ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 1, 1996 TAG: 9605010008
SECTION: TOUR DUPONT PAGE: 12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
ANDY HAMPSTEN hasn't raced in his native land in six years.
Now that he's racing in his homeland for the first time since 1990, American cyclist Andy Hampsten finally may be afforded some privacy.
Often, that is not the case in his adopted country of Italy, where cyclists are celebrities. Just last month, as he was returning from racing in Holland, Hampsten was recognized by a gentleman at a Milan airport.
Actually, he was recognized in the men's room of the Milan airport.
``I guess that means I'm known pretty well in the cycling culture,'' Hampsten said.
Hampsten, who has been one America's top riders for a decade, wasn't expecting any welcoming committees in the men's room of the Atlanta airport when he arrived just before the Tour DuPont. He hasn't raced in the U.S. since the 1990 Tour de Trump, the predecessor to the Tour DuPont.
During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Hampsten was considered one of the top two or three world-class American riders. He finished fourth in the Tour de France twice (1986 and 1992) and became the first American to claim the Tour's most prestigious stage when he won the arduous, mountainous climb to L'Alpe d'Huez in 1992.
The only American to win the Tours of Italy (1988) and Switzerland (1987-88), Hampsten will serve as captain of the U.S. Postal Service Cycling Team during the Tour DuPont.
Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of night will keep Hampsten from making his first appearance on his native soil in six years, but his age and his late start this season may conspire to keep him from leading the pack in the Tour DuPont.
``I got a late start because my daughter was born a month ago,'' Hampsten said. ``My fitness level isn't where it should be, but we have a pretty strong, well-balanced team. I just wish I had more time to scout out the course.''
Hampsten, a 33-year-old native of Grand Forks, N.D., made the decision six years ago to make European racing his full-time occupation. Winning the Tour de France was his goal, and the early-season races through the mountains of Europe were good preparation for that race.
Hampsten, who lives in Castagneto Carducci, Italy, said he has no regrets about giving up racing in America.
``The Tour DuPont was always the same time as other important races'' in Europe, Hampsten said. ``I would have had a lot of regrets if I hadn't concentrated on racing in Europe all the time. The goal was the Tour de France. There was more racing in Europe. I have no regrets in any way.''
While casual American cycling fans may not recognize Hampsten's name as readily as that of Greg LeMond or Lance Armstrong, he will have many fans on the Tour DuPont course. His in-laws live in Trenton, N.J., and he has a sister in West Virginia.
While his goals have become more modest in recent years, Hampsten still is regarded as one of the top mountain climbers in the world. On a Tour DuPont course that includes several stages that pass over mountaintops, perhaps he could post a strong showing in his homecoming.
If not, the guy who has raced in the Tour de France eight times will be satisfied just to be home.
``I'm really looking forward to this,'' he said. ``It's a homecoming. I expect to enjoy this.''
Even if no one recognizes him in the men's room.
LENGTH: Medium: 66 linesby CNB