George Mount
Encyclopedia
George Lewis Mount is an American former professional cyclist.
Mount was sixth at the 1976 Montreal Olympics road race
which launched his professional career and propelled the US into post-war international cycling.American riders were among the world's best at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th century, but they rode on the track. A handful of Americans rode on the road before and after the second world war but Mount was the first to come to international attention.
Mount raced professionally in the US and Europe, the first American to break into European road racing. In 1997 Mount was inducted to the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame. He earned the nickname "Smilin' George".
Mount was born in Princeton, New Jersey
in 1955. He refused to register for the draft (conscription had already ended) and his father told him to leave home. In 1973, while working as a groom at a race track, he met Berkeley, California
cycling enthusiast and race promoter, Peter Rich. Mount moved into a room above Rich's bicycle shop and worked for him as a mechanic. Rich called him
at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
Mount began racing in 1973 as a junior and competed in about 15 events. In 1974 he won two local races, Mount Hamilton
and Mount Tamalpias and competed in many as a category-one racer. In 1975, Mount said,
He rode with the Pan American Games
team in Mexico City
and in 1976, with Neel, the Olympic Games
in Montreal
, Canada
. He finished sixth to Bernt Johansson
of Sweden
despite crashing. No American had finished in the top 60 since 1912, nor ever in the top 10. The historian Peter Nye said:
Mount won a gold medal in the Pan American Games in 1979 and was a favorite for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
In 1977 Mount moved to Castelfranco di Sopra
in Italy
- Neel had already gone there and he arranged an introduction - and competed for a small club team, Benotto, winning a number major races. Mount said:
The choice of Italy was easy because he'd asked Eddy Merckx
's advice. The Belgian had gone to Pennsylvania
with Patrick Sercu
and, Mount remembered:
In 1978 he raced for the US national team for most of the season in Europe, winning respect. He came fourth in the Tour of Britain
, known as the Milk Race, and won the Tour of Colorado (Coors Classic). In the USA he won the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic
. Peter Nye wrote:
Mount raced most of that season in Europe and became the first American in modern history to win a professional/open race, turning professional because the USA decided against sending a team to the Moscow Olympics. He joined an Italian team, Magniflex, described by John Wilcockson of VeloNews in the USA as "a barebones team." He raced in Italy for three years, finished the Tour of Italy in 20th and 25th places and rode most of the classics. After three years of riding for his team leaders, he was burned out. He said:
He now lives in the Bay Area of San Francisco, is married with two daughters and works for a high tech company in Silicon Valley. The San Francisco Weekly said:
Mount was sixth at the 1976 Montreal Olympics road race
Cycling at the 1976 Summer Olympics - Men's individual road race
These are the official results of the Men's Individual Road Race at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, held on July 26, 1976. A total number of 58 cyclists actually did finish the race.-Final classification:-Did not finish:----...
which launched his professional career and propelled the US into post-war international cycling.American riders were among the world's best at the end of the 19th and the start of the 20th century, but they rode on the track. A handful of Americans rode on the road before and after the second world war but Mount was the first to come to international attention.
Mount raced professionally in the US and Europe, the first American to break into European road racing. In 1997 Mount was inducted to the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame. He earned the nickname "Smilin' George".
Races
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
in 1955. He refused to register for the draft (conscription had already ended) and his father told him to leave home. In 1973, while working as a groom at a race track, he met Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
cycling enthusiast and race promoter, Peter Rich. Mount moved into a room above Rich's bicycle shop and worked for him as a mechanic. Rich called him
"... a cocky pop-off, a pleasant smart aleck. But he obviously had great potential, great pedaling form. He had a powerful smoothness about him. He would pedal without wasting energy."Peter Rich coached Mount and another youth, Mike Neel, on an old velodrome
Velodrome
A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights...
at Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.
Mount began racing in 1973 as a junior and competed in about 15 events. In 1974 he won two local races, Mount Hamilton
Mount Hamilton
Mount Hamilton can refer to:* Mount Hamilton * Mount Hamilton * Mount Hamilton * Mount Hamilton * Mount Hamilton, County Tyrone in Northern Ireland...
and Mount Tamalpias and competed in many as a category-one racer. In 1975, Mount said,
He rode with the Pan American Games
Pan American Games
The Pan-American or Pan American Games are a major event in the Americas featuring summer and formerly winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Pan American Games are the second largest multi-sport event after the Summer Olympics...
team in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
and in 1976, with Neel, the Olympic Games
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He finished sixth to Bernt Johansson
Bernt Johansson
Bernt Harry Johansson is a retired road bicycle racer from Sweden, who was a professional rider from 1977 to 1981. A competitor at the 1972 Summer Olympics, he represented his native country once again at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Canada, where he won the men's individual road race...
of Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
despite crashing. No American had finished in the top 60 since 1912, nor ever in the top 10. The historian Peter Nye said:
"For the first time in memory, Mount made the prospect of an Olympic cycling medal a distinct possibility."
Mount won a gold medal in the Pan American Games in 1979 and was a favorite for the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
In 1977 Mount moved to Castelfranco di Sopra
Castelfranco di Sopra
Castelfranco di Sopra is a comune in the Province of Arezzo in the Italian region Tuscany, located about 30 km southeast of Florence and about 30 km northwest of Arezzo....
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- Neel had already gone there and he arranged an introduction - and competed for a small club team, Benotto, winning a number major races. Mount said:
The choice of Italy was easy because he'd asked Eddy Merckx
Eddy Merckx
Edouard Louis Joseph, Baron Merckx , better known as Eddy Merckx, is a Belgian former professional cyclist. The French magazine Vélo called him "the most accomplished rider that cycling has ever known." The American publication, VeloNews, called him the greatest and most successful cyclist of all...
's advice. The Belgian had gone to Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
with Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu
Patrick Sercu is a former Belgian cyclist, best known for his exploits on the tracks.In 1964 aged 19 he competed as the star attraction at the Manchester Wheelers' Club Race Meet at the Fallowfield track in Manchester.He won a gold medal at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.Sercu is the record...
and, Mount remembered:
In 1978 he raced for the US national team for most of the season in Europe, winning respect. He came fourth in the Tour of Britain
Tour of Britain
The Tour of Britain is a cycle race, conducted over several stages, in which participants race from place to place across parts of Great Britain....
, known as the Milk Race, and won the Tour of Colorado (Coors Classic). In the USA he won the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic
Red Zinger Bicycle Classic
The Red Zinger Bicycle Classic was a road bicycle racing stage race.-History:In 1975, Mo Siegel and John and Wyck Hay, founders of the Celestial Seasonings herbal tea company, launched the Red Zinger Bicycle Classic race to promote alternative transportation in the Greater Boulder area,...
. Peter Nye wrote:
"In major European events, the powerful Mount was often at the head of the pack... He won a stage of France's pro-am Circuit de la Sarthe and finished first in the Tour de l'Auvergne. Under revised rules governing amateurs, he won $4,000 when he captured the Apple Lap, the 75-mile race through New YorkNew YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
City's five boroughs, and set a national record for 75 miles on the way."
Mount raced most of that season in Europe and became the first American in modern history to win a professional/open race, turning professional because the USA decided against sending a team to the Moscow Olympics. He joined an Italian team, Magniflex, described by John Wilcockson of VeloNews in the USA as "a barebones team." He raced in Italy for three years, finished the Tour of Italy in 20th and 25th places and rode most of the classics. After three years of riding for his team leaders, he was burned out. He said:
Legacy
Mount won more than 200 races, in the US, Europe, and South America. He competed in five world championships on the road, and won national and district titles and medals on road and track. He held numerous records, including national distance records, which stood for years. San Francisco Weekly said:"George Mount's accomplishments helped start the craze, returning the country to the bicycling dignity it enjoyed during the 1890s, 1910s, and 1920s, when bike-crazy Americans first embraced modernity, and when it seemed this country's ethos of optimism would become a driving force for all the world."
He now lives in the Bay Area of San Francisco, is married with two daughters and works for a high tech company in Silicon Valley. The San Francisco Weekly said:
"Navigating among the couches and highchairs, potted plants and baby toys that clutter his Redwood City tract house, George Mount doesn't strike one at first as the champion of an epoch. His severe visage has softened over the years; he's lost a bike racer's gauntness. The delight he takes in talking about his 10-month-old daughter, Eleanor, or his wife, Caryne, doesn't much resemble the delight a racer takes in making an opponent suffer climbing up a hill."