I guess we saw this coming...

That's just great. 

Lemond and Trek are severing their relationship.  Doesn't affect my life in the least, but it's emblematic of the dichotomy of the post 1983 U.S. cycling culture.  Pre 1983, cyclists were a rolling freak show.  Lemond enters the scene and suddenly a fringe sport becomes a popular alternative, though never on the level that it strove to be.  World champion in '83, Tour de France podia (plural of podium?) on consecutive and improving years in '84, '85, & '86.  Top dog.  Gets shot before the '87 season, is written off, then makes one of the most legendary comebacks on all of sport two years later.  Sales of tri-bars go through the roof.  I should know.  I installed about half of them in the fall of 1989.

At that time a young upstart from Texas, riding one of the few bikes with tri-bars not installed by me, dabbles in road racing.  We all know the rest of the story.  Now everybody's on a Trek.  Lemond's suffering brand gets a jolt by joining up with Trek.  Match made in heaven, right?  Good ol' fashioned American company with arguably the two most influential cyclists in this country's history under its wings.  

Lemond and Armstrong mutually admire each other for a few years, then the two egos can't seem to find a way to coexist and the fur begins to fly.  Fast forward to this past March, and Lemond privately sues Trek.  So today Trek goes public and ends the relationship.  Look at Trek's presentation here.  It's easy to look convincing when you're preaching to the choir.  Meanwhile, Lemond and Public Relations just don't seem to get along, as he seems to say just the wrong things at the wrong times, even though in essence they are not untruthful (how's THAT for a double negative?)

So as in all conflicts, there are two sides to every story.  Just depends on who you like more.  This story will continue to draw the lines between the pre-Lance crowd and the post Lemond crowd.  Me?  Lemond helped me get hooked on riding and racing, and Armstrong helped me get back into it after a long layoff.  In both cases I got tired of the media hype surrounding their comebacks.  I met Lemond once, and he was friendly, open, talkative, relaxed, and seemed like he had a great sense of humor.  I've never met Armstrong, though my sense from his intensity is that he is inaccessible unless you are one of his boys, or a "dude bro".

Lance is inextricably tied to Trek.  Lemond is no longer affiliated with Trek.  Seems like the split is the right decision for both parties.  

Unless you're a Trek dealer near one of these new Mellow Johnny's bike shops.  Now that'll be interesting.