Andy Hampsten caught the public eye in 1985, when he won stage 20 of the Giro d'Italia. The following year, he was signed by Bernard Hinault's La Vie Claire team. In his first full season as a pro, 1986, he won the Tour de Suisse and helped his compatriot and team leaderGreg LeMond to victory in the Tour de France. He also finished the Tour de France fourth overall and claimed the white jersey of best young rider. In 1987, Hampsten repeated his victory in the Tour de Suisse, this time for the 7-Eleven Cycling Team. His greatest moment came in the 1988 Giro d'Italia, on a short stage over the Gavia Pass. Attacking on the climb, Hampsten overcame a severe snowstorm to take the Maglia Rosa - although he finished second on the stage to Dutchman Erik Breukink. The conditions during this stage were among the worst in cycling history. During and following this stage numerous cyclists abandoned and several had to be loaded into ambulances and taken to the hospital due to hypothermia like symptoms. Hampsten's teammate Bob Roll finished the stage, but his condition following the stage shows among the harshest looks at what the elements can do to a rider who pushes himself to the absolute limit. After surviving this Gavia Pass stage he was able to successfully defend the Leader's jersey through the rest of the race and as a result he became just the 2nd American to win a cycling Grand Tour and the 1st American to win the Giro d'Italia. Then again during the 1989 Giro d'Italia Hampsten performed at an elite level among the General Classification riders finishing on the podium in 3rd place overall. He also was among the elite riders for the majority of the 1990 Tour de France. Hampsten's final highlight came in the 1992 Tour de France when he dropped his breakaway companions to win the stage to Alpe d'Huez. He again finished the race fourth, having lost his third place to Gianni Bugno in the final time trial.
Life after racing
Hampsten used to live in Grand Forks, North Dakota, and the 40-mile bikeway system there has been dedicated as the "Andy Hampsten Bikeway System." Hampsten now lives in Tuscany and Boulder, Colorado. In 1999, Andy Hampsten and his brother Steve started a bicycle company in Seattle, Washington, called Hampsten Cycles. Andy Hampsten also operates a bicycle touring company in Italy called Cinghiale Cycling Tours.
