FREE GREG LEMOND: YELLOW JERSEY RACER PDF

Guy Andrews,Greg LeMond | 304 pages | 20 Oct 2016 | Bloomsbury Publishing PLC | 9781472943552 | English | London, United Kingdom Verify your identity

Please enjoy this sample chapter from the new book, available from VeloPress. Small change for many European nations, but this was the start of a renaissance for US . At the end of the s, cycling was an also-ran sport in the ; even such winter sports as skiing and speed skating were more popular. Such athletes as Carpenter and , both of whom had competed at the Winter Olympics as speed skaters, were now looking to cycling for a fresh challenge. As a skier, Greg too had found his way into cycling via a winter sport, as had his friend and arch-rival Jeff Bradley, another former speed skater. Having made the summer switch Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer two wheels, neither Jeff nor Greg ever looked back. InJeff finished fourth in the Junior World Championships in , beating a soon-to-be classics ace, the Belgian Eric Vanderaerden, in the bunch sprint; Greg had already won the race from a three-man breakaway. Also in Argentina, Jeff and Greg won another bronze medal in the team trial—to match the one they had netted the year before—but this time with Andy Hampsten Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer Mark Fris. A renowned sprinter, Jeff chalked up around wins in his career, racing all over the United States and Europe, and reaching a high with a ride in the Tour de with the 7-Eleven team, his first and last attempt at the Tour. Today, Jeff runs a bike shop in Davenport, Iowa. It was on the track at Northbrook, just outside of Chicago. We were both young kids, and the sport was much smaller at that time, so everybody could easily keep track of everybody else throughout the country. We were still in the Intermediate category at that point—we were not yet Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer Juniors—and it was the National Championships. We hit it off as friends right from the start. We battled a lot head-to-head as youngsters, but we were always friends and rivals. We were never at war with each other. Especially in the Midwest, there were families who messed around with bicycle racing. For me, I was Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer a much better cyclist than speed skater, and I enjoyed it a lot more too. It was much more interesting. You start out, you can travel with the family to local races, and as your success comes you get more offers from sponsors and you make it to the national team and things blossom from there. We had a great time. We would go out and party a little too much. In those days, it covered three age groups: sixteen- seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds. The first time we spun out together was the Junior Worlds trials in Princeton, Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer Jersey, where the age bracket was seventeen- and eighteen-year-olds; we were still sixteen and so too young to qualify. When we were racing together during that time, it often came down to being between Greg and me. Anyway, Greg placed first and second in the Junior Worlds trials. He was easily the best. It was an eye-opener: the guy just Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer an extra gear, something way beyond special. It was when he won the Nationals; after that we traded off National Championships back and forth [over] the three years we were Juniors, and then he won the Junior Worlds in Argentina when we were eighteen-year-olds. I think it was more than just raw talent. Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer, Greg had bucket-loads of talent, but there was a spirit among us too. At the Junior Worlds in Argentina inthe team was Greg, Andy Hampsten, Mark Fris, and myself, and we really thought we could win that race [they eventually came third]. We had a lot of morale. That really carried through to the following year. We were no longer Juniors, and were competing with much older and more experienced guys, Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer we were absolutely as good or better than our seniors, who were five to ten years older than us. All the national teams would be there and we held our own. Americans had never held their own in the past, and we were winning these races. In particular, at the Junior Worlds in Argentina, Hampsten crashed out halfway through; our other teammate, Mark Fris, was sitting at the back so we had to keep slowing down to keep from dropping him; Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer Greg was doing 80 percent of the work. If anybody called the shots, it would have been Eddie B. He kept a tight rein on Greg; he focused in and helped him find his way. He would have pushed himself too hard in a training situation otherwise, because even as a sixteen- seventeen-year-old, Greg could take a high volume of training. So, on his own: he was a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind a guy, and he needed the guidance back then. We had to be reined in a few times; we had to slow down. They did a great Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer for the time. It was the one event that was less of a lottery, so less work was involved. Eddie B. During that period, Greg and I spent a lot of time together at the Olympic training centers. That was our first experience of training camp with the coaches for two weeks. We spent a bit of time at the Springs Olympic training center too. We were super-serious: for us, it was our leaving-high-school-and- going-to-college era. A lot. Much of Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer was spent behind a motorbike, narrowing down the longlist [of potential team members] throughout the season. That continued, even after Greg left and turned pro. He had so much natural raw talent, he could survive all the hard races and Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer sicknesses and bounce back from them. Greg was already riding for and living in Nantes, but we would get together. I would go stay with Greg for Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer, four, five days at a time, and the US team. So I did actually see him a bit. Back then, there was no Internet, and even a telephone call back to the States was awful expensive, so it was like isolation. Greg had a nice house to live in, but there was no English-speaking anything. The lifestyle, the food, the weather—everything was different. And the racing turned into much more difficult racing. He was way more cut out for it, and could take the beatings much better than the Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer guy. He was the cream that came to the top and was obviously special. As we got more experience, we managed to scratch out some results Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer and there—guys like and , and then later Andy Hampsten—but it took a while. With Greg, however, you could tell it was coming. He was in there fighting. To have it happen and come to fruition. It was a lot of fun, but Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer for Greg. Holy cow! He was a warrior and had a head for the game. And he had it all written down: he had his goals in front of him all that time. He would never back down, and I think he thrived on pressure. At the Junior Worlds in Argentina, he got hooked under the tires by Kenny De Maerteleire and actually crossed the line second [Greg was forced into the curb by Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer Belgian, and had to jump a row of tires. He broke a couple of spokes in his rear wheel but still came back to finish second. De Maerteleire was later penalized for his actions, and the positions were reversed]. Up until turning pro, it was the most fun I had in my career. I did my first race in a tank top and tennis shoes on a Raleigh Grand Prix, and I won the first eleven races I [competed in]. In the summer ofI won two races in Switzerland, two in France, and six out of eight races in . He went back and told his parents he had seen the next ! So that had already been spread around by the time I got to Belgium in I thought it was worth it, though, because Renault was a great team and [Cyrille] Guimard was such a good coach. Together, these riders would form the basis of U. Search for:. American Flyers: A Chapter From Greg LeMond: Yellow Jersey Racer – VeloPress

One-day races and Classics. Gregory James "Greg" Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer born June 26, is an American former professional road racing cyclistentrepreneur, and anti-doping advocate. A two-time winner of the Road Race World Championship and and a three-time winner of the , andLeMond is considered by many to be the greatest American cyclist of all time. LeMond began his professional cycling career in Inhe became the first American male cyclist to win the Road World Championship. LeMond won the Tour de France in ; he is the first non-European professional cyclist to win the Tour. He was accidentally shot with pellets and seriously injured while hunting in Following the shooting, he underwent two surgeries and missed the next two Tours. At the Tourhe completed an improbable comeback to win in dramatic fashion on the race's final stage. He successfully defended his Tour title the following year, becoming one of only seven riders to win three or more Tours. He was the first professional cyclist to sign a million-dollar contract and the first cyclist to appear on the cover of . During his career, LeMond championed several technological advancements in pro cycling, including the introduction of aerodynamic "triathlon" handlebars and carbon fiber bicycle frames[3] Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer he later marketed through his company LeMond Bicycles. His other business interests have included restaurants, real estate, and consumer fitness equipment. LeMond was born in Lakewood, [5] and was raised in the Washoe Valleya ranch country on the eastern slopes of the Sierra Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer mountain range between Renoand the family home about 2. LeMond grew up living an active, outdoor life. Hiking, hunting, skiing and flyfishing were boyhood pastimes. A hyperactive youngster, LeMond believes these outdoor activities helped keep him out of trouble. I had trouble focusing in school. Parents and educators then did not have the skill set to diagnose and cope with what we Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer now was a classic case of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder ADHD. ADHD certainly was not the frequently medicated childhood disease it is today. My triumph over the symptoms was found atop two thin tires over many dusty miles. It's the inability to sit down [and listen] to something you are not really interested in and absorb it. If they are interested in it, people with ADD excel in really good ways. When I got into cycling I would say the sport itself took a fog off my brain. I was able to absorb stuff I read. It changed my life. LeMond soon biked almost daily to high school. He often rode home from Wooster, taking a route over Mt. Rose, along to Incline Village, then south on Hwy 28, then downhill to Carson City, then to his home. LeMond's introduction to cycling came inthanks to freestyle skiing pioneer Wayne Wongwho recommended the bike as an ideal off-season training aid. Olympic cycling Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer, the youngest ever to make the U. National cycling team for a 6-week European racing campaign. There, he finished third overall in the Circuit des Ardennes before winning the Circuit de la Sarthe stage Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer in France, [19] [20] thereby becoming the first American and youngest rider of any nationality "in the history of the sport to win a major pro-am cycling event [in Europe]. Guimard said he was impressed with LeMond's spirit, and told him, "You have the fire to be a great champion," before offering him a professional contract for with Renault. LeMond was an "exceptionally gifted" amateur rider [13] who quickly established himself as one of the most talented cyclists on the professional circuit. LeMond's first professional victory came three months into his debut when he won a stage of the French Tour de l'Oise. He followed with a win in the Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer the United States, finishing ahead of Sergei Sukhoruchenkovthe Olympic road champion. The achievement is the more remarkable because he rode the Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer in support of team leader . LeMond missed standing on the podium with race winner Hinault, as had finished ahead of him. Two weeks later Simon was assessed a minute penalty when it was discovered he had been doping. LeMond considered the race to have been a "major steppingstone" in Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer career. Said LeMond: "It showed me that I had the kind of climbing ability that you need to win the top European stage races. In the men's road race competition, LeMond broke for the line but was out-sprinted by Italian . Boyer placed tenth. Said Kelly: "I don't think that Boyer was fading He got quite a good gap. Nobody wanted to go after him Yes, LeMond chased down Boyer. Boyer was the only man up the road. Throw his bike down in front of everybody because Boyer is such a good buddy of everyone? Hell no—he's going to start sprinting because it's less than meters to go and the sprint's already been going for a couple hundred meters. LeMond made a good move and a good sprint Boyer was not going to win that race. The best he could have got was fifth or sixth place. LeMond did not apologize. The U. Instead, the highest Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer at the World's was considered the national champion. LeMond had argued for the team to compete as the European teams did, but team management and Boyer voted against him. Thus, unlike the other teams at the world championship, the US riders were competing against each other. It's a business and it's my living. To me, that second place was almost as good as winning, especially at my age. The victory, and the time advantage LeMond held at the end, stunned Europe and provided broad confirmation that LeMond was indeed fuoriclasse. The following year,LeMond won the Road World Championship outright, becoming the first American male cyclist to do so. LeMond's cycling talent—his overall strength, climbing ability, ability to ride a fast time trial and his capacity to recover quickly—all suggested LeMond would be an excellent prospect for the most demanding Grand Tours. LeMond rode his first Tour de France infinishing third in support of team leader Laurent Fignonand winning the white jersey of the young rider classification. The following year he was brought across to to ride in support of team captain Bernard Hinault who had regained his form and was attempting to win his fifth Tour. At this point, it was clear that LeMond was an elite rider capable of winning the Tour in his own right. On the second, the Col du TourmaletLeMond followed in an attack, but was not given permission to help build on the gap over the field. Hinault recovered as well, though he did not regain the lead group. At the end of the stage LeMond was frustrated to the point of tears. LeMond had ridden as the dutiful lieutenant, and his support enabled Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer to win his fifth Tour. He was Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer, part of the group that was going to win, and while Hampsten and Keifel survived the race to this point, Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer they were too far back to assist LeMond in the final ten kilometers. Inside Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer final kilometer the last rider to launch an attack was former Tour and Vuelta champion . Being as he was 38 years old and long past his prime none of the remaining contenders including LeMond, Robert MillarMoreno Argentin or Stephen Roche took the attack seriously initially. Zoetemelk opened a sizeable gap however, before long it was in excess of a hundred meters and quickly growing. He also had two teammates remaining in and Gerard Veldscholtenassisting him by riding at the front but not actually chasing, therefore slowing the chase group. Italian rider Moreno took up the chase but he had nothing left to close the gap and actually put his hand in the air waving for the other riders to Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer forward and take up the pursuit. LeMond Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer had nothing left to chase down this final attack feeling that if he did, he wouldn't have anything left for the sprint [47] and Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer win any medal at all. In a notable upset, Zoetemelk beat the favorites to the line by three seconds as LeMond out-sprinted Argentin to take the silver. Hinault chose to let the Stage 9 be the decider for which rider would receive the full support of team La Vie Claire. LeMond had bad luck during the stage, having suffered a punctured tire requiring a wheel change, and later in the stage a bicycle change was Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer when he broke a wheel. He was frustrated with the outcome and the impact it would have on how the team would function for the remainder of the race. In Stage 12, the first mountain stage of the race in the Pyrenees, Hinault attacked the lead group and built up an overall lead. By the end of Stage 12, Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer had a five-minute lead over LeMond and the other top riders. LeMond was never placed in difficulty, except by his own teammate. The next Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer stages brought the Tour to the Alps. On Stage 17 LeMond and dropped Hinault from the leading group, and the end of the day saw LeMond pulling on the yellow jersey of race leader, the first time it had ever been worn by a rider from the United States. Attempting an escape on the descent, he was unable to separate himself from LeMond. The La Vie Claire team leaders were both excellent descenders. As they ascended up the next col they continued to pull away from the field, and maintained the gap as they reached the base of the final climb, the vaunted Alpe d'Huez. They pressed on through the crowd, ascending the twenty-one switchbacks of Alpe d'Huez and reaching the summit together. LeMond put an arm around Hinault and gave him a smile and the stage win in a show of unity, [58] but the infighting was not over. Hinault attacked again on Stage 19 and had to be brought back by teammates and . He's never helped me , and I don't feel confident at all with him. LeMond had to keep his eye on his teammate and rival throughout the race. Hinault rode aggressively and repeatedly attacked, and the division created in the La Vie Claire team was unmistakable. LeMond had planned to defend his title in the Tour de France with La Vie Claire, but he was unable to participate. Earlier that year, while riding in the Tirreno—Adriatico spring tune-up race, LeMond fell and fractured his left wrist. He returned to the United States to recover from the injury. Gallery: Images from 'Greg LeMond: Yellow Jersey Racer' | CyclingTips

LeMond changed cycling more than any other rider in the Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer of the sport. LeMond was a talented all-rounder, with a reputation as one of the canniest racers of his generation. As adept at racing on the cobbles of the spring classics as he was on the mountains of the grand tours, LeMond rode a full racing season from spring to autumn. He was admired by his peers and respected by his rivals. LeMond was the first cyclist to focus almost exclusively on winning the Tour de France and the World Championship, knowing they were most valuable to his fans and sponsors. His superstar talent and charisma broke cycling into the mainstream media with multiple turns as Sports Illustrated Athlete of the Year. Greg LeMond raised cycling from its provincial roots into a professional sport with global reach. His eventual recovery was as miraculous as what happened next: he came back to the world of bicycle racing to claim victory in the Tour de France in the closest finish in the history of the race. See a preview! Read two chapters and see a photo gallery here. Those who are will explore Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer insights. The story of his discovery, with family photos of young Greg as well as the still-incredible scenes of and Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer Hinault visiting Reno, , jump off the page of Yellow Jersey Racer …Beautifully comprehensive. I recommend it for any bicycle racing fan — whether for Greg Lemond: Yellow Jersey Racer, or for a gift. Greg LeMond quantity. Shipping Dimensions: A wonderful worthy tribute. A superlative summary of a noteworthy career in sports. Search for:. Also Available From.