April 10, 2008 (Waterloo, WI) – The Wisconsin-based Trek Bicycle Corporation has severed its business relationship with three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond as reported. This was in response to a complaint sent by LeMond’s law firm to Trek on March 20 which is contained in a 52-page document available on Trek’s website. Four other legal documents pertaining to this case are also available here.

LeMond essentially charges that Trek is no longer honouring its 13-year agreement to promote the LeMond bicycle brand. Trek sells some 1.5 million bikes annually and posted worldwide revenues of $700 million US in 2007, including some $15 million from its licensed LeMond brand. LeMond also charges that Trek is trying to stifle his public criticisms of doping.

The problem might also suggest that there isn’t room for two Tour de France winners at Trek, forcing the bike company to choose between LeMond and Lance Armstrong. Armstrong rode to seven consecutive TdF victories on Trek bikes amidst rumours and controversy that he was doping. Despite the rumours, Trek uses Armstrong’s name extensively in its marketing campaigns. LeMond, on the other hand has spoken out publicly against doping and insinuated that Armstrong doped. Trek insists that Armstrong was not consulted over its recent decision to sever ties with LeMond, but sceptics think otherwise.

LeMond has underlined an almost 10-year relationship between Armstrong and an Italian doctor named Michele Ferrari who once made comments that “erythropoietin (EPO) is no more dangerous than orange juice,” to which LeMond adds footnotes that 18 cyclists died from the side effects of EPO between 1997 and 2000. Ferrari was convicted of doping offences but later cleared by an appeals court.

LeMond has also publicly commented on allegations first made by Sunday Times sportswriter David Walsh that Armstrong tested positive for a banned hormone in 1999, but that his team (U.S. Postal) covered this up with a back-dated prescription. This prescription was ultimately accepted by Hein Verbruggen, the UCI President of the day. LeMond suggests that Verbruggen allegedly received a $500,000 payoff for his role. Part of LeMond’s complaint reads that, “prior to the inception of Trek’s relationship with Mr. Armstrong, Trek never suggested to Mr. LeMond that he not speak out publicly about the problems with performance enhancing drugs in cycling.” LeMond’s complaint also lists specific incidents and dates to bolster this claim.

It is unclear if the current controversy regarding LeMond will have any bearing on the plight of another TdF winner, Floyd Landis. Landis is currently appealing a doping conviction before the Court of Arbitration in Sports (CAS). Landis won the 2006 TdF but was later found guilty of doping. LeMond was a witness for the prosecution at the Landis hearing in 2007, claiming that Landis had confided to him that he doped. A decision is expected on the Landis appeal by June.

Verbruggen meanwhile remains vice president at the UCI and was apparently instrumental in launching a recent lawsuit against former World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) President, Dick Pound while Pound was vying for the presidency of the CAS. Some observers credit the UCI lawsuit with torpedoing Pound’s chances of winning the CAS presidency. Italian lawyer Mino Auletta was elected president of the CAS earlier this month.

Read more about this story at the following sites:

International Herald Tribune

Bike Radar

AFP (Dick Pound’s CAS presidency chances).