“The list is endless with what Greg brought into the sport. Even at the Tour de France at that time, they used to put the riders up in gymnasiums and barely started to use hotels. In the early ‘80s it was indeed rare to find hotels with air conditioning. LeMond used to have the hotel kitchen bring a big cooking pot to his room full of ice for the night. Eventually he left the race hotel to stay in an air conditioned, modern hotel. It forced the organization to change their ways.”

—John Pierce

HIGHLIGHTS

• First pro to race with a cycling computer (made by Avocet), 1984

• Raced with prototype cycling sunglasses (by Oakley), 1984

• Pioneered use of a wireless heart-rate monitor (by Polar), with coach Paul Köchli, 1985

• Raced with prototype foam helmet (by Giro), 1985

• First pro (with teammate Bernard Hinault) to use clipless pedals (by Look), 1986

• First pro to use click-shifting (Dura-Ace SIS by Shimano), 1987

• First pro to use bonded carbon-fiber frame and carbon fork (by Look), 1987

• First pro to use clip-on aero time-trial bars (by Scott) at Tour de France (along with four members of the 7-Eleven team who used tri bars by Profile for Speed), 1989

• First pro to use Drop-In road-racing bars (by Scott), 1990

• First pro to race with front suspension fork (by Rock Shox) at Paris-Roubaix, 1991

• First pro to race with a power meter (by SRM), 1993

• First pro to use electronic shifting (ZAP by Mavic), 1993