LeMond Ready to Come Back From Near-Fatal Mishap

Greg LeMond, the only American ever to win the Tour de France, was thinking about reaching new heights in his cycling career. And yet here he was bleeding to death.

It was the Monday after Easter and LeMond had just been hit by a spray of shotgun pellets accidentally fired his way by his brother-in-law.

LeMond’s thoughts flashed to his wife and family, of never racing again, of losing the security he expected his success to bring him.

“I said, ‘That’s it, it’s over. Hunting accident, boom, I’m over, done with.’ I was ready to die.”

The 25-year-old cyclist, now 10 weeks removed and almost recovered from the near-fatal mishap, is riding again. He’s going gingerly, only a few easy miles at a time, not yet pushing himself.

“I’m on my bike a month or two earlier than anybody expected,” LeMond said. “They thought I could ride, but not seriously train.”

The first step back to racing was a one-hour ride that showed just how much work remains.

“I’m 95% away,” LeMond said. “But that’s not so bad, because a couple of months ago I was minus 95 percent.”

The hunting accident could have been much worse. As it was, LeMond had to wait almost an hour before being transported to a hospital. He lost almost three-quarters of his blood supply. Doctors told him another half-hour would have killed him.

“I was ready to die right there,” LeMond said. “The first 10 minutes, I was so freaked out. I was saying, ‘Oh my God, I’ll never see my wife, my family.’ ”

The blast broke two ribs and pellets lodged in his intestine, liver, diaphragm, back, leg, foot and hand. Even after surgery, he still has 25-30 pellets in his body.

Recuperation has provided a bonus of sorts.

“I hate to say it, but I had been racing since 1976. Twelve years of racing, seven as a professional, with no break, ever.”

He plans to ride in a race at Mammoth, Calif., beginning July 22 and then in the International Bicycle Classic later this summer. His goal is to win a major race by October.

“That’s 3 1/2 months from now. I could be in pretty good shape by then.”

LeMond’s contract with the La Vie Claire team is up at the end of 1987. He has the option of returning in 1988, but hasn’t yet made up his mind.

“I’ve had a couple of good offers from Holland and Italy,” LeMond said. “I’m seriously considering the offer from Holland. But I want to talk to my team and see if they want to keep me.”

If not for the accident, LeMond would be defending his title in the Tour de France, the four-week, 2,550-mile Super Bowl of cycling that began Wednesday. He’s not sure how he feels about missing the race.

“It depends on who wins it,” LeMond said. “If it’s a good rider who wins it, then it’s no problem. But if it’s a guy who lucks out winning the Tour . . . “

LeMond says any of 10 riders could win, but he has his favorites.

“Stephen Roche, he won the Tour of Italy. And Laurent Fignon, somehow I believe he is going to be there.”

With LeMond out, Andy Hampsten of Boulder, Colo., is the top American challenger.

“Andy won the Tour of Switzerland. I consider him a good favorite and I think physically he’s capable of doing really well on the Tour,” LeMond said. “There are 10 riders capable of winning it and it’s going to come down to the guy who has the best team, and that’s what Andy lacks. He has a good team, but I don’t think it’s as strong as Stephen Roche’s or Fignon’s.”

This the first Tour in many years without either LeMond or his former teammate, Bernard Hinault, a five-time winner of the race who has retired.