KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Cycling great Greg LeMond isn't a big fan of seeing himself on a screen -- big or small.
But the California native and East Tennessee transplant thinks -- and hopes -- people will enjoy a documentary about his career, called "The Last Rider", that is set to debut 7 p.m. Wednesday at the Regal Pinnacle complex in Turkey Creek.
The public is invited. LeMond and his wife, Kathy, also will take part in a question-and-answer session at the theater at which fans can meet and talk with the three-time Tour de France winner.
You can buy tickets through the Regal app or Regal's website.
The 90-minute film's title is a reference to an observation his former coach once made about LeMond being the last clean rider of greatness before doping seeped into the sport, LeMond said in an interview Monday with WBIR.
The Roadside Attractions film, directed by Alex Holmes, came together largely during the COVID-19 outbreak. It features various interviews along with ample footage from the LeMond archives.
It's an honest story, but it's not always a rosy story, LeMond said.
"It's not just a cycling story," he cautioned. "Most people have a life outside their sport."
Many may be familiar with the fact that he was the victim of a life-threatening shooting while out turkey hunting in California in 1987, the year after winning his first Tour jersey. The shotgun shooting set him back, just as he was reaching his peek.
But the film also addresses the fact that LeMond had as a youngster been the victim of sexual abuse. It was a psychological burden he carried with him to Europe as his cycling career flourished; it was a specter he only finally confronted as a man in his 40s.
Many men, he noted to 10News, are loathe to acknowledge they were abused as a child.
"I couldn't tell my wife or anybody for 30-plus years," observed LeMond, who turns 62 next week.
The 2023 edition of the Tour de France starts July 1 -- and LeMond thinks it could be one of the most competitive in many years. WBIR will carry NBC coverage of the 2,200-mile event, which includes stages in France and Spain over 23 days.
The field is extremely competitive this summer. And the sport is back to being cleaner, after a dark period in which substances such as EPO, or erythropoietin, were a go-to enhancer for many of cycling's biggest competitors, he said.
LeMond said he could tell by 1991, the year after he won his third Tour de France, that something was up because despite being in the best shape of his life, he only finished seventh in the Tour.
LeMond was the first American to win the Tour in 1986, and today he remains officially the only American to win it. Texan Lance Armstrong won seven times from 1999-2005, seemingly rising to unparalleled heights as a cyclist, until the racing world learned he'd been doping and stripped the honors from him.
"People will do whatever they can sometimes to win," Lemond observed. "It's glory, ego, money, who knows."
Doping is bad for multiple reasons, he said. It takes away from the glory of the sport, and it also endangers the athlete himself. Most people just want to see the best man win, he thinks.
In May 2022, LeMond announced that he was being treated for leukemia. He said he knew something was wrong because he felt incredibly fatigued all the time.
He began taking a "miracle" treatment drug last year that showed positive effects within six months. There's a chance he could be cancer free with the drug in three to four years, he said.
Right now, he feels great.
LeMond, meanwhile, remains busy with his bike company, based in West Knox County. He's focused right now on building and selling ebikes, which can use electricity as well as human pedaling. The bikes have proved revolutionary in Europe, and have even made biking fun for LeMond.
"I'm not the Tour de France rider I used to be. I see things from a normal person's perspective. I’ve had my health issues, and I think ebikes can be transformational for people," he said.
He's selling a couple ebike models on his website. LeMond also has plans in the future to build and sell road bikes, gravel bikes and perhaps even mountain bikes.
LeMond said he and his wife have enjoyed living in East Tennessee since moving here about seven years ago.
The weather's great, he's got ample fishing and the people are very friendly, he said. Many days, he said he and his wife are just delighted to be at home.
"You have everything here, and it's really kind of a hidden gem," LeMond said, flashing yet another of his trademark smiles.
