The come-back of legendary Indian American cyclist – Alexi Grewal
The Indian-American 1984 Olympic gold-medalist Alexi Singh Grewal announced his return to the Elite cycle racing at MERCO Cycling Classic in Merced, California. The Summer Olympics in
Los Angeles in 1984, Grewal became the first American to win an Olympic gold medal in the road cycling competition, and his bicycle of that tenure is monumented at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.
March 3rd 2011 shall be the date when Alexi Grewal shall line up at the MERCO Credit Union Cycling Classic presented by McLane. The event shall be the first time the Indian-American
will compete against the top national and international level players after he retired back in the 1990’s.
The Olympian had been rumored to have started his training once again, to stand out in the upcoming Quiznno’s Pro Challenge in Colorado latter the summer of 2011. He was stated in golden
words by the US Bicycling Hall of Fame, “With an estimated crowd of 300,000 lining the 190.2 kilometer route, Grewal edged Canadian Steve Bauer to claim the gold medal in the men’s road race, breaking away from the field with 20 kilometers remaining and opening
up a 24 second lead after 11 of 12 laps and then being caught by Bauer with 10 kilometers left, setting up a dramatic final-lap showdown. This scene, replayed many times since, is one of the most emotional Olympic victories of the Modern Games,” describing
the Los Angeles gold medal ride.
Grewal had a see-saw ride ahead in his career after the famous Los Angeles victory when he raced for the Panasonic, RMO and 7-Eleven teams in the west. His career concluded between 1989
and 1993 in the United States while he was racing for Coors Light. Besides the Olympic gold medal, Grewal also enjoyed numerous podium finishes in the US and Europe throughout his career.
MERCO-McLane is going to be the first real challenge for Grewal after his come-back to competitive cycling starting March 3rd 2011. The opening race would be the MID Road Race
with over 5,000 feet of mountain climbing, followed by a Time Trial race the next day by Merced Boosters. Day three would be a technical ride in down-town Merced and finally the long 120 mile Almond Blossom Road Race on the fourth and final day.
The over 30 hours per week training for Grewal would indeed be a test at the four day MERCO-McLane, which is supposed to be a defining time for the legendary Olympian’s come-back this
year.