L is for Lemond: Pre-Stage Relaxation

June 17, 2016 – For the letter L in our A-to-Z countdown to the 2016 Tour de France (#TDF2016) we’ve chosen Greg LeMOND.

#PelotonShorts by John Wilcockson/Photo by Yuzuru Sunada

Before the era of team buses, leaders would relax in their team cars before the start of a stage, which gave members of the public a chance to chat with their heroes.

In this pre-stage shot from the 1991 Tour, race leader LeMond, with a copy of VeloNews on his knees, meets with a young admirer, probably a young American. This image defines that pre-bus era because the riders today remain in the air-conditioned luxury of their Pullman coaches until the moment they have to go to the race start and meet the sign-in deadline. But perhaps the happy-go-lucky LeMond would still mix with his fans if he were racing today.

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