His Name May Not Be That Well Known but Mike Neel Is One of the Most Influential Figures in the History of American Cycling
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Mike Neel, 61, lives in Fort Jones on a sprawling spread he bought with his 7-Eleven earnings over 21 years ago Writer: Gary Boulanger Portrait: Brian Vernor His name may not be that well known but Mike Neel is one of the most influential figures in the history of American cycling. This ex-hippie and 7-Eleven directeur sportif has quite a tale to tell… ld enough to drive but not 36 years later. “Gimondi decided he sprint. Neel’s Magniflex team-mate Tino old enough to vote, the wanted that wheel and shoved me aside Conti finished third, behind Francesco high school dropout ran before the sprint started. Verbeeck was Moser and Freddy Maertens. Merckx won away from his Oakland, leading Merckx and I was out in the wind the field sprint for fifth. California home with on the left. Suddenly, a small figure comes “I kept my mouth shut about my Oa friend and lived a hippie’s life in Mexico. sprinting by me. It’s Bernard Hinault! I’m Gimondi experience because in Italy, you The drugs were cheap and the dropout’s like, ‘Shit…’ want to get invited to criteriums. If I’d friend would later get hooked on heroin. “I’m out in the wind, no wheel to grab, squawked about him, I wouldn’t have been But after seeing several friends die from passed by Hinault with 200 metres to go, invited to anything. All the criteriums overdoses, the tall son of a self-made and Jan Raas passes me,” Neel continues. were orchestrated. I played along.” concrete millionaire left the seedy life of “There were four up the road, so we were This race sums up Mike Neel’s Haight-Ashbury and became a bike racer. sprinting for fifth. I finished fourth in the character: gifted enough to duke it out Mike Neel’s life story is a rollercoaster sprint, 10th in the Worlds. I was pissed with some of the greatest racers in history, ride of highs and lows, of heartache and because I thought I could’ve finished fifth naïve enough to let another racer push success. He was destined to be a famous, if I’d gotten on Merckx’s wheel. I didn’t him off the all-important wheel in one pioneering bike racer but his personal light have the experience to know better.” of the biggest events on the calendar. His flamed out quickly after the 1976 World Neel has replayed that situation in his decision to not play along so easily from Road Race Championship. head hundreds of times, winning the that day forward would provide both The 179-mile race was held in Ostuni, agony and ecstasy for the riders he would Italy. On the last lap, Felice Gimondi had “I kept my mouth shut eventually direct in the Giro and Tour. two team-mates pushing him and Neel was alongside them following the wheel about my Gimondi The runaway of Frans Verbeeck. “I was making my way experience, because in Neel’s path to the grand tours began as to the front of the chase group, trying to a horse groom in Golden Gate Park, where get on Eddy Merckx’s wheel,” Neel tells Italy, you want to get he worked after running away from home Procycling in his California home nearly invited to criteriums” at 16. “I took care of 10 horses and got 70 PROCYCLING NOVEMBER 2012 PROCYCLING NOVEMBER 2012 71 the bike whisperer: Mike Neel Stephen Roche: Born to Ride Mexico, Merckx and Montreal In 1972, after quitting the Tour of Mexico, Neel caught a bus to Mexico City to watch Merckx set the hour record. He was impressed by the clinical preparation of Merckx and his team of mechanics and coaches. He also saw how excruciating the effort was and the suffering needed. Neel made a meagre living in French bike shops before moving to Chicago. With the 1976 Olympics in his sights, he showed up at future 7-Eleven rider Tom Schuler’s parents’ house in Michigan. It was 1975 and they drove to Florida, Mississippi and New York for the Olympic trials, winning races en route. Neel’s club-mate George Mount also made the team, as did John Howard. Neel was team captain for the Olympic road race and told Mount when to make his move, bridging up to the breakaway. Howard tried chasing down his compatriot and Neel had to literally grab him to hold him back. Mount finished sixth, crediting his captain with helping “I was a rich teenager! I never fit in was two-and-a-half days of adventure.” him. Neel himself crashed in the rain on Two weeks later, Rich mentioned the slick road right before the field sprint. with school; I wasn’t planning my a handicap race around Lake Merced. After the Olympics, Neel became a pro future, especially in San Francisco Neel took fourth, the same place he’d with Magniflex and moved to Italy – his take against stiffer competition around professional stint lasting just a year. in the late ’60s. I did what I could: Sacramento a few weeks later. Short-sighted directors and poor living working the shipyards” Neel’s winning ways were expanding, conditions made the decision easy for 7-Eleven comes calling talked about where he should attack on The combination of Jim Ochowicz’s including victory in the 1971 Mt Hamilton Neel, who had worked in the Magniflex Neel lost his business after having a the short stage, which was steep. I told him Classic, which includes a 32km climb mattress factory to make ends meet. blowout with Katz and got out of coaching to attack as hard as he could. He didn’t business dealings and Neel’s to the top of the 1,370m peak. Jonathan in 1983. But a fortuitous call came from have enough confidence in himself but he European connections meant the Above Racing for Velo $100 a month each,” the now 61-year-old Boyer – who’d eventually race under Neel The emerging leader Neel’s ex-team-mate Jim Ochowicz after was always finishing in the lead group.” Sport Berkeley in the 7-Eleven team was invited to its first early 70s, Neel learned says. “I was a rich teenager! I never fit in at 7-Eleven – won the junior edition. Neel returned to the States in 1978 and got the Los Angeles Olympics. Hampsten flew up the hill like a man what winning felt like, with school; I wasn’t planning my future, “In the 70s, we had to fend for an offer to coach at national level. He also “I got an offer to run the 7-Eleven junior possessed, winning the stage. Tour de France in 1986 early and quickly especially in San Francisco in the late 60s. ourselves,” Boyer says from Rwanda, started a bicycle distribution company team,” Neel says. “We won everything “He went from being a $10,000-a-year There was turmoil and politics, so I did where he’s coaching. “It was never easy with Lee Katz. In 1979 he was in charge imaginable; I then got a call from Och, rider to a $200,000-a-year rider almost what I could: working the shipyards.” being the only ones from America in of the team time trial squad, while Eddy asking me if I’d consider going to Europe to overnight,” Neel notes. Hinault offered In 1969, aged 18, the deaths of friends a foreign country. Mike was able to Borysewicz was leading the US national direct the men’s team in 1985. I said yes. Hampsten a spot at La Vie Claire but the team-mate Raúl Alcalá finishing ninth. Above US stalwart John Howard (right), who after his Mexico experience set him overcome incredible hardships and still cycling programme. My first race directing was the Tour of Baja, combination of Ochowicz’s business “I remember the ’87 Giro del Trentino, raced three Olympics, straight and he restarted his life. Someone perform as a top cyclist.” In July 1979, after Neel’s US team won which we won. Then we went to the Giro. dealings and Neel’s European connections when the stage finished at Francesco didn’t impress Neel much during the 70s left a note on his Schwinn road bike When, in 1971, shop owner Peter Rich the Pan Am Games team time trial, Neel “I told the riders they could finish the meant the 7-Eleven team was invited to its Moser’s home town of Predazzo,” Alcalá asking if he’d like to ride. Neel wore Levi’s organised the Tour of California in 1971, and Eddy B bumped heads over team stage and buy a plane ticket home because first Tour de France the following June. recalls. “We had to climb 5km to the top shorts and tall basketball socks with he including Neel on his team. The selection, prompting Neel to return to I was so pissed at their performance early with another 5km to the finish. Mike tennis shoes, riding around Lake Chabot inclusion helped his leader to finish fifth. racing. He raced with Boyer, who finished in the race. Ron Kiefel took it to heart and 1986 Tour shocker advised us to be prepared because Moser with the experienced riders. Neel’s trajectory from hippie to bike racer fifth at the 1980 Worlds. got in a break on stage 15. There was an Team 7-Eleven’s 1986 Tour de France debut was the race favourite. I stuck with the Never much of an athlete as a child, the was rising fast and he moved to Europe.