The Comeback - by Daniel de Vise (Paperback)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

A true American hero, Greg LeMond's career was punctuated by dramatic fame, devastation, and ultimately redemption.

In July 1986, LeMond stunned the sporting world by becoming the first American to win the Tour de France, the world's pre-eminent bicycle race, defeating French cycling legend Bernard Hinault. Nine months later, LeMond lay in a hospital bed, his life in peril after a hunting accident, his career as a bicycle racer seemingly over. And yet, barely two years after this crisis, LeMond mounted a comeback almost without parallel in professional sports, again winning the 1989 Tour-arguably the world's most grueling athletic contest--by the almost impossibly narrow margin of 8 seconds over another French legend, Laurent Fignon. It remains the closest Tour de France in history. From the heights of global fame, LeMond would then crash during a calamitous confrontation with Lance Armstrong over allegations the latter was doping. Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Daniel de Viséeacute; reveals the dramatic, ultra-competitive inner world of a sport rarely glimpsed up close, and builds a compelling case for LeMond as its great American hero.

Review Quotes

Praise for The Comeback:

"[A] blend of chaos, kindness and cruelty typifies the scenes that journalist de Viséeacute; brings to life in this sympathetic-verging-on-reverential retelling of LeMond's trailblazing career (first American to enter the tour, first to win it) . . . As an author in quest of his protagonist's motivation, [de Visé] subjects it to extreme torque."-Allan Fallow, Washington Post

"Most American fans of the Tour de France focus on the now discredited achievements of Lance Armstrong [but The Comeback] sets the record straight. With Armstrong's victories invalidated, LeMond is the only American to capture the Tour de France, winning in 1986, 1980, and 1990 . . . The new book documents LeMond's significant contributions to the sport, maybe underestimated by casual racing fans . . . Other books have profiled LeMond's achievements, but The Comeback offers more depth."--Lou Dzierzak, Minneapolis Star Tribune

"The real hero, the name everyone should know, is Greg LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France and the man who came back from a terrible hunting accident to win it for a third time by eight seconds, the closest finish in race history . . . De Visé keeps his focus on LeMond while writing a second biography of Laurent Fignon, LeMond's rival in the 1989 race and a compelling, complicated figure in the history of cycling."--Jeff Baker, Seattle Times

"A great book . . . Well written and thoroughly researched . . . Engrossing and hard to put down. If you're a Greg LeMond fan, The Comeback is a must read because it's a detailed accounting of his career and--more importantly--his life and person off the bike. It's also an important reminder that American cycling did not begin and end with Lance Armstrong."--PEZ

"A thoroughly well-researched work about Greg LeMond's cycling exploits from childhood races, impressive pro career, postcareer life, and business pursuits . . . [The Comeback] documents LeMond's entire career, not just his heroic comeback from a near fatal hunting accident . . . De Visé's account stands out owing to its depth of coverage, captivating prose, and variety of historical and contemporary news sources. An impressive read for anyone interested in cycling."--Library Journal

"Veteran journalist de Visé takes on a big story with that of LeMond . . . [De Visé] sometimes writes with the techno-geekery of the bicycle acolyte and sometimes with the breeziness of a practiced sportscaster . . . It's a pleasure to ride in the peloton alongside LeMond, who emerges from this account as America's once-and-future cycling great."--Kirkus Reviews

"De Visé provides detailed accounts of a dizzying number of races throughout LeMond's career . . . Vivid description of the sport as one of physical torture . . . [De Visé] lays bare the undeniable facts of Greg's amazing talent. That he achieved all he did without the benefit of doping, without the support of an American cycling team, and with a catastrophic injury in mid-career, is remarkable. Greg's life is a story worth understanding and his name is one worth knowing, especially in light of the string of discredited riders who followed him."--New York Journal of Books

"The story of LeMond, the first American to win the Tour de France, is one of extreme rises and falls--physically, emotionally and publicly--and yet Armstrong emerged as the media darling, both during his high-profile career and the epic fallout from his doping scandal. For author and journalist Daniel de Visé, the disparity in recognition

About the Author

Daniel de Visé is an author and journalist. A graduate of Wesleyan and Northwestern universities, he has worked at the Washington Post and Miami Herald, among other newspapers. He shared a 2001 Pulitzer Prize and has garnered more than two dozen national and regional journalism awards. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Andy and Don: The Making of a Friendship and a Classic American TV Show and coauthor of I Forgot To Remember: A Memoir of Amnesia. He lives in Maryland with his wife and children.