The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France

In this thorough biography, De Visé (Andy and Don) uses Greg Lemond’s razor-thin victory over Frenchman Laurent Fignon in the 1989 Tour de France as a framing device to tell the life story of the first great American road cyclist of the modern era. De Visé describes LeMond’s childhood in California with a supportive family, which was clouded by years of sexual abuse by a neighbor. He picked up cycling at age 14 in 1974, and by the time he was 17, the international cycling world began taking notice. In 1986, he became the first American to win the Tour de France, defeating Frenchman Bernard Hinault. His opportunity to repeat that feat was cut short when he was accidentally shot by his brother-in-law while hunting in 1987. Two years after his injury, LeMond made his comeback, and De Visé brings that race vividly to life as LeMond and Fignon go neck and neck to the finish line. In LeMond’s later career and retirement, he became the “conscience of professional cycling” as the most vocal critic of the sport’s doping scandals and Lance Armstrong, whose malice toward LeMond extended for years until his comeuppance. De Visé offers a thrilling read and exciting history for cycling and noncycling fans alike. (June)