Alexi Grewal Is Preparing for a Cycling Encore : American Rider Figures Time Has Come to Shake Up European Community

It has been nearly a year since Alexi Grewal shocked the staid European cycling community by capturing the gold medal in the road race event at the Los Angeles Olympics.

Now, Grewal--recovering from a bout with infectious hepatitis--thinks it’s just about time to shake them up again. This time the outspoken 24-year-old wants to deliver his message on the backroads of Europe.

“I will go to Europe for one reason--to break their legs,” the Olympian said with fire in his eyes. “I think an American can go there (Europe) and race with the best as an American and not try to adopt their life style. Europeans don’t accept Americans as being good cyclists. That is going to change.”

However, before Grewal is able to take on the Europeans on his own terms, he has to rebuild the endurance sapped by his illness.

“I’m missing a big stage in my development,” he said of his recovery. “As an endurance athlete, you have to build yourself up a little bit every year. It will be 1988 before I am better than I was in 1984.”

The Olympic champion also realizes that the biological clock is now working against him.

“It’s not that I’m losing experience (while sitting out),” he said. “I’m losing time as an athlete. You only have a certain amount of time that you can compete at this level. My competitive career has been cut short by this illness.”

Grewal said it was hard to describe how his life has changed since becoming the first American to win a cycling gold medal. Fellow country-woman, Connie Carpenter-Phinney, also won a cycling gold a few days after Grewal’s victory.

“That’s not an easy question to answer because when you are the Olympic champion, you are not on top the cycling world,” he said. “You come into the professional cycling world at the bottom with a big reputation that you immediately have to prove.”

After winning the Olympic medal, Grewal became the highest paid rookie in the history of cycling.

Grewal, regarded by many to be the sport’s bad boy, said he believed cycling in America got a big boost from his Olympic victory. He also thought that the effect on cycling’s popularity by the blood-doping controversy surrounding some of his teammates was minimal.

“I wasn’t personally involved, so it’s not my problem. It was their choice and they made it,” he said of the doping. “I really don’t think it had that much of an adverse effect on cycling’s image.”

Grewal said he thought cycling would never challenge the popularity of such traditional American sports as baseball and football. However, he said the sport does have a strong following in certain areas of America.

“Cycling has developed quite a strong regional following,” he said. “In Colorado for example, I’m rather well known. I think cycling has an attraction for Americans because it is an all-or-nothing sport. There is but one winner. However, the popularity will depend on the number of races run in this country.”

One of the first major races--Coors International Bicycle Race--begins in San Francisco on August 3rd and ends near the University of Colorado on August 18th. It will include teams from the United States, Soviet Union, East Germany, Italy, France, Cuba, Yugoslavia, and a number of professional clubs from throughout Europe.

Because of his illness, Grewal will be forced to sit in the broadcast booth for NBC.