LeMond Peddling Rather Than Pedaling
For Greg LeMond, the clock always is running.
The cash register is whirring, the sponsors are growing restless, the reporters are fidgeting and the fans are closing in, thrusting pictures in his face, grabbing for his jersey and asking for his autograph.
Corporate executives are looking for the two-time Tour de France champion, too. Videos. Equipment. Books. Fast-food commercials. The shelf life of an American cycling star can be measured in months. Deals have to be done now .
The French press wants him. So do the Dutch. And the Belgians are at war with their imported hero, wondering aloud why he skips the European classic races, trying to discover the reasons for his unpredictable performances and haphazard schedule.
Time is the enemy.
“I’ve been too busy, doing way too much stuff,” LeMond said Thursday.
LeMond, as always, was in a hurry. He had gotten off an airplane the night before near midnight, and, after a few hours of sleep, he trained, slipped into a news conference for five minutes, answered half a dozen questions, ate lunch with a few business executives, squeezed in a nap and then joined the other cyclists for Thursday night’s prologue in the Tour de Trump, which began today in Wilmington.
Racing is a problem. LeMond is not in shape. He is crawling on his bicycle, instead of racing with the wind. Worse, he’s still suffering the effects of food poisoning, which he contracted last week.
“I haven’t ridden in four days,” he said. “I’m kind of stiff, and I haven’t trained.”
Strangely, winning the 1989 Tour de France may have been the worst thing that ever happened to LeMond, the athlete. But for LeMond, the businessman, the comeback victory in Paris was like hitting the lottery.
He signed with the French-based “Z” team for a minimum of $5.5 million for three years, cemented sponsorships with Du Pont and Taco Bell and upped the ante on endorsement deals ranging from pedals to sunglasses to helmets.
LeMond is a man who can’t say no.
“I’m too nice a guy,” he said.
LeMond’s boyish charm, coupled with a dramatic tale, enables him to glide over controversy. After becoming the first American to win the Tour de France in 1986, LeMond was shot accidentally in April, 1987, and suffered a variety of injuries and professional setbacks before winning the Tour de France again in 1989.
“I think it’s crazy for people to doubt Greg LeMond’s ability,” said Michael Plant, the Tour de Trump’s executive director. “You can’t always excel. . . . The Tour de France is what Greg tries to achieve.”
“The problem is that it is difficult taking on all these responsibilities and be a cyclist,” LeMond said. “I still have to train. Cycling is demanding enough without trying to do too many other things.”