Hi Gang,
In response to the fellow who stated something about no American was ever inspired to take up racing because of George Mount or words similar.
Having grown up racing in his era I must say while it may not appreciate the value of a bike much he had a far greater impact on American cycling than many would believe because he showed and demonstrated what was possible. Certainly a young Lemond was inspired as well as others.
One local fellow who while somewhat obscure now did follow George's inspiration a long way. There was a one 15 year old highschool American football player who watched that 1976 Olympic ride with awe. This Salisbury, NC native was heavily muscled and large for his age and after viewing one rainy afternoon in Montreal decided to become a professional cyclist.
With no local bike shop or coach at hand he took his ordinary 10 speed out and started riding 70 + mile training rides each and every day in high gear. He was no stranger to hard work. All winter he trained like convict for the tunnel that would be finished soon. The following summer he entered four Junior races and crashed in the first three winning the forth. This was 1977 and that fall a thin blond haired fellow named Greg Lemond went to Argentina to win gold in the Junior world championships.
Upon returning home a buoyant Lemond and his US teammate joined the coach Eddie B. in Atlantic City for a late season big purse (10,000+ K in the Junior event as I recall) crit on the boardwalk. The Lemond led US team was in top form from the championships a few days earlier and expecting easy money on the flat wind swept boardwalk.
The young man from North Carolina seemed almost twice the size of our victorious national team members and as cruel children often do, made fun of his unshaved legs. Being a new comer to the cliquish world of cycling and not accustomed to being put down before an event even started he boiled with anger.
The race was about 30 miles round on 1 mile laps as I recall. A talented British lad made a quick hop over and started the race with an attack from the gun. The cagey US team boys noting the sapping winds blowing off of the adjacent sea choose to bide their time and let things settle down in the beginning. Not so our big new fellow. Without much in the way of close club mates to guide his tactics he was off after the British Lad in short order joining him in a few laps. They went on to lap the field and finish one-two (our hero was 2nd) to the utter astonishment of the national team coach.
He was immediately invited to Colorado Springs where he declared that anyone able to ride his devil ergomenter till exhaustion for 18 minutes would be on the national team (Senior that is). Greg Lemond took the challenge and rode 16.5 minutes. The best of most senior men at the time (though he was a Junior). The sixteen year old man with now freshly shaved legs rode 18 minutes and change on his first attempt and was tagged for future improvement.
After several medals (victories?) in the nationals and other victories he went to Europe and turned professional. In 1983 Lemond picked him as a team mate in his own professional world championship win in Switzerland.
This man you probably never heard of but accomplished quite a lot in a short time was named John Patterson and certainly visited the Cirques home shop of Cycles De Ore and may have been a team memeber there (Dale?). George Mount inspired him a lot and he assisted Greg to his first worlds pro title.
Gilbert "Cowbells to you"Anderson
Raleigh, NC USA