# Anyone remember the tour dupont??



## Gregpape23

Ahhhh, such memories....
I remember when I was like 3, I was riding my little tricycle to the corner of my house to watch the riders go by. I still remember is even many many years later, the wheels wizzing by and watching all the riders fly by me at amazing speeds. And the best part is ( i didn't know at the time) Lance Armstrong and many other big names passed right by my house!!
I wish they had it again!
Funny thing is that I personally know the new CEO of Dupont and am good friends with her son. I even got her to donate to a charity ride I was doing! Maybe I should ask to bring back the tour?? lol :thumbsup:


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## F1nut

Bring it back 

minus Kazachstani Mafia.


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## HikenBike

I saw them in VA when they went on the Blue Ridge Parkway and come down from the Peaks of Otter.


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## fabsroman

I watched it in downtown DC in 1989 when Lemond did it. I don't remember very much about it, other than it being a circuit race or crit, and me running into my coach and a racing buddy while I was down there. I know it went through Port Deposit, Maryland, because that was their claim to fame while I was out there in 1995 doing an audit.


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## foggypeake

I must be a dinosaur! I remember its previous incarnation as the Tour de Trump. That first year I remember reading about Dag Otto Lauritzen winning overall and racing the final time trial on the Atlantic City boardwalk in Winning Magazine.

One of the stages finished in Columbia, MD one year (can't remember when), but I was stunned to see names painted on the road on one of my favorite training routes afterwards.

I went to watch the race in Arlington in (I think '91), but I missed the finish so I don't know who won that stage. I remember checking out the really cool Mavic neutral support car with Slim Chance bikes mounted on the roof. I wish I had one of those now!

I almost went downtown to watch Lemond win in '92, but I remember that the weather was rainy and I decided to stay home. What a mistake that turned out to be as that was the last year of the race!


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## lalahsghost

I was just talking about this today with my LBS! He had a loyal customer who was displaying one of Andy Hampsten's old bikes that he raced in the Tour DuPont in the shop for a couple years. The guy was moving away to Parkersburg WV (from Buckhannon, WV) and told me the story about the bike. It was a darn purty bike with gold mavic brakes, Campy Record, and gold brake levers & Brown gum grips <3


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## Qstick333

I remember when they went past my middle school and we were all cheering from the playground. A few of the riders tossed the waterbottles into the yard and we went crazy chasing them......good times.....


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## pbird74

*Yes, I have a poster of it in my classroom...*

I went to it, but that was before I got into cycling. Armstrong was there, of course.


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## fabsroman

I don't even remember Armstrong being an attraction back then. He is my age, and would have been a junior in in 1989, and I don't even think he was big on the junior scene back in 1989. Back then, it was Bobby Julich and Jonas Carney that were the big named juniors from what I can remember.


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## ProRoad

fabsroman said:


> I don't even remember Armstrong being an attraction back then. He is my age, and would have been a junior in in 1989, and I don't even think he was big on the junior scene back in 1989. Back then, it was Bobby Julich and Jonas Carney that were the big named juniors from what I can remember.


Ahhhh, it was actually around 1989 when Armstrong became quite the rage. We used to watch him race the local races (central Cal) when he was with Subaru Montgomery, He was about 18 and had just left Trialthlon where he was National Sprint champion.

He was already a name and we were scared to get his autograph.

oh, and on topic, Tour Du Pont was great. remember Michael Zanoli? He died of a heart attack around 34 yo I believe.

Brian


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## homebrew

I did some of the route for the Tour DuPont around Boone NC. Best riding in the US IMO. People are bike friendly and the climbs are in the double digit grades. I forget the name of the mountain I climbed that was were Lance and Bob went and Lance decided to go back to pro racing. Lots of switchbacks


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## Sirveyir

I was at the finish line in Blacksburg, VA in 1996 when Lance Armstrong won Stage 6 of the Tour DuPont on a solo break away. He came rolling down Main Street all by himself and up to the finish line on the Alumni Mall at VA Tech and won by over a minute. The Motorola team cars were parked on a side street after the finish and the team was hanging out celebrating the win. I only knew of Lance Armstrong but George Hincapie, Bobby Julich, Axel Merckx and Frankie Andreu would have been there. I wish I'd been getting autographs. 

Every year on Memorial Day weekend the local bike club holds the Mountains of Misery ride that retraces portions of the TdP route including the climb to Mountain Lake where Lance attacked to win the stage that day. http://www.cyclingdoubleheader.com/index.html


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## fabsroman

That would have made sense. I got out of racing in 1989 after coming down with terrible Bronchitis that killed my entire season. After that, it was college and no time to train or race.


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## KWL

I remember watching a couple of young riders race the Tour DuPont in Richmond....Chann McRae and Lance Armstrong. I was at Massanutten when Armstrong took the stage. I do not remember the year and curse my slow shutter speed.


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## cantdog

Does anyone know of a route book for the Tour? I wanted to replicate some of the rides, but couldnt find any beta on them besides finishing points.


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## homebrew

Contact Magic Cycles in Boone N.C. 
They are my best bet. They gave me the local ones when I was last down in NC anyway. 
I did this climb up Beech Mtn after climbing Vally Crusus (Sp?) http://www.visitnc.com/what_to_do_article.asp?p=oa&s=16&sg=39&ArticleID=1059 and this http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/tn/walland/139487139


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## cantdog

I'll give them a try. Anyone else know of routes, specifically in Virginia?


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## KWL

*Found it*



cantdog said:


> Does anyone know of a route book for the Tour? I wanted to replicate some of the rides, but couldnt find any beta on them besides finishing points.


I knew I had one for the 1993 race. It just took a while to find it. This was the year of the Massanutten finish I mentioned earlier. Let me know what stage interests you and I'll post of jpeg of it. PM me if you want the whole guide as a pdf. Just might take a little longer.


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## bike_guy

cantdog said:


> I'll give them a try. Anyone else know of routes, specifically in Virginia?


What part of VA? I can give you routes in the southwest part of the state, specifically Washington and Smyth counties and the Bristol area.


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## xeon

I wasn't into biking, but Stage 5 ran down 211 in front of the high school in Rappahannock county. I think they let us all out on the front lawn one time to watch them go by.


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## DaveG

*yes*



Gregpape23 said:


> Ahhhh, such memories....
> I remember when I was like 3, I was riding my little tricycle to the corner of my house to watch the riders go by. I still remember is even many many years later, the wheels wizzing by and watching all the riders fly by me at amazing speeds. And the best part is ( i didn't know at the time) Lance Armstrong and many other big names passed right by my house!!
> I wish they had it again!
> Funny thing is that I personally know the new CEO of Dupont and am good friends with her son. I even got her to donate to a charity ride I was doing! Maybe I should ask to bring back the tour?? lol :thumbsup:


I watched in in Wilmington. I can't recall if it was Trump or Dupont then. I even got a few bad pictures of Lance


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## dombey19

*Tour Dupont*

I saw it several times (at least three I think), when it finished on Beech Mountain near Boone, NC. Major riders I recall then were Armstrong, Lemond (one year), Raul Alcala, and Davis Phinney.


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## IAmCosmo

The Tour started one stage every year about a block from my work at the Salem Civic Center. I loved that. I could walk around and see all the riders getting ready. Talked to Greg Lemond one time. Didn't get a chance to talk to Lance, but he hadn't become a big name at that time so I wouldn't have recognized him probably.


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## cpark

ProRoad said:


> Ahhhh, it was actually around 1989 when Armstrong became quite the rage. We used to watch him race the local races (central Cal) when he was with Subaru Montgomery, He was about 18 and had just left Trialthlon where he was National Sprint champion.
> 
> He was already a name and we were scared to get his autograph.
> 
> oh, and on topic, Tour Du Pont was great. remember Michael Zanoli? He died of a heart attack around 34 yo I believe.
> 
> Brian


I remember Zanoli punched Davis Phinney's face and DP finished the race with a bloody face....


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## mattotoole

I saw some of the '96 event, but it wasn't a nice occasion -- I had flown out from CA for my dad's funeral in Blacksburg. We actually had to postpone the funeral for a day because of the race. 

My mom wound up buying what was the Saturn team car, a white Saturn station wagon -- which is now my car. So I drive a piece of TdP memorabilia every day! Just for fun, I've been trying to document this, and maybe get some pictures of it as the Saturn team car, if they still exist anywhere.


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## frdfandc

I watched some of all the races. My 2 uncles are huge cycling fans. They took me to see the time trials in Wilmington, DE, watched them go down RT 273 in MD to Baltimore in 1990. I don't know how many water bottles I collected over the years. Even had a jersey at one point. Too bad everything is gone now.


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## fahrenheit

wow, why havent i heard of this before and why doesnt it still exist? i was thiniking the other day as i was watching the tour down under and the upcoming race in california, how boring those lap races are and how va/ wva would be a great place to set up a race because of the varied terrain.


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## KWL

fahrenheit said:


> wow, why havent i heard of this before and why doesnt it still exist? i was thiniking the other day as i was watching the tour down under and the upcoming race in california, how boring those lap races are and how va/ wva would be a great place to set up a race because of the varied terrain.


The last year run was 1996. Was to be 1997, but there were some problems amongst the organizers and everyone went home mad with their toys.

Edited to add: Not a very thorough entry, but Wikipedia has a bit on the Tour Dupont.


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## fabsroman

The reason you haven't heard about it, is the reason it isn't around anymore. Not enough exposure I guess.


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## team cyborg

cantdog said:


> I'll give them a try. Anyone else know of routes, specifically in Virginia?


20 mile time trial [94 & 95] across 12 o'clock knob and up bent mountain is 5 minutes from my house [roanoke] and imho the hardest 20 mile ride in va. i'd be happy to show you if you are in the area


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## mattotoole

KWL said:


> I knew I had one for the 1993 race. It just took a while to find it. This was the year of the Massanutten finish I mentioned earlier. Let me know what stage interests you and I'll post of jpeg of it. PM me if you want the whole guide as a pdf. Just might take a little longer.


Thanks for posting that! Interesting that the stages were more connected in a continuous route. Now races like the Tour of California jump around a lot more, a stage here and a stage there -- probably for a combination of best exposure and ease of staging the event.

A lot of people in Blacksburg, and I'm sure the rest of the region, would love to see another TdP. I wonder if it's viable these days. While it would be a hit in places like Blacksburg and Boone, and even Richmond, those are still small pockets of interest compared to any city in CA, which is just so much more populous..


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## xeon

mattotoole said:


> A lot of people in Blacksburg, and I'm sure the rest of the region, would love to see another TdP. I wonder if it's viable these days. While it would be a hit in places like Blacksburg and Boone, and even Richmond, those are still small pockets of interest compared to any city in CA, which is just so much more populous..


Anything is possible and quite frankly I think the state would love to hear someone pitch a bike event like this. If something like this gains traction over a few years it brings in all sorts of revenue that benefits on many levels. I'm new to this scene, but it sounds like a really cool idea to me.


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## gatordoug

There was also a short-lived Tour in West Virginia only---the K Mart Classic.
I was just getting into road riding and saw a young pro named Lance drop the field by like 7 minuted in a stage that ended in Beckley. They had touble with timing on the finishing circuit because he was so far ahead of the field.

I think that was 1993.


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## boostmiser

I was in college when I saw them ride down Main Street in Newark, DE.


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## Hokiesean24

It came down the road right behind my house a few years, I remember watching.


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## Windridrr

I was a 7-Eleven team mechanic at the first Tour de trump in '89. Does anyone have the paper that was put out by the race everyday?


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## hoovypedals

*Hot Springs / Homestead*

I was 19 or so the 2 years it came to Hot Springs and the Homestead. I even took a dare to ride a kids BMX bike down from our store into town towrds the finish line and was on the Jumbotron. I have a picture of it and my om even had it blown up. It was a big joke at home. If I wa at home I would scan the pic and post it. It's cool it shows me on the bike and in the backround on the junbotron hillariuos!!! I also have one of them on VHS i got off of ebay. As I got into town Iwas grabbed bya huge gaurd and pulled asid there were more riders coming. Man I diisappeared into the crowd QUICKLY!! Left the bike an split!! 
Great show and it brought all kinds of buisness to the area too. Tour of Va was doing good until last year when it was canceled.Darn economy. I can't believe NC and VA don't get together and put something together on the Parkway???? HOOVY


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