Lemond's Legacy: How Lemond Changed Cycling

[Ninety5rpm]

Aero bars?
TT helmet?

 

[Apolitical]

One of the first to build a season around the tour.

 

[red_flanders]

Massive increase in domestique pay.

 

[red_flanders]

Showed the world a non-European could win the Tour.

 

[Polish]

Aero bars?
TT helmet?

Aero bars.....Lance 1987
TT Helmet....Fignon 1985

Greg was the Father of the Million Dollar Contract Negotiation.

Big Money SponsorShip Deals also.

On the downside, a negative legacy, is that Greg convinced a slew of gullible young riders that EPO will transform you into a TdF winner.

 

[outrage9]

Aero bars?
TT helmet?

Are you saying he invented or even thought of these?

 

[red_flanders]

He was a pioneer in bringing the TT bars to big-time Pro races.

Yes, Tri athletes used them, that's where they came from.

He didn't invent a lot of stuff, he was willing to experiment and push the envelope in a sport where innovation was often slow. He was visible, successful and innovative. Did he invent TT bars or was he the first pro to ever use them? No. On the other hand, look how many used them in the 1989 TT's. Then look at 1990.

Dramatic influence.

 

[red_flanders]

Aero bars.....Lance 1987
TT Helmet....Fignon 1985

Greg was the Father of the Million Dollar Contract Negotiation.

Big Money SponsorShip Deals also.

On the downside, a negative legacy, is that Greg convinced a slew of gullible young riders that EPO will transform you into a TdF winner.

There are two of those things you could back up with facts. The rest runs from dreamworld to slander. Your posts are tripe.

 

[Polish]

Swoopy Sunglasses.

Taco Bell tacos as training food.

 

[Ninety5rpm]

He was a pioneer in bringing the TT bars to big-time Pro races.

Yes, Tri athletes used them, that's where they came from.

He didn't invent a lot of stuff, he was willing to experiment and push the envelope in a sport where innovation was often slow. He was visible, successful and innovative. Did he invent TT bars or was he the first pro to ever use them? No. On the other hand, look how many used them in the 1989 TT's. Then look at 1990.

Dramatic influence.

That's what I meant.

 

[scribe]

Clipless pedals?

 

[Race Radio]

He did not do all of these first but popularized them

Using a wind tunnel to fine tune TT position
Reconing Tour stages
Less racing
Watt meters
HR based training
Carbon Frames

 

[scribe]

He also did groundbreaking work on being a naive American in a roughshod European sporting environment. I think lance was a direct beneficiary of that experience.

 

[David Suro]

Greg Lemond did a lot.

By being the first American Tour champion, he was pivotal in introducing the sport to the mainstream American sports media.

Almost every geat American cyclist since has stated that he was a tremendous influence on them.

 

[Biffins]

Greg Lemond's outrageous handle bars.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jb2bXtJ_Ci0

 

[Polish]

First to wear a Baseball cap on the TdF Podium.

With Logo.

To Greg's credit, he did not wear it backwards

 

[erader]

wider handlebars to help you "breathe better" (fad)

CF forks (kestrel EMS) on non-CF frames (today's standard)

erader

 

[eleven]

There's an entire generation of American cycling fans that owe that fan-dom to Greg, and he probably put a lot of people on road bikes (though hopefully not Huffys!). Towards the end he was certainly the first cyclist to be household name in The States and he introduced millions of Americans to the TdF for the first time.

He probably gets too little credit for the amount of fans and money he brought to Le Tour.

 

[Race Radio]

First to wear a Baseball cap on the TdF Podium.

With Logo.

To Greg's credit, he did not wear it backwards

This is actually a big deal. In Europe they call it a Podium Hat

 

[Bag_O_Wallet]

Not sure if he started it, but kids on the podium.

 

[redtreviso]

Look pedals (he might still get a dollar per pedal)
Oakleys (see above)
Americans desired in the Tour de France
Tour de France on American tv
The Scott company
The LeMond seat height formula
Helmets..Giros in particular..popularized helmets even when they weren't required

 

[scribe]

Damn. Lemond IS the greatest American cyclist ever. What were we thinking?

 

[Old School]

Hands down, Greatest American ever to mount a bike...will never get his due.

If ONLY he hadn't been shot...lucky he lived.

 

[superleicht]

Definitely more money. In an interview some years ago Sean Kelly said the money for riders quadrupled after Lemond hit the European scene. (I also recall the press coverage where Guimard and Hinault came to the states to get him to sign a contract - there was a hilarious photo of BH in boots and cowboy hat!)

I have often thought that Greg had an indirect influence re increasing the incidence of doping because of the increased value of riders' contracts. Not blaming him, but when the money increased, the number of guys wanting to make it as a pro increased. Instead of an alternative to being a truck driver or factory worker, you could actually get rich riding a bike.

You can count Lance amongst that number.

 

[redtreviso]

Definitely more money. In an interview some years ago Sean Kelly said the money for riders quadrupled after Lemond hit the European scene. (I also recall the press coverage where Guimard and Hinault came to the states to get him to sign a contract - there was a hilarious photo of BH in boots and cowboy hat!)

I have often thought that Greg had an indirect influence re increasing the incidence of doping because of the increased value of riders' contracts. Not blaming him, but when the money increased, the number of guys wanting to make it as a pro increased. Instead of an alternative to being a truck driver or factory worker, you could actually get rich riding a bike.

You can count Lance amongst that number.

Eh Lance was never going to be a truck driver..American racers were not known to be escaping a life in the salt mines by becoming bike racers..but europeans were.. That might be why the salaries went up..Americans were like Eric Heiden ....doing a little bike racing before heading to medical school.
had to make it worth their while.