Greg LeMond, a three-time winner of the Tour (1986-1989, 1990) must mark his 61st Birthday on June 26.
“I was diagnosed as having chronic myeloidleukemia. It’s treatable and is not life-threatening.
“I had been experiencing fatigue for a few weeks, which led me to submit to a blood test and a check-up. “I received my official diagnosis last Friday after a series of tests, including a bone marrow biopsy. This was done last week,” explained the former double world champion (1983-1989).
“This week, my doctors from the University of Tennessee have developed a chemotherapy protocol in consultation with the Mayo Clinic team. Nobody wants to hear “cancer”. LeMond added that it was a relief to now know the reason I felt so bad.
“I should feel better in a couple of weeks. My daily schedule will not change in the near future. I was told that I would be in remission in a few months. The prognosis for the long-term is very good,” stated the American champion.
LeMond won’t be able, in the near future to travel to France to watch the race. LeMond hopes to be able do this remotely from his home. He said, “I can’t WAIT to return to the Tour next year,” and indicated that he would share “in the coming months” information about his health.
The American was the victim in 1987 of a serious hunting accident and was shot in the body. This happened less than one year after his first Tour victory.
After a memorable 1989 Tour, he won it with an 8 second lead over Laurent Fignon. This was the narrowest gap in race history. He then repeated his win the next year before deciding to end his career in 1994, explaining that he has mitochondrial myopathy.
