By Charles Pekow — Bike well enough and be a good enough citizen and ye may win a gold medal – and not necessarily the Olympic type. Congress approved legislation awarding two-time Road Race World Champion Greg LeMond a Congressional Gold Medal “in recognition of his contributions to the nation as an athlete, activist, role model, and community leader.”
H.R.3589 , the Greg LeMond Congressional Gold Medal Act, notes that not only is he the only American to win the Tour de France (not counting Lance Armstrong who lost the title after he was caught illegally doping), he did it three times and won two world championships. He did this in spite of suffering repeated injuries.
LeMond commented on his facebook page, “I am honored for this recognition, and thank Rep. Thompson and Sen. Cortez Masto for their efforts on my behalf. It’s great to receive this recognition from Congress as I’m working with LeMon Composites and LeMond bikes to create forward-looking manufacturing jobs for America and the world. I will continue to push myself and my companies to live up to this honor as we move forward.”
Bronze copies of the gold medal may be awarded for sale under the legislation.
The legislation also notes that “Greg and his wife, Kathy, are active in numerous nonprofit causes, including healthy sport, assisting victims of sexual abuse and various childhood illnesses” and that “cycling offers young people a healthy, active, outdoor hobby.”
See: https://tinyurl.com/lemondcongressionalbill
