Greg LeMond's career is not only one of the most incredible stories in cycling history but in the history of professional sports.In 1986, Greg LeMond became the first American to win the Tour de France but shortly afterwards, he was involved in an accident, when his brother-in-law shot him (accidentally) while hunting in California. Over forty shotgun pellets ripped through Greg's body, lodging not only in his back and legs, but more critically in his small intestine, liver, diaphragm, and heart lining. Because of the dangerous locations, surgeons were forced to leave over 30 pellets imbedded in his body.Despite this injury, he decided to mount a comeback. His physical capabilities had been reduced and to overcome this he used innovations that today have become the norm, including wind tunnel testing, aeroframes and heart rate monitoring. In the 1989 Tour, he tried to stay competitive through the tough 21 days of racing, as he trailled behind Laurent Fignon. In a script that sounds like it came from Hollywood, Greg overcame the lead to win by 8 seconds, the narrowest margin of victory ever. He was names “Sport Illustrated Sportsman of the Year” in the same year. To prove it was not just luck, we won the Tour de France for a third time in 1990 and after that retired from competitions.
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