George Mount

George Lewis Mount (born September 14, 1955[1]) is an American Olympic and professional cyclist.

[2] He met Berkeley, California cycling enthusiast and race promoter, Peter Rich.

[6] The historian Peter Nye said: For the first time in memory, Mount made the prospect of an Olympic cycling medal a distinct possibility.

"[7]Mount won a gold medal in the Pan American Games in 1979 and was a favorite for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.

In 1977 Mount moved to Castelfranco di Sopra in Italy - Neel had already gone there and he arranged an introduction[8] - and competed for a small club team winning a number major races.

Being a foreign rider at the time he was only allowed to enter bigger races categorized for international competitions.

Mount said: "Neel was racing for the Pro team Magniflex in Italy and he said to someone 'Hey, I know this kid in the States who could come over and kick all your guys' butts' and in the end the manager said 'Well, you better get him over' and I went over and I got lucky and started winning as an amateur.

Peter Nye wrote: "In major European events, the powerful Mount was often at the head of the pack...

Under revised rules governing amateurs, he won $4,000 when he captured the Apple Lap, the 75-mile race through New York City's five boroughs, and set a national record for 75 miles on the way.

[9][11] He joined an Italian team, San Giacomo/Benotto which included members such as Freddy Maertens, Roberto Visentini, and Moreno Argentin.

San Francisco Weekly said: "George Mount's accomplishments helped start the craze, returning the country to the bicycling dignity it enjoyed during the 1890s, 1910s, and 1920s, when bike-crazy Americans first embraced modernity, and when it seemed this country's ethos of optimism would become a driving force for all the world.

The San Francisco Weekly said: "Navigating among the couches and highchairs, potted plants and baby toys that clutter his Redwood City tract house, George Mount doesn't strike one at first as the champion of an epoch.