Greg LeMond, second from left, is joined by his wife Kathy LeMond and son Geoffrey LeMond while being presented the Congressional Gold Medal by Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, R-La., left, during a ceremony at the Capitol, Wednesday, July 9, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Rod Lamkey, Jr.)
Three decades after his cycle-racing heyday, Greg LeMond was awarded the congressional gold medal.
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He became the 11th athlete to receive the medal, one of nation’s highest civilian honors; it was awarded at a ceremony Wednesday, July 9, at the U.S. Capitol. The bill making him a recipient was sponsored by Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) and Rep. Mike Thompson (R-Calif.). LeMond, 64, was born in California and grew up in the Reno area.
“More than any other cyclist, Greg personified the ‘breakaway’ culture of American cycling in the 1970s and 80s, viewed universally as the epitome of a young person on a bicycle, attempting to accomplish feats no other American had achieved,” the legislation said.
It passed in 2019 and was signed by President Trump in his first term, but the ceremony was delayed by the COVID pandemic.
1990: Greg LeMond, center, celebrates his third Tour de France win, with Claudio Chiapucci, left, and Eric Breukink. (AP/Lionel Cironneau)
LeMond won the Tour de France in 1986, 1989 and 1990. His second win capped an amazing comeback from a hunting accident that left him critically wounded. He was named Sports Illustrated’s athlete of the year for 1989.
After his competition career ended, he became a figure of some controversy in the cycling community for his outspoken stance against performance-enhancing drugs — including publicly expressing doubts about Lance Armstrong and Floyd Landis. Armstrong and Landis were stripped of their Tour de France titles because of drugs, leaving LeMond the only official U.S. winner in the storied race’s history.
The 10 other individual athletes who have received the medal include Jesse Owens, Jackie Robinson, Jack Nicklaus and Billie Jean King. In addition, the 1980 U.S. Summer Olympics team was honored after not competing in the Moscow games.