1984 Olympic Men's Road Cycling

Terrific sprint finish, similar to the 1984 women's road cycling race

Gold - Alexi Grewal, USA 4:59:57
Silver - Steve Bauer, CAN 4:59:57
Bronze - Dag Otto Lauritzen, NOR 5:00:18

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[Jim Mac]

Well not quite the same. Transfusions replenish red blood cells debilitated in later stages of long stage races. This was a one day race except for prelims.

He was estranged from U.S. head coach Eddie Borysewicz and pretty much on his own. He does admit to spiking his peach with No-Doze though. Tactics and the longer distance is what lost this for Bauer.

[Jim Mac]

It's a speculation not a fact without proof. Like Anquetil, and unlike a lot of athletes, he admitted to what he did do (mostly amphetamines in uncontrolled races which was pretty common in Europe) so I don't see why he wouldn't admit to this. I think the benefits of blood doping in a one day race are probably not as advantageous as in later in a stage anyway. Bauer blinked first in a game of chicken and led him in after spending everything reeling him in. Great finish to a good race No surprise

[Jim Mac]

Baur was a fine cyclist who once led the TDF for over a week but I've watched him beat on the line lots of times since 1980. About 1/3rd of the '84 U.S. Olympic team took part in the transfusions: Steve Hegg, Rebecca Twigg, Pat McDonough, Leonard Nitz, John Beckman, Mark Whitehead and Brent Emery took part. NEITHER road race old medalists Alexi Grewal or Connie Carpenter took part in the transfusions.

[Jim Mac]

Oops...That's the "Golden" to Copper Mtn. road race, not "Boulder".

[Jim Mac]

Not all of the 84 Olympic team were willing to take part in the transfusions.

Grewal was one of those not willing as I earlier stated.And I'll correct my earlier statement about Phinney because he doesn't seem to have been either. Rebecca Twigg and some others did but not Grewal or Phinney.

[Jim Mac]

Grewal didn't lose long races easily then and there's nothing unusal about this win. He was just off of 2 stage wins in the '84 Coors Classics: The Boulder to Copper Mt. road race (1st time in 3 years that a Colombian didn't win that) and the "Tour of the Moon". I think that 2 people must be from Canada, lol.

[Glenn Vernes]

It's safe to say they were all doped to the gills. The lack of the Eastern European tams made it the cleanest Olympics in modern history until that time. As far as Grewal sucking Bauer's wheel, that's tactics. Bauer let him do it. Bauer has a reputation as Mr. Second Place for his willingness to do too much work in the late stages of a race.

[Lance Goestojail]

That 1984 USA cycling team was doped to the gills. No test available to find positives, but later on USADA and cycling USA stated they were doing autologous blood doping, with Chris Carmichael, Lance DopeStrongs pseudocoach. So lame and sad. An Grewal sucked Bauer's wheel for the last 20 Kms. How anyone could be proud of that effort is a sad state of affairs. Look at Grewal now, & where Bauer ascended and is. Bauer deserves that Gold as it was stolen from him. To this day he hates dopers

[Jim Mac]

If I remember correctly Grewal didn't go along with the transfusion that Phinney and the rest of the US team did in this race and argued with their coach over it. That's probably why Phinney and the others bonked out early in this because, as I later learned, you hit a wall when you blood dope and have to push yourself past it to get the benefit. Alexi did admit to using amphetemines in Europe but probably did this clean. He was my favorite before even this though so I could be biased, lol.

[13mrpink]

 lol,its still cheating.