Greg LeMond: The 1983 World Championships
For a complete biography about Greg LeMond, please visit www.cyclinghalloffame.com.
In 1983, Greg LeMond became the first American to win
a professional road race World Championships. While he
had won the amateur worlds in 1979 (a win which led to
his recruitment for the Renault-Elf-Gitane team under Cyrille
Guimard and Bernard Hinault), his win in 1983 was a shock
to the cycling establishment in Europe and signaled the
beginning of the American rise in the sport.
LeMond’s bicycle in 1983 will soon be on display
at the United States Cycling Hall of Fame, located at the ADT
Event Center in
Los Angeles, California. According to Roger Young, a two-time
Olympian and one of the best track riders ever produced
by this country, the bicycle was never cleaned after the
event and was merely put into storage by LeMond right after
the race. Included here are exclusive pictures obtained
by gitaneusa.com of the winning bicycle.
It is interesting to note that the Gitane used by LeMond
was a production bike and not a specially built, custom
machine. It is the ultimate in French: French made and
outfitted almost exclusively with French components (only
the Cinelli bars and Columbus tubing were made outside
of France). Also interesting to note is the fact that he
must have flatted at some point in the race, as the rear
hub is Campagnolo…but with a Maillard skewer, while
the front hub is French!
Also included are pictures of some two of the many jerseys
loaned for use by the museum by LeMond. In the box sent (literally:
it was a wine box with tons of jerseys thrown into it!),
were a rainbow jersey from the Renault/Gitane team in 1984,
a Tour de France podium yellow jersey circa 1981(Pictured),
a Renault-Elf-Gitane jersey, and a pair of Renault/Gitane
bib shorts.
It is interesting to note that LeMond didn’t
race a Tour de France until 1984… so the yellow jersey
pictured was, most likely, Bernard Hinault’s, who won
the Tour in 1981 and who went to Nevada with Cyrille Guimard
to sign a young LeMond. Could this have been a gift from
Hinault? Could this have been worn by Hinault on a podium
during the tour? I would like to think so.... The museum
has decided to frame and display only Greg’s 1983
World Champion Jersey. The ones pictured, along with countless
others, will be returned to Greg LeMond.
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