The heroic true story of American cyclist Greg LeMond, considered to be one of the greatest cyclists of all time, who defied the odds for one of the most triumphant comeback stories in sporting history.
The first, and only, American to officially win the Tour de France, LeMond came back from the brink of death to beat his famed rivals in the historic and nail-biting race at the 1989 Tour de France.
His career was one of drama, initially because of his rivalry with his legendary French teammate, Bernard Hinault. LeMond was then shot and almost killed in a hunting accident in April, 1987, after first winning the Tour de France the previous July.
Relieved of his place in the Toshiba-La Vie Claire team after making his comeback at the end of 1987 – riding the Nissan Classic in Ireland in September of that year – LeMond went on to win the Tour again in 1989 with ADR-Agrigel-Bottecchia.
He beat yellow jersey, Laurent Fignon, in the final stage TT into Paris to take overall victory by just eight seconds. He then went on to claim the world title a few months later in Chambéry, where Ireland’s Sean Kelly was 3rd. LeMond returned to the Tour the following year, 1990, and again won.
Much of the new movie focuses on his hunting accident and his comeback to win the 1989 Tour, though his full career is covered.
“When I started cycling, Americans could never compete against the Europeans,” LeMond says in the movie of his 1986 Tour win. “For me, it was like ‘Oh my gosh, that was my dream. Being the first American ever to put on a winner the yellow jersey’. That was the most magical thing I’ve ever experienced.
Directed by Alex Holmes and featuring exclusive interviews with LeMond and his wife Kathy as well as, never before seen footage, The Last Rider is an exhilarating portrait of one of the greatest athletes of our time.
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