The American ex-cyclist Greg LeMond has leukemia, as he himself announces on his website. It is not a life-threatening form of the disease and doctors expect the treatment to work.
Greg LeMond, 60, suffers from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a type of blood cancer that originates in the bone marrow. The first American to win the Tour indicated that he had been feeling tired for several weeks. He had some tests performed and from that came the diagnosis.
“I’m relieved to know why I felt so bad,” explains LeMond. “Of course nobody wants to hear the word cancer, but the doctors have assured me that I will be feeling better in a few weeks. The long-term prognosis is very favourable.’
Cyclist Greg LeMond in 1986.
Photo: presse sports
LeMond was one of the best riders in the world in the 1980s. The American won the Tour de France in 1986, 1989 and 1990. He also won five stages.
Especially the final victory of 1989 stuck. LeMond then defeated competitor Laurent Fignon in the final time trial on the Champs-Élysées and took the overall victory by just eight seconds, the smallest lead ever for a Tour winner. He also became world champion on the road twice, in 1983 and 1989.
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