num_pages: 514
description: Greg LeMond was Lance Armstrong before Lance Armstrong . . . the story of a true hero . . . This is a must read if you believe in miracles.John Feinstein New York Times bestselling author In July 1986 Greg LeMond stunned the sporting world by becoming the first American to win the Tour de France the worlds pre-eminent bicycle race defeating French cycling legend Bernard Hinault. Nine months later LeMond lay in a hospital bed his life in peril after a hunting accident his career as a bicycle racer seemingly over. And yet barely two years after this crisis LeMond mounted a comeback almost without parallel in professional sports. In summer 1989 he again won the Tourarguably the worlds most grueling athletic contestby the almost impossibly narrow margin of 8 seconds over another French legend Laurent Fignon. It remains the closest Tour de France in history. [A] blend of chaos kindness and cruelty typifies the scenes that journalist de Vis brings to life in this sympathetic-verging-on-reverential retelling of LeMonds trailblazing career (first American to enter the tour first to win it) . . . As an author in quest of his protagonists motivation [de Vis] subjects it to extreme torque. The Washington Post A great book . . . Well written and thoroughly researched . . . Engrossing and hard to put down. If youre a Greg LeMond fan The Comeback is a must read because its a detailed accounting of his career andmore importantlyhis life and person off the bike. Its also an important reminder that American cycling did not begin and end with Lance Armstrong. PEZ
language: English
title: The Comeback: Greg LeMond, the True King of American Cycling, and a Legendary Tour de France
publisher: Atlantic Monthly Press