They expect a certain reverence from their peers for everything French. LeMond’s tumultuous career has been hampered by personality clashes with European teammates who view the Tour de France as a cultural icon. That stage, the 18th of 22, illustrated the many changes in LeMond’s career.įor the first time he is happily settled on a team that respects him and his quirky Americanways. LeMond, all the while, was able to conserve energy in his teammates’ draft. By playing a sort of game of leap frog, the Z riders caught Chiappucci and LeMond escaped without losing a second in the stage.Ī group can go farther and faster over a long haul than one cyclist. He helped LeMond regroup and take off after Chiappucci. “Greg kept saying, ‘I’ve blown it, I’ve lost the race.’ ” “We stopped, got off our bikes and gave Greg a hand,” Boyer said. Midway through the stage from Lourdes to Pau, LeMond had a flat tire and lost 12 miles to Chiappucci.īoyer and teammate Jerome Simon came to LeMond’s aid immediately.
Last Wednesday, during the final mountain stage, Boyer showed the mettle of a champion. “When I was a little boy I used to watch the great riders such as Bernard Hinault and Eddy Merckx and dream about what it would be like,” he said. He was not ready to leave, savoring a few more minutes of his team’s victory.īoyer said he felt as if he was the winner of this Tour, which was contested during a week of record-high temperatures throughout France. He was relegated to the role of a domestique, with the responsibility to protect LeMond as he had Ronan Pensec of France, who held the lead in the second week.īut long after the crowd had left the finish at Place de la Concord, Boyer leaned contently against his orange and black bicycle. LeMond built a 2-minute 16-second lead-his winning margin-over Chiappucci Saturday.Įric Bruekink of the Netherlands was third, 2:39 back, and Pedro Delgado of Spain was fourth, 5:01 behind.īoyer was not among the leaders. It was a lead that would have been much bigger had LeMond’s team failed him. There, he gained the yellow jersey for the first time by defeating Claudio Chiappucci of Italy.Ĭhiappucci had held a five-second lead over LeMond for the previous four stages.
#Greg lemond team z trial
LeMond was the first to acknowledge his teammates after Saturday’s time trial at Lac Vassiviere.
Perhaps without Boyer and other Z teammates, LeMond would not have gained the 77th Tour title. The Tour was decided on the backroads of France, where LeMond’s teammates responded to situations that changed the race’s outcome.
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