so much for this. I have only ever heard all these LeMond facts scattered about in many shows ; you brought them all together in a tight epic that really answers your title's question. Beautiful stuff from the cycling dane !
I loved following Greg Lamond. He founded my lobe of cycling. The best
Down to earth and a gentleman, is the impression I have. I have a photo of Greg LeMond signing one of the cargo bikes we use when giving rides to children with disabilities.
4:57
1982 Boyer controversy
Lemond said before the race
Boyer got in his face and said
“I’m not riding for u
I’m not helping u
I’m not on your team”
Lemond was shocked and said
Ok.
Glad someone mentioned this re. Goodwood. Also, pretty obvious that Saronni would have attacked and caught Boyer, lead out or not. There was only ever going to be one winner that day.
CyclingDane: How GOOD Was Greg LeMond REALLY?
That Good: he blew the whistle on the biggest fkin dope cheat the sport has EVER seen! He literally risked his sanity and life doing that.
He didn't even blow the whistle. LeMond didn't know. LeMond wanted to support Armstrong and Armstrong really really should have showed proper respect to the trailblazer who came before him
But get over Armstrong, it was a toxic era supported by ownership and management..... Armstrong Ullrich Pantani Zulle cippolini, zabel, Riis, Heras, Hamilton, Contador this is how it was. Keep your mouth shut or go home.
We can't just erase 1995-2010 because it was the sport itself that allowed and permitted the riders to get that out of control and cheat their way to win after win..... But if they're all cheating then it's fair to everyone except the very very very few who stayed clean, those 6-9% are the victims in this but this was the reality of this sport at that time. Hopefully it was the end of it
The real deal !! I played Frisbee with Lemond and Chris Carmichael after his hunting accident in Coconut Grove Kenedy Park. He was cool, friendly and a giant with huge legs.
I wish him well a legend!!!
Amazing :O
I remember all of this. It was incredibly awesome. LeMond is one of the greatest American (world) athletes of all time. I admire him for his character then and now. Every time I rode, there was always a little LeMond in the back of my head. Great days of cycling!
Something of a hero of mine. I was a keen cyclist in the 80s and Lemond's first TdF victory made him someone to watch. Then the injury. It was obvious to anyone with any sense, he'd give up competitive cycling. I followed him in 1989 right from the first time trial, with it's shocking start. The three-week battle had me racing home to watch it on TV. Then, right near the end, it was obvious he'd given up all hope of a win, what with dawdling at the foot of a mountain. Then the final day. My wife and my kids were cheering. I felt a bit sorry for Fignon during the race, but he didn't appear to be a pleasant bloke. Then the French crowd booed him. That was shocking. 1990 was again edge of the seat stuff. The second American, in more ways than one, came with a similar story of victory against overwhelming odds, or so we all thought. I believed Dave Walsh so the TdF, and cycling in general, was tainted as the organisation supported the cheat. Lemond, to me, was easily greater than Armstrong as he did it the hard way, didn't lie continually, didn't bully others. Thanks, Greg. The years following you were thrilling.
the comment that summed up LeMond's career for me was when one journalist said that LeMond won the '86 tour in spite of his team, the '89 tour without a team, and the '90 tour because of his team.
Fun fact, in 1982, the USPRO association deemed the World's in Goodwood to double as the US national pro championships as well. So Greg chasing Boyer down wasn't tossing JB's WC ambitions away being a bad team mate, Greg was racing to beat Boyer to be US national champion.
In the '89 TdF, it's not well publicized but Figgy was fighting a brutal saddle sore in the last week of the race, which is partly why he collapsed at the end of the last stage. He could barely walk because of the sore.
In how good was Greg... agree Scott, he's a living legend. I started racing in '77 so followed his career closely, and emulated him enough that as a teenager I got my haircut like him and painted my racing bike the same blue/yellow as the Renault/Gitane team bikes. Greg could win TTs, road race sprints, alpine mountain stages... anything. The guy was a machine and changed a LOT about the pro sport in terms of equipment and salaries. He's also one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet.
Figgy? Dude, come on.
@@HelderVictorino Yep, Figgy. Great guy too. Met him here in Canada once.
Really well done Scott, your delivery is great. You've come so far in the last year 💯💯💯💪💪. Really top notch vid.
A true, decent sportsman. Legend.
That is the guy who keeps me riding. I think he is the only champ of all times to be clean ever.
Kudos to his achievements.
Thank you for staying true to yourself!
The early wins show he had the natural talent. I wonder what kind of numbers he was putting out as a junior as it had to be quite insane for the consistency in wins and that's just a total reflection of natural talent. Only thereafter he built up his stamina for grand tours and smashed the best as well. Only could imagine the possibilities if he had access to what's available now with cycling technology and nutrition methods.
He even rode the pursuit on the track as a junior, earning a Junior Worlds silver medal in a competition he did not even specifically train for, or have a bunch of experience riding.
@@LS1conehead American racing at that time was a magical moment. We were right on the edge of something--not quite sure---and then wham! Along comes Greg. There was some good coaching too. Some alignments of the heavens. That the first American to win the tour would literally be named THE WORLD en français---it was DESTINY and we could taste that.
@@vibratingstring Yup, I remember when he won the Junior Road Worlds, after Madiot hooked him in the sprint, thinking; YES, FINALLY, we might just have a world class Tour winner from OUR nation for once, and get even a minute shred of attention/notoriety/kudos from our effing 'stick and ball' ONLY press, for our chosen sport. ;)
Greg LeMond is a true American cycling hero, he raced hard, he raced clean and brought the Tour de France to the United States in a big way. It's too bad that some the riders who followed LeMond weren't as honest as Greg, but I am happy that Greg introduced me to cycling, I still admire his achievements to this day. I have an ADR Bottechia Jersey from 1989 that I bought after he won, I'll never get rid of it.
Fantastic video. Thank you. Lemond was amazing. There is a good interview with him from a few year back on Rouleur with Matt Stephens as the interviewer.
I just love seeing the riders in the results… i remember all those names from back then
Lemond holds the 4th fastest time trial in history; his 1989 speed of 54.55km/hr over a 25KM distance was beaten by only 3 in the history of cycling:
2005 David Zabriskie on a shorter 19km course (3/4 distance of LeMond's stage and 16 years later). Zabriskie was a TT specialist who admitted to doping during the 2005 season when he beat Greg's time.
1994 Chris Boardman on just a 7KM prologue (almost 1/4 the distance of LeMond's stage and 5 years later): Chris Boardman, a 2-time Olympic medalist and 7-time Wold Championship medalist. Perhaps one of the most well-known TT specialists who pushed the envelope repeatedly in aero advancements
2015 Rohan Dennis on a short 13KM course (1/2 the distance of Lemond's stage and 26 years later). Dennis, a 14-time medalist in both the Olympics and World Champion races and modern-day aero wizard who has famously been kicked off teams for using a better/faster bike instead of his sponsored ride.
Notable Riders Who LeMond Beat: Next let's consider the riders who LeMond beat in the history of fastest TT's (keep in mind many of these are decades later and bike/aero technology has advanced considerably since LeMond's record was set):
LeMond was faster than David Millar's 2003 record (14 years after LeMond), the year before Millar was busted - and admitted - for doping.
Faster than Fabian Cancellara's 2007 record (18 years after LeMond). Cancellara is a 4-time world TT Champion (plus 3 bronze) and 2-time Olympic TT champion (plus 1 silver) along with countless other TT and individual wins. LeMond was faster than Cancellara despite Cancellara only doing 8k, or 1/3 the distance of LeMond.
Faster than Lance Armstrong: No comment required on doping record, Tour wins, aero technology, etc.
Faster than Levi Leipheimer: Convicted doper.
Faster than Tony Martin's 2013 record (24 years after LeMond). Martin is a 13-time World Championship medalist (7 Gold Medals) and Olympic Medalist, and a TT specialist with a nickname of Der Panzerwagen for his ability to blow people away in TT's.
Technology: Next let's consider the cycling advancements from Lemond's 1989 era to that of today, all of which have been tested, developed and proven in a wind tunnel to dramatically increase performance:
Skinsuits
Aero helmets
Shoe covers
Aero bike frames (wind tunnel proven 50 seconds faster over 25km vs steel tube bike)
Aero bike wheels
Aero bars
The biggest aero gain of them all: rider position (head position alone wind tunnel tested >1 minute over 25 km)
Doping: LeMond won 3 individual stages and won the Tour 3 times: 1986, 1989, 1990. During any of those years not a single rider in the Tour peloton failed a drug test. However in future testing 31% of the riders that took part in the 1986 Tour tested positive, 32% of the riders in the 1989 race tested positive, and 37% of the riders taking part in the 1990 Tour tested positive. You'd have to make a decision here, either nobody doped during the 1986/89/90 Tours - but oddly 1/3 the peloton doped and was caught in subsequent races, or the doping tests weren't any good, or the test results were hidden.
To recap: Lemond beat ALL of these:
Multi-time world TT champions
Multi-time Olympic TT champions
Convicted dopers
TT specialists
And ALL combinations of the above.
*On a course that was up to 3x longer than the above riders set their speed records on*
And he beat them all on a round tube steel frame bike with box section, spoked aluminum wheels (rear disk), downtube shifters, clip-on "bullhorn" aero bars, a floppy skinsuit and a walmart-looking helmet.
Either LeMond doped, or you believe modern-day cycling advancements like wind tunnel testing, aero wheels/bars/helmets/skinsuits/shifters, power meters, diet and training methods and their related advancements over the last 32 years haven't helped riders get faster.
It's as simple as that.
My opinion: LeMond was the best doper in history. He set records on laughable equipment, won the Tour, and never got caught.
Right or wrong in its insinuations, this analysis is just flat-out excellent by "I'll Take the Usual Suspects..." 👍 I never reply to comments...except this one. Exceptional detail, and the inclusion of the subsequent testing results of competitors that competed in the '86, '89 and '90 TdF was serious icing on the cake. So well done.👍
@@jurban10 Thank you Sir. I felt it important to get the facts out there for all to see.
I did the research after Lance confessed. I guess we all knew it, but it was a letdown nonetheless.
LeMond will never confess but it's awful hard to come to any other conclusion once you've been exposed to the facts.
For me, the silver bullet wasn't that he beat all the other confessed doping TT specialists even though they ran shorter courses, but the fact that he did it long before there were any real/scientific aero advances. Which leaves us with a huge question: Are we all being duped by cycling manufacturers into thinking modern bikes/clothing/components/training/computers/wind tunnel testing really make a difference or is it all marketing hype?
One ride on a bike from LeMond's era will answer that question heartily.
There is no way to get around those facts.
LeMond was a doper.
@@usualsuspectsfor1k As far as Lance is concerned; back when he was into his winning streak I said to myself; "Either he really is some sort of superfreak alien from another universe, or he's found the best, exclusive dope masking agents ever known to mankind."
ESPECIALLY after losing all of that muscle mass, and lung capacity as a result of his very serious illness.
(Although some, disregarding the obvious, have claimed THAT was exactly what transformed him into a 'great climber', as it totally 'leaned him out' to start from scratch and build ONLY 'Tour winning' muscle fiber type. LOL)
Turns out he DID discover THE BEST masking agents, i.e.; bribing UCI officials/commissaires, etc., and intimidating all those around him to loyally keep his secret sauce form being exposed.
The numbers indeed look too good to be true.
As I recall, there was a significant tailwind on that course in the '89 tour which helped push the average speed up. The course and conditions always matter in a time trial.
GREG, Seriously: Make me part of your healing team! I live by you now (not that far from Knox) and willl be honored to help you and forget paying me. I adore you, my hero. It would be an honor! You inspired my life! It has been a wild ride and I've been there the whole time. You have been my solid. Well, I have another Faith, but you've been part of it.
This man inspired me to the point of racing on his wheel in Pro/Am racing as a Cat 2 at 17 years old. He is a kind and amazing person beyond being the Best cyclist in history. He inspires me to this day since I was a teenager!. Studied his trainig books and rode ove 200K miles, Greg Lemond shall Always Be The BEST and PURE and HONEST cyclist in history! I Love Him. His impact on the World is growing. I want to help people realize Mr. Lemond's impact on the Mind of the Heart. It is beyond wheels. . .Greg is a a LION! Blessed to race with him! I am now a doctoir of Asian and Naturopathic medicne, something I've used to enable me to keep up with Greg. Now Greg need to call me because I make housecalls for my super stars! 6052180383
Best American cyclist. Respect 🫡
He was very good. Inspiring cycling hero who gave his best !
I admire him so much that I bought one of his bikes.
Greg LeMond rocks.
He and the 711 boys got cycling on the American interest list. Andy, Bob, and the Grewal Bro's
Thanks for highlighting this awesome humble Dude!
The fact that he won so much while nearly the entire field was doping was and still is amazing. LeMond was the last winner of the TDF who was not doping till the last few years, although the rules are so full of holes that I still think it is 50/50 as to whether the field is doing extra stuff even now.
He was on dope like all the others, it's bullshit to say he was the only one not on drugs. and just after him we see lance armstrong since that time i never trust the sport in usa, all the professionnals sports, it's just business nfl, nba they wins millions on dollars and are all on drugs.
The fact that people believe he was not doping, when not a single documented doped rider on better bikes, with better aero equipment, and riding much more aerodynamic has ever even matched Lemond's time trial in TDF for over 20 km. Lemond's amazing recoveries during grand tours came in the months after Epo was released and he lived very close to the facilities where it was being developed and tested for 5 years prior.
@@jenspetersen5865 Uh, Remco's ITT in this past La Vuelta was a faster average speed than Greg's famous TT, and for a 31 km distance!!
@@LS1conehead Many doped riders almost matched Greg Lemond - but none did - irrespective of better training methods, doping and better equipment, more training in wind tunnels...
Clean Greg is a very tall tale!
@@jenspetersen5865 Yes, much better equipment, positioning, testing, training, diet, etc. (as well as whatever 'else' he is doing?), but again, Remco averaged 55.6 kph over a 31 km distance in the just finished Vuelta.
You said "NONE did", which is not true, even though yes, Greg's effort, even with those aero advantages over everyone else at that time, does seem to be 'super human', just as it did at that time.
Good video. He was even better in hindsight given he was (probably) clean when most weren't. Lusted after a Lemond bike as a kid too. Another thing that Lance destroyed.
Yeah the Lemond bikes was annoying but it seems its doing well now though
Selling my 2004 LeMond Zurich now. Great frame and geometry.
He is the greatest of all time.
We loved watching Lemond when we were kids
Enjoyed, and subscribed! Thanks, CyclingDane. Good man!
Awesome, thank you! :)
I still have recorded videos of the three Lemond wins. Agree that the final day time trial win against Fignon was the most dramatic conclusion to a Tour de France I ever seen.
Of the live racing or the highlights
18:45 Let’s also take into account Laurent Fignon had been suffering saddle sores since finishing Stage 19 (an injury caused friction his saddle and shorts). This meant he couldn’t have ridden a TT bike like Greg Lemond did. Lemond was the 1st to used this TT equipment (aero helmet included). This fact doesn’t take anything away from this Tour’s outcome, but I feel it’s still worth mentioning.
What's worth mentioning is that Fignon still beat EVERYBODY ELSE in that time trial. He actually had a very good ride.... LeMond has a history shattering ride though...... Just like 2020, Roglic had a pretty decent ride and beat just about everyone
@@pagejustin5572 Thanks for completing my fact. You’re quite right about Fignon and Roglič, but Roglič was still beaten by both of his podium opponents that day (Porte and Pogačar), excluding his teammates. It was a solid ride, but I still think everyone who stood a chance at beating him on an uphill TT beat him. Rémi Cavagna, who isn’t a climber, even finished only 3 secs behind Roglič. This should put his performance into perspective.
@@robbiddlecombe8392 Yes, amazing that people think Lemond riding clean would be faster than Ulrich, Cancellara, Indurain..... using EPO. Pretty tall tale!
Correct and it is rarely or almost never mentioned. Fignon declared decades later that he couldn't sit properly on his bike and was losing power...nevertheless, Greg was a fantastic and nice rider. He was loved and is still very popular in France (where he lives I believe)
@@benjaminblabla Greg lived in Minnesota for decades but moved a couple of years ago down south to be near his new carbon fiber factory.
Greg was the last great Cyclist before the Con that was EPO doping.
I once owned a copy of Greg's book it was my training guide for years opening a whole new world on eating and riding positions that were revolutionary in the 80's .
1990 was the last year before Doping became king. No former winner in the class of LeMond can go from winning by Five minutes to been 10 minutes off the pace in 12 months time, he was not alone most of the past winner looked like washed up riders in the 1991 tour . Though most of us fell for pantomime that was Big Mig and those who followed and new training methods , now in light of so of the following doping scandals peaking with Armstrong .
That everyone was juiced off their heads after 1991.
Greg did Speak out as did many others Armstrong ruined Greg's cycling interests while been protected by his friends in high places.
At least Greg got his Justice when the while rotten house came crashing down .
But still he represents the last honest Cyclist to win the Tour.
I still doubt the honesty of my of the current winners but that is just my opinion.
And you think Lemond was totally clean 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
@@nishiki7047 He had a successful and innovative cycling brand that was pushing boundaries in cycle technology in the same way he pushed boundaries when a pro. That brand became part of Trek and when he spoke out against doping in the sport there was so much resistance that Trek - through whatever influence I don't know - killed the brand and killed their best group products. Greg could have kept his mouth shut, but he didn't.
@@johnenglish3429 Trek became corporate weasels by then. Long gone were the days when they manufactured their own "investment cast lugs" for custom frames...:(
You doubt the current winners when there's no evidence at the moment of any cheating but can say Greg was clean. Yeah by 91-93 the world tour was completely drugged out. You don't think these guys were starting in the late 80's? If you give him the benefit of the doubt why not riders of today also?
Cadel Evans was actually racing clean against cheaters for his entire career. An amazing outlier. So nervous in the final days and stages of his Tour victory that someone might sabotage his clean tour victory. Another good man.
I started amateur racing in 1980, as Greg was transitioning to the pro peloton. I already knew who he was from reading about him, and felt a certain vicarious connection due to the fact I am 4 days older than he is, and of course followed his racing career closely, as he became one of my bike racing idols. I saw him racing in person only 2 times, during stages of a race that came through central Florida back in early 1989, before his amazing comeback win in the TDF that year, and his incredible sprint finish to win the Rainbow jersey after that. He is legend, and definitely the greatest American racer of all time, in my opinion.
He was Cycling Idol, I was Inspired by Him, I did some Criterium Racing in Home State of Connecticut, and Been a Life Long Cyclist since, He was True 'American' Champion 🏆, even Bought His Book to become a Better Cyclist, Thank you "Greg Lemoud" God Bless you ❤️, Sincerely Jeffrey Rose, Daytona Beach Resident USA
good job on editing the video and getting all the right pictures !
For me, the 1980's were cycling's golden era. Of course in previous years you had legends such as Anquetil and Eddy Merckx, and the beginning of Hinault's reign in the late 1970's. But in the eighties you had 10 wonderful years, where we were privileged to watch some of the GREATEST to ever grace the sport - including Hinault, Fignon, Roche, Delgado, Sean Kelly, and LeMond - with amazing battles in both the Grand Tours and Spring Classics, as well as the World Championship. This period has never been surpassed imho.
The greatest! The Muhammad Ali of cycling! Heavy-weight champion of the world! He took down two of the greatest french champions on their home soil (TdF). Your commentary was spot-on accurate. I was there: The 1989 battles at the TdF and Worlds were unforgettable. Modest, powerful and all achieved pre-doping. Can you imagine if he never got shot?
Bernard Hinault and Laurent Fignon?
unlike Cassius Clay, Lemond was never pompous
Pre-doping? Pre-testing you mean, especially for EPO.😉
To Greg LeMond. You are the one who inspired me to take up road cycling and racing back in the 1980s. You are one of the greatest cyclists ever. Thank you Greg
Saw Greg race as a teen. He is the only American TDF winner. He inspired generations of American cyclist. Greg was awesome.
No he’s not! Simple as that. You can’t just change history because you don’t like it.
He is my hero. I raced 3 races with him. He changed my life; I cherish this man. Studied his training book. With my passion of Lemond and into my training, Met my wife and she became a pro champion and Sports Illistrated story winning a Pro men's race. I met Greg in AZ and thanked him for me riding his wheel. Greg Lemond is by far the BEST American cyclist in the World ever! He is Kind, Real and everthing I love of cycling. Long timees times of time training to deal with your mind and soul to get it smart. Lemond is a GOOD MAN! I am grateful for him in so many ways! I am grateful we hafe Greg and his Wife in the World. Gives hope for humanity and hopefully I get invitied for Christmas! Greg, You went through Hell, you were always my Hero as I raced with the name that shall be unnamed!
A true GOAT and the reason why I started riding!!!!
Lemond had the motor at 17 years young. I was living in Manitou Springs Colorado watching my favorites, Mark Pringle and "Smiling" (grimacing actually) George Mount go by in the eight stage '79 "Red Zinger Classic" and didn't even know who Lemond was or remember seeing him but he won 4th overall after having had to get permission from race organizer Mo Siegel, I guess, to race because he was a minor. I knew who he was when the stages were done alright. He's always had good recuperative power as demonstrated in the '89 World Championship.That was a good watch, btw.
He's always seemed high strung and easily bothered by the team rivalries but his consistency at the top in Europe's game speaks of a great talent. I didn't know what Armstrong was juicing with when He dropped the Colombians on the Sestrieres climb in the '99 TDF but i knew there was something besides street speed going on then and that you don't just make a pure sprinter into a climber in a year or two . . . Greg said he didn't realize it for three or four years . . . Until Armstrong's 4th TDF win, lol..
And he should've realized some consequences from Trek for outing their sponsored rider but that's just naivety and all those factors make Greg who he is and probably add up to motivation to train and use that good natural motor he was born with.
I still occasionally refer to Greg's '80s book "The Bicycle" for loose bearing sizes, fit tips etc.It's still on my shelf for nearly 40 years.
Inspired me while stationed at Marine Barracks, Pearl Harbor Hawaii, and I'm still riding today!! Thank you champ!! Purchased my first road bike, a Schwinn Tempo aluminium road bike.