Greg LeMond is an American former professional cyclist who won the Tour de France three times — in 1986, 1989 and 1990 — and the elite road world championship twice, in 1983 and 1989. He became the first American and first non-European Tour winner in 1986. After a life-threatening hunting accident in 1987, he returned to win the 1989 Tour by eight seconds, still the closest final margin in the race's history, then won a third Tour in 1990.
That is the verified short answer to “who is Greg LeMond?” Roadman's interviews add his first-person account of the accident, his disputed relationship with Bernard Hinault and his experience of cycling's doping era. This page keeps those two layers separate: official records establish results and public honours; LeMond is the source for his memories, opinions and claims about private events.
Source note: Anthony Walsh interviewed LeMond for The Roadman Cycling Podcast. Roadman checked the episode transcript against the recording and reviewed the biographical record on 26 August 2026 using official UCI, Tour de France, US Mint and US House records. Statements about doping, motives and private conversations remain explicitly attributed to LeMond.
Greg LeMond: quick facts
- Born: 26 June 1961, Lakewood, California, United States.
- Tour de France wins: 1986, 1989 and 1990.
- Road world titles: 1983 and 1989.
- Tour milestone: first American and first non-European overall winner.
- Closest Tour: beat Laurent Fignon by eight seconds in 1989.
- Major setback: accidentally shot during a California turkey hunt in 1987.
- Current public honour: Congressional Gold Medal, presented 9 July 2025.
- Roadman archive: one long-form episode plus subject-specific clips on the accident, Hinault, Armstrong and doping.
How many Tours de France did Greg LeMond win?
LeMond won three Tours de France: 1986, 1989 and 1990. The UCI's history of non-European winners records his third place in 1984, second place in 1985 and breakthrough victory over former team leader Bernard Hinault in 1986. He then returned after two missed Tours to win in 1989 and defended the title in 1990.
His first victory changed the geography of the race: no rider from outside Europe had previously won the Tour. His 1989 win supplied the comeback story; his 1990 win showed that the comeback was not a single extraordinary day.
The 1987 hunting accident
LeMond was accidentally shot during a turkey hunt in California in April 1987. In his long-form Roadman interview, he described being hit after standing behind a bush, struggling to speak because his right lung had collapsed and being evacuated by a police helicopter that happened to be nearby.
The transcript is the source for those scene and medical details. Published accounts disagree on the number of shotgun pellets that hit him and the number that remained, so this page does not turn a variable count into a fixed fact. What is not disputed is the sequence: the accident was life-threatening, he missed the 1987 and 1988 Tours, and he returned to win in 1989 and 1990.
How LeMond won the 1989 Tour by eight seconds
LeMond started the final 24.5km time trial from Versailles to Paris 50 seconds behind Laurent Fignon. He used triathlon-style aero bars and an aerodynamic position that stood out sharply in the 1989 peloton. He won the stage and the Tour, finishing eight seconds ahead overall.
The official Tour de France account confirms the deficit, equipment and final margin. The aero setup was important, but saying the bars alone “found” the full result would overstate what one variable can prove: LeMond also had to produce the ride.
For a training-and-equipment reading of that one stage, see Greg LeMond, 8 Seconds, and the First Marginal Gain. This page remains the broader biography and interview owner.
LeMond and Bernard Hinault
LeMond finished second while supporting Hinault in the 1985 Tour. Hinault said he would support LeMond in 1986, then attacked repeatedly during the race before the pair crossed the Alpe d'Huez line together. LeMond won the Tour by 3 minutes 10 seconds; Hinault finished second.
The results are settled. The intent is not. The official Tour history records Hinault's promise and the race sequence, while LeMond gives a more distrustful first-person version in Roadman's Hinault interview clip. Both should be labelled for what they are.
What LeMond said about EPO, Armstrong and clean sport
Roadman's interviews move from verifiable race history into LeMond's analysis and personal account. He discusses how EPO changed what he saw in the peloton, why he publicly questioned Lance Armstrong, his business relationship with Trek and the physiological patterns he regards as suspicious.
These are important primary-source statements, not neutral proof of every allegation. The responsible way to use them is to link to the complete material, preserve attribution and avoid converting one speaker's interpretation into an independent finding.
- Long-form interview: EPO, the accident and the comeback
- The hunting accident in LeMond's own words
- LeMond on his relationship with Bernard Hinault
- LeMond on his relationship with Lance Armstrong
- LeMond on why he left professional cycling
Two world titles and the 1989 double
LeMond won the elite road world championship in 1983 and 1989. The second title came weeks after his 1989 Tour comeback, completing a Tour–Worlds double that the UCI marked with its President's Trophy on the 30th anniversary in 2019.
That matters because a Tour-only biography misses the breadth of his record. LeMond was not only a stage-race winner and time triallist; he also won the sport's most important one-day championship twice.
Congressional Gold Medal
Congress authorised a Congressional Gold Medal for LeMond in 2020 in recognition of his contributions as an athlete, activist, role model and community leader. The medal was formally presented on 9 July 2025. The distinction between those dates matters: 2020 is the authorising law; 2025 is the ceremony.
The US Mint ceremony record confirms the presentation date and career background. The US House recipient register records the public law and the reason for the award.
Why Greg LeMond still matters
The verified record is already exceptional: three Tours, two world titles, the first non-European Tour victory and the smallest winning margin in Tour history. The accident and comeback make the sequence rarer still.
The interview archive matters for a different reason. It preserves LeMond explaining his own experience at length, including areas where memories, motives and allegations remain disputed. Roadman's job is not to sand those differences away. It is to make the source easy to find, state what official records prove and label the rest honestly.
Roadman also maintains a Greg LeMond guest profile for his episodes and a topic-by-topic expert index for his positions across the archive. Those pages serve podcast navigation; this article owns the broad biography and interview search intent.
Sources and verification
- UCI — Tour de France: non-European winners — verifies LeMond's progression and Tour wins in 1986, 1989 and 1990.
- Tour de France — the 1989 final time trial — verifies the 50-second deficit, aero bars and eight-second final margin.
- Tour de France — LeMond and Hinault in 1986 — verifies the race sequence and 3:10 final margin.
- UCI — 2019 President's Trophy — verifies official recognition of LeMond's 1989 Tour–Worlds double.
- US Congressional Record — Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act — verifies birth details, two world titles, three Tours and the award findings.
- US Mint — medal presentation, 9 July 2025 — verifies the presentation date and current public recognition.
- US House — Congressional Gold Medal recipients — verifies Public Law 116-208 and the stated basis for the honour.
- Roadman Cycling Podcast — long-form Greg LeMond interview — first-person source for the accident, comeback and doping discussion.