Famous American Cyclists

Lance Armstrong became one of the most inspirational stories after he survived cancer and went on to win seven consecutive Tour de France races from 1999 to 2005. He was considered one of the greatest road racing cyclists ever before he was stripped of all of his achievements starting from August 1998 due to his involvement in a doping scandal.

Greg LeMond is an American former road racing cyclist and anti-doping advocate. Widely regarded as the greatest American cyclist ever, LeMond is a three-time Tour de France winner and a two-time Road Race World Championship winner. Greg LeMond is also regarded as an icon of the sport's globalization and is counted among the greatest all-round cyclists of the present era.

Eric Heiden is a former track cyclist, road cyclist, and long track speed skater. At the 1980 Winter Olympics, Heiden won five individual gold medals, setting one world record and four Olympic records in the process. The most successful athlete at the 1980 Winter Olympics, Heiden won more gold medals than all other nations except East Germany and Soviet Union.

Floyd Landis is an American former road racing cyclist who won the 2006 Tour de France before being stripped off of his title after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs. In 2010, he revealed that many other top riders including Lance Armstrong had doped as well. His revelation helped accelerate the Lance Armstrong doping case.

Glenn Curtiss was an American motorcycling and aviation pioneer. He is credited with founding the U.S. aircraft industry. He is also credited with forming the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company which merged with the Wright Aeronautical to form Curtiss-Wright Corporation in 1929. Glenn Curtiss’ company played a major role in the years leading up to the First World War.

George Hincapie is a former road bicycle racer. As a domestique for Alberto Contador and Cadel Evans, Hincapie played a major role in helping Contador and Evans win the 2007 and 2011 Tour de France, respectively. Hincapie was also an important domestique of Lance Armstrong. In 2012, George Hincapie admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs between 2004 and 2006.

Tyler Hamilton is an American former road bicycle racer who played an important role as a teammate of Lance Armstrong in the 1999, 2000 and 2001 Tours de France. Hamilton is the only American to win one of the five classic cycle races known as the Monuments. In 2004, he was suspended for two years after failing a dope test.

Dave Mirra was an American BMX rider who set the X Games record for most medals won in BMX Freestyle. He was also a rallycross racer, competing alongside the Subaru Rally Team USA for many years. Dave Mirra committed suicide in 2016. Later that year, he was inducted into the BMX Hall of Fame.

Michael Shermer is an American historian of science and science writer. He is credited with founding The Skeptics Society, a nonprofit organization that aims at promoting scientific skepticism. He also serves as the editor-in-chief of the organization's magazine Skeptic. From 2001 to 2019, he was a major contributor to Scientific American magazine.

Gary Fisher is a cyclist who is widely regarded as one of the inventors of the present-day mountain bike. He is credited with co-founding MountainBikes, a company that specializes in manufacturing mountain bikes. In 1988, he was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame. In 1994, he was named Founding Father of Mountain Bikes by Smithsonian magazine.

Major Taylor was a professional cyclist who set many world records between 1898 and 1899. In 1899, he became the first African American to win the sprint event at the world track championships and only the second black athlete to emerge victorious in a world championship irrespective of the sport.

Frankie Andreu is a former professional cyclist who led the U.S. Postal Service cycling team for three consecutive years starting from 1998. Andreu's testimony played a major role in the eventual outcome of the US Anti-Doping Agency's investigation of Lance Armstrong's doping practices.

Tammy Thomas is a former sprint track cyclist who took part in the 2001 UCI Track Cycling World Championships, winning a silver medal in the individual sprint event. Thomas tested positive for THG when she was caught up in the BALCO scandal a year later. Subsequently, Thomas was banned for life from cycling.

Allison Jones is an American Paralympic cyclist and skier. Jones won a gold medal for slalom at the 2006 Winter Paralympics. Although most of her medals have been won at skiing events, Allison Jones also has a silver medal in cycling which she won at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.

Tom Cooper was an American cyclist best remembered for his rivalry with Major Taylor. In 1898, he played a major role in the creation of the American Racing Cyclists Union. Tom Cooper was also an early automobile racing driver whose work with Henry Ford resulted in two high-speed race cars.