Keith Burgess-Jackson, J.D., Ph.D.

7-8-89 Saturday. The surprise leader of the Tour de France is Greg LeMond, the only American to win the race (in 1986). He took the lead two days ago during an individual time trial. I now appreciate the significance of these individual “races”. When the riders are together in a pack, they can pace themselves and finish as one. No matter how far the pack extends, each rider is given the same time. When this happens, as it so often does, it’s virtually impossible for anyone to gain on the leader, whoever he may be. But in an individual time trial, each rider is on his own. He doesn’t know how fast the others have gone (or will go) and could very well fall behind. It was in a race like this, Thursday, that LeMond took the lead from Acacio da Silva. He held it during yesterday’s 161-mile sixth leg. It kills me to have a leg this long described as “easy”, but here it is, in to­day’s Houston Chron­icle (from the Associated Press): “Greg Le­Mond retained the lead in the Tour de France on Friday after an easy ride in which most of the pack rode together on the race’s longest stage.” Easy ride! A ride of that length would kill me, plain and simple. The fact that it was won by Frenchman Joel Pelier at an average speed of 23.12 miles per hour makes it all the more incredible. These men are inhuman. It was all I could do this afternoon to average 18.11 miles per hour for 20.08 miles. (I’m trying to rack up miles in an attempt to ride five hundred this month.)