5-7-89 . . . Donald Trump is a rich New Yorker who owns and operates office complexes and casinos. He has a personal yacht the size of a cruise ship and has had a running feud with the mayor of New York City, Ed Koch. But Trump has done one good thing, as far as I’m concerned, and that is to sponsor a ten-day bicycle race on the Atlantic coast. The race, or tour, which is modelled on the Tour of Spain, the Giro d’Italia, and the Tour de France, begins in Albany, New York, and ends ten days later in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It winds its way through Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Virginia. If this were all, it would hardly be newsworthy, but Trump has attracted some of the best riders in the world to the event, including Andy Hampsten and Davis Phinney of the 7-Eleven team, Greg LeMond and Alexi Grewal of the Coors team, and a team of riders from the Soviet Union. The Belgians have sent two very good teams, PDM and Panasonic. Because of Trump’s involvement, the event is getting a lot of media coverage. NBC and ESPN have contracted to telecast the race, and fans have flocked to all three race venues so far. It promises to be an annual spectacle, like the Kentucky Derby and the Indianapolis 500. As I write, Dag Otto Lauritzen, a Norwegian member of the 7-Eleven team, has the race lead. He finished a close second to Henk Lubberding in yesterday’s leg after the rainy prologue on Friday. [The Tour de Trump lasted two years (1989 and 1990). It was replaced by the Tour DuPont, which lasted from 1991 to 1996.]
Twenty Years Ago
–––––––
