Tom Bombadil

I wonder if this has any implications for Trek continuing to sell LeMond bicycles? If so, I wonder if LeMond as a line would even continue to exist ... seeing as how they are pretty much 100% Trek bikes with a different label on them.

Trek sues to end collaboration with bicyclist Greg LeMond

Trek Bicycle Corp. is ending its 13-year collaboration with three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond.

The Waterloo bike manufacturer has filed suit in U.S. District Court in Madison to sever the relationship, Trek president John Burke told company employees and reporters, in separate conference calls Tuesday. He said the lawsuit came in response to a 41-page complaint by LeMond, served to Trek on March 20 and expected to be filed in U.S. District Court in Minneapolis. It is similar to a complaint LeMond issued against the company in 2004 and is "filled with information and allegations that are immaterial to the business agreement," Burke said.

"We had high hopes for our partnership with Greg and we are sorry it has come to this," Burke said. "But this troubling pattern of inconsistent business dealings forced us to do this, for the sake of the Trek family — our retailers, employees and customers."

No Trek employees will lose their jobs as a result of the move, Burke said. Of 1,600 employees worldwide, nearly 1,200 are in the U.S., primarily at Trek operations in Waterloo and Whitewater.

Tom Bombadil

BTW, LeMond turns 47 this June. Not too long until he's eligible to join this forum.

BSLeVan

We have others on the forum who are his age, but haven't won three TdF. I think we could let him in now if he was so inclined.


Edit: I can't imagine what his life has been like or what it's like now. I am, and always be, grateful for his TdF victories being a big boost to what most people in the U.S. knew/know about cycling. He opened a lot of doors. If I had a wish for him, it would be that he has some peace and contentment with what he has accomplished with his life and will continue to accomplish.

BengeBoy 

The rule is: one year credit for each TdF you've won. Since he's won three, he just barely qualifies.

JanMM

Greg hangs out in the Recumbent forum.

Kurt Erlenbach

It's hard to know what to make of Lemond. He's one of the greatest ever, but he strikes me as a nutcase. His involvement in the Landis case, his accusations against Lance, all seem strange.

Velo Fellow

Would he be willing, as a BF50, to wear brown socks and bermudas, a mirror, fall over in clipless, and be a Fred like me?

skinny

Lance's involvement with Ferrari, his intimidation of cyclists that speak out against doping, his dumping Crow when she had breast cancer, his involvement with an Olsen twin; and Landis' attacks on Lemond, his connection to a member of his entourage who tried to intimidate Lemond by threatening to publicize his abuse as a child, his very likely involvement with doping, his lying that it was the booze he drank the night before, his going on the rubber chicken circuit to try and get other cyclists to pay for his defense while he lives in a gated community, and his humiliating his family all made them look like nut cases to me. Let's see, Lemond speaks out against doping and has been forthright about his own life, but that makes him look like a nutcase to you? Einstein was right. Position in time and space does affect perspective.

cheeseflavor

LOL! That's funny. Sad, but funny.

He should do what he does best and stick to criticizing fellow American TdF winners and leave the 'bents to the bent.

Steve

oilman_15106

Strange is a mild way to put it. The only thing he didn't throw in the mix was being taken up by a UFO.

wagathon

We'll see if Greg knows as much about contract law as he knew about cycling. Otherwise, many have ridden in the TdF but few have won, and fewer still ever enjoy victory in the courtroom where winning is a contradiction in terms from the start when it comes to describing the end result for both parties in most litigations.

SaiKaiTai

Now it's really time for me to unload that bike

freeranger

I'm holding onto mine, maybe one day it will be a collector's item!

Rober

I think mine's already a collector's item. LeMond / Trek calls it a "classic," but i call it an "instant antique." I love my LeMond and hope it never gets trashed -

rideon7

+1 I love my LeMond, an '02 Buenos Aires. Be interesting to know some of the details behind the Trek-LeMond divorce.

Kurt Erlenbach

The points you make are why I say it's hard to know what to make of him. He injected himself into the Landis case, made his unusually personal admissions (I've read the report), and then got worked over for it. I understand this is not the first time a business relationship has ended due to personality difference.

Jet Travis

It's the kind of situation that makes me glad I'm not rich and famous. Rich would do just fine.

mandovoodoo

https://www.trekbikes.com/pdf/media/e...008_Lemond.pdf makes interesting reading. I don't have time to finish it right now. The contract was between two corporations. Looks like LeMond speaking out personally was attributed to the Lemond corporation by Trek and led to Trek failing to exert adequate efforts to promote the brand, instead relying on Armstrong's rising reputation. Backing the winner without adequately handling obligations under a previous contract. Should be amusing. I'll get through the rest of the complaint, generic as it seems so far, later in the day.

mandovoodoo

OK, I've read through the whole thing. I like it. Seems pretty good to me. LeMond's remarks don't seem to have hurt Trek and aren't anything new. Trek does seem to be in the middle between Armstrong and LeMond. Trek does seem to have failed to promote the LeMond brand in a gross manner and to have favored Armstrong. Wondered why the brand never got the press I thought it should, especially in Europe. Unless LeMond lied somewhere along the line, or directly disparaged Trek products or the company, or an impact on Trek can be demonstrated, then Trek might want to think about settling this thing. Failure to exert best efforts isn't a light thing. I'm involved in such a case at the moment as plaintiff.

Will be fun to watch.

Louis

I love my 853 steel Lemond. All this crap won't change the quality of the bikes that say "Lemond" on the sides. Actually, I've always liked Greg too.

buddyp

I know a lot of folks here don't go to some (cough, cough) other forums here, so I'm reposting the link to this podcast here. It certainly changed my opinion of Greg Lemond.

https://www.competitorradio.com/shows...(1hr12min).mp3

Be advised, its an hour long, but well worth a listen

dcvelo

Reading the summons I'd have to say it is aimed at Armstrong at least as much as at Trek (probably more so).

So we can add LeMond vs Trek to Cip vs Ball and UCI vs ASO....what a sport.

How 'bout that Oscar Friere?

mandovoodoo

Yeah, it's pretty cool how these things end up in court. Buy out competitors brand names, then let them die while you have the name tied up. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't.

buddyp

Reminds me why I love this sport regardless of the silliness that surrounds it.

The Tour of Flanders was pretty freakin fantastic too.

Maybe the season will turn out OK even with the ASO/UCI circus in town.

Rick@OCRR

I agree w/Skinny-Mr.Big Stuff's above,

Well, except that he dumped Ms.Crow before she knew she had cancer, but whatever.

I have to say I like Greg better than Lance, but maybe that's because I'm an Old Guy too. For TREK, remember the first Lemond bikes were built by the Clark Kent Co. and Greg kind of screwed Clark Kent when he signed with TREK. But that was long ago (relatively speaking).

Rick / OCRR