{"id":21679,"title":"Greg Lemond","description":"There\u2019s a free-marketeer Prime Minister in the UK, fears of nuclear war are expressed in the USA and a precocious young talent is about to ride solo to the UCI World Championship road race. No, it\u2019s not 2022, we\u2019ve switched the dials on our time machine to 1983. Step aboard","content":"

Published in<\/strong>: COBBLES & CLASSICS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>

There\u2019s a free-marketeer PM in the UK, fears of nuclear war are expressed in the USA and a precocious young talent is about to ride solo to the UCI World Championship road race.<\/span><\/p>

No, it\u2019s not 2022, we\u2019ve switched the dials on our time machine to 1983. Step aboard.<\/span><\/p>

\"TourGreg Lemond leads Faustino Rup\u00e9rez<\/span><\/em><\/strong> Image: <\/span><\/em>The Mick Searle Collection<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Author\u2019s note: This article was originally written whilst Liz Truss was briefly Prime Minister of the UK.<\/p>

Remember her? Blink and you\u2019d have missed her rapid rise and fall.<\/p>

1983 Remembered<\/h2>

The Special Relationship<\/h3>

Yes, the original Thatcherite, Margaret Thatcher is Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Ronald Reagan is President of the United States of America. This was an era when the special relationship actually meant that.<\/span><\/p>

Nuclear Armageddon<\/h3>

Ten-year-old American Samantha Smith wrote to Soviet president Yuri Andropov expressing her concerns about the possibility of Nuclear armageddon.<\/span><\/p>

Perhaps her letter saved the planet because instead of pre-emptively pressing the button, which apparently he nearly did in 1983, he invited her to tour the USSR.<\/span><\/p>

USA Talent Poised for Success<\/h3>

In the world of cycling, twenty-two-year-old American talent Greg Lemond is poised to become the first non-European to win the professional men\u2019s world road race championships.<\/span> <\/a>Second the year before behind Giuseppe Saronni, Lemond would go on to become America\u2019s most successful professional male cyclist and the only American to officially win the Tour de France.<\/span><\/p>

Championship Course<\/h3>

The 1983 World Professional Road Race Championships were decided at the village of Altenrhein in the North East corner of Switzerland close to Lake Constance.<\/span><\/p>

\"GiuseppeSaronni hoped to repeat his Goodwood success<\/em><\/strong> Image: <\/span><\/em>The Mick Searle Collection<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The championships would be decided on a hilly course that was certain to avoid a large bunch finish. The winner would have to be a decent climber with a short sharp ramp quickly followed by an ascent of three kilometres each lap.<\/span><\/p>

The Contenders<\/h2>

Greg Lemond<\/h3>

Lemond was one of the favourites, having finished second the year before at Goodwood. He\u2019d already won the Crit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9 Lib\u00e9r\u00e9 that season, winning three stages on the way and finishing fourth overall at the Tour de Suisse.\u00a0<\/span>
His weakness, if he had one, was the strength of his team. Only one of his American teammates would probably be there by the finish and Greg\u2019s relationship with Jonathan Boyer was rocky. Boyer, with some justification, had accused Lemond of chasing him down the previous year at Goodwood.<\/span><\/p>

Laurent Fignon<\/h3>

The surprise winner of that year\u2019s Tour de France was France\u2019s Laurent Fignon. Some felt he\u2019d only won by default when leader Pascal Simon had to drop out.<\/span><\/p>

Simon had looked comfortable in the yellow jersey until he fractured his shoulder in a crash. He hung on for days. His face was constantly wracked with pain before inevitably giving up. Simon would never look like a contender again.<\/span><\/p>

\"JeanVandenbroucke (left) and Beccia (right) <\/span><\/em><\/strong>Image: <\/span><\/em>The Mick Searle Collection<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a>
<\/p>

Fignon had already finished seventh at the Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a that year, despite riding as a domestique to his leader and overall victor Bernard Hinault.<\/span><\/p>

Hinault was missing from the World Championships as he\u2019d stopped racing after his triumph in Spain. He\u2019d been troubled by a knee injury and had ended his season early.<\/span><\/p>

Giuseppe Saronni<\/h3>

The previous year\u2019s winner Giuseppe Saronni was on the start line. He\u2019d won the two most important Italian races earlier in the season. Victorious at the Giro d\u2019Italia and crossing the line alone to take Milano San Remo.<\/span><\/p>

What we didn\u2019t realise at the time, however, was that was as good as it was going to get for Saronni. His career soon whet into decline. His victories after 1983 were modest in comparison.<\/span><\/p>

Belgians<\/h3>

Belgian interests were represented by Walloons Claude Criquielion and Jean-Luc Vandenbroucke. Both were solid reliable professionals but not spectacular winners, although Criquielion would go on to win the World Championships in 1984 and the Ronde van Vlaanderen in 1987.<\/span><\/p>

British & Irish<\/h3>

British interests lay in \u2018adopted\u2019 Irish riders Sean Kelly and Stephen Roche. 1983 was the year that Kelly transformed from bunch sprinter to classics superstar.<\/span><\/p>

\"StephenStephen Roche makes the rest suffer <\/span><\/em><\/strong>Image: <\/span><\/em>The Mick Searle Collection<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Britain\u2019s Robert Millar had had an excellent Tour de France winning into Bagn\u00e8res-de-Luchon and finishing 14th overall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

Other than Sean Yates, the British riders Dudley Hayton, Steve Joughin and Michael Morrison were home-based. Their diet of one-hour circuit races was unlikely to equip them well for the seven-hour, 270 kilometres ahead of them.<\/span><\/p>

The Race<\/h2>

Anderson Breaks<\/h3>

Australia\u2019s Phil Anderson was particularly active and pulled a break of seven clear. Present were Belda of Spain, Beccia of Italy, Clere of France, de Rooy of the Netherlands, homeboy Demierre and Denmark\u2019s Andersen. The latter had yet to face his two doping bans before going on to manage Team CSC.<\/span><\/p>

The Italian team didn\u2019t fancy the chances of Beccia taking home the rainbow jersey. A talented climber on his day but not a reliable race winner. They were right too as the Puglian was destined for an early shower.<\/span><\/p>

So the Italian blue jerseys hit the front of the bunch and pursued the leading seven. The break slowly collapsed and finally, only the sole rider, Swiss champion, Serge Demierre was left with three 15-kilometre laps left.<\/span><\/p>

\"PhilPhil Anderson (left) powered the break along <\/span><\/em><\/strong>Image: <\/span><\/em>The Mick Searle Collection<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

The Swiss crowd roared him on. But their frenzied support and Serge\u2019s determination couldn\u2019t prevent his inevitable capture. The Swiss would finally finish almost last, nearly ten minutes down on the winner. Behind, Lemond bided his time as the Italian\u2019s chase reduced their number.<\/span><\/p>

Lemond Attacks<\/h3>

The stage was set for a climactic conclusion. All that was required was one small move to trigger the final denouement. It was Britain\u2019s Robert Millar who initiated the action. His pressing invoked an attacking response by Lemond who flew past, followed by Spaniard Faustino Rup\u00e9rez and fancied Italian Moreno Argentin.<\/span><\/p>

It was unsurprising that the enterprising Demierre would be dropped by the other three as they headed into the hills again. Much more surprising was the sight of Moreno Argentin being left behind by Lemond and Rup\u00e9rez.<\/span><\/p>

Winning Move<\/h3>

With just ten kilometres left of the last lap, Greg Lemond launched his winning move. It was too much for the tenacious Rup\u00e9rez. The former Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a champion couldn\u2019t hold the American\u2019s wheel as he disappeared into the distance.<\/span><\/p>

\"GregRuperez (left) has the look of a man under pressure <\/span><\/em><\/strong>Image: <\/span><\/em>The Mick Searle Collection<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/p>

Rup\u00e9rez was caught by a chasing trio of Adrie van der Poel, Stephen Roche and Claude Criquielion. Despite their best efforts, Lemond finished over a minute ahead before a sprint between the four with van der Poel and Roche snatching silver and bronze respectively.<\/span><\/p>

Greatest USA Male Road Racer<\/h3>

The season marked a turning point for the talented American. He\u2019d go on to win the Tour de France three times and the World Championships again in 1989. Had a hunting accident not seen him shot and almost killed, it seems likely that he would have achieved more.<\/span><\/p>

What\u2019s certain is that the history books show him to be the greatest ever American male road racer.<\/span><\/p>

What of the rest?<\/h2>

Strychnine Pie<\/h3>

Adri van der Poel would go on to win monuments Ronde van Vlaanderen and Liege-Bastogne-Liege before turning full-time to cyclocross. He won the 1996 cyclocross World Championships, a year after his son Mathieu was born. Mathieu has also won the cyclocross World Championships.<\/span><\/p>

1983 was a curious year for Adri. He was disqualified in May from the Grand Prix Frankfurt after strychnine was detected in his body. He blamed his father-in-law\u2019s pigeon pie. He was banned for three months in 1984 for Ephedrine. This he claimed was a result of cold medication.<\/span><\/p>

Conviction<\/h3>

Stephen Roche would have his wonder year in 1987 when he emulated the feat of Eddy Merckx by winning the Giro d\u2019Italia, Tour de France and World championships in the same year. Dogged by injury he never achieved the same degree of success.<\/span><\/p>

Roche seemed to attract controversy and contractual disputes wherever he went. He was convicted in April 2022 by a Spanish court of fraud and ordered to pay over \u20ac700,000 to creditors.<\/span><\/p>

Retirement<\/h3>

Ruprerez rode for two more seasons and failed to finish the World Championships again. Like many retired riders he took up managerial positions including the Spanish national team.<\/span><\/p>

1 November 2022, Tim Costello<\/span><\/p>

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