Greg Lemond - Perhaps Hinault's Only Serious Rival?

It's indeed ironic that Bernard Hinault's successor to the throne of world cycling,
should have arrived in the shape of a young American called Greg Lemond. Back
in 1980, Hinault, accompanied by Renault cycling team boss, Cyrille Guimard, went
to to lure 19 year old Lemond from the USA to the European racing circuit. Lemond's
pedigree was already shaped by multiple wins in the Junior World Championships and
demolishing the opposition in practically every race he'd ever entered. So good was Lemond,
that from the very beginning of his participation in competitive cycling, he had to be moved up a
level to compete with older riders than himself. This was a striking similarity to Hinault's rise
through the ranks nearly a decade earlier. continued...

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The Bernard Hinault Archive 2003