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George Lewis Mount (born September 14, 1955〔(Sports reference, Olympic athletes, George 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''".〔(San Francisco Weekly, 30 July 1997, Recycling America )〕〔(United States Bicycling Hall of Fame )〕 == Races == 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.〔 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 Peter Rich coached Mount and another youth, Mike Neel, on an old velodrome 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〔(Pez Cycling News Mike Neel: Beating On The Door, Monday, November 21, 2005 by Edmond Hood )〕〔(Sports Reference, 1976 Olympics, Mens road race individual )〕 to Bernt Johansson of Sweden. No American had finished in the top 60 since 1912.〔(Velo News, 7832 )〕 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〔Procycling, UK, undated cutting〕 - 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.〔Nye, Peter (1988), Hearts of Lions, Norton, USA, ISBN 0-393-02543-8, p251〕 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: "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 York 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.〔Procycling, UK, 2003〕〔Nye, Peter (1988), Hearts of Lions, Norton, USA, ISBN 0-393-02543-8, p256〕 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: 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「George Mount」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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