Greg LeMond Wins Despite Buckshot

The first American cyclist to win the Tour de France twice was Greg LeMond, whose 1989 victory completed a remarkable comeback. Two years earlier, he had been accidentally shot in the back and side with approximately 60 shotgun pellets during a turkey hunt, causing him to lose about 65% of his blood volume. LeMond won the Tour with 35 pellets still embedded in his body, including three in the lining of his heart and five in his liver. He won again in 1990 and remains the only American officially credited with a Tour de France victory.

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