• News
• Races
• Photos
• Interviews
• Inside Scoop
• Gear & Gadgets

Andy Hampsten, Cycling Campione

18 April 2006

Passo Gavia to Italian Wine

Hampsten Earned the Maglia Rosa in 1988, photo: Hampsten

Think back to the early days of American cycling and one particular name emerges: Andy Hampsten. Hampsten and his 7-Eleven teammates arrived in Europe in 1985 and proceeded to turn European cycling on its ear. His prowess in the mountains and his grit on the bike took him to countless victories, including one of the most dramatic editions of the Giro d'Italia. BiciRace.com recently had the pleasure of chatting with l'Americano.
Interviewed by Paco of BiciRace.com

The Early Years...

BiciRace.com:  You come from a place in the U.S. (North Dakota) that's not exactly a hotbed of cycling. How is it that you became interested in competitive cycling in the first place?
Andy Hampsten:  That's a good question... Mostly out of boredom. I loved riding my bike around town. My family would always go camping all summer in the Western United States. I suppose it was a lot of wanderlust to go to some pretty cool places. Grand Forks is pretty flat and one dimensional. There was a really great bike shop in Grand Forks called Nomad, and there was a good group of eight to ten riders, and they were really nice about letting my older brother, Steven, and me tag along. They showed us how to draft and took us on some 100-mile rides around the area. I think I was thirteen years-old when I first raced, and probably did two to three races a year. Then when I was fifteen my family spent the summer in England, and there I hooked up with the Cambridge County bike club and did some time trials and a few criteriums. More than anything though it was just sitting around the bike shop talking about the Tour de France.
BR:  What year was that?
AH:  Oh, that must have been... 1977.
BR:  When you turned pro did you ever have any idea that you would one day go on to win races like the Giro d'Italia, Tour de Suisse, and a stage in the Tour de France...?
AH:  Really, afterwards. My first race was the Tour of Italy. Going into my first pro race, the Tour of Italy, I thought "oh my god, what am I doing?" By the second day [of that Tour] there was a little mountain near the finish, and I tried to get some KOM points but didn't. On the descent I was the eighth guy in line and four of the guys ahead of me were World Champions. I had that little voice in my head saying "this is not right." But there was this other voice saying, "here you are--this is what you waited for your entire life, and today what are you going to do with it?" So I attacked, I got off the front and got a good gap. I was on TV, and our sponsor was over the moon. I didn't even come close to winning the race, but I realized I had to make the most of every opportunity that I had. It reminded me to not be a spectator in a race, but instead to throw down whatever I had. By the 20th stage of that Giro I had a stage victory and I then began thinking I wanted to win some big races.
BR:  What was it like as an American in Europe in the early years of your career?
AH:  It was pretty hectic. The first pro race I did was the 1985 Tour of Italy. Everyone on the team was a neo-pro, except for Jonathan Boyer. It was tough... you know. A lot of the Italians would crash and then blame us. But by the 15th stage of that Giro, Ron Keifel won a stage, and then I won the 20th stage. So by the end of the race, we went from the scorn of the peloton to the envy of most of the teams.
BR:  That's an amazing result when you think about it. Two neo-pros winning a stages in their first Grand Tour is absolutely incredible.
AH:  Yeah... Yeah, it really is.
AH:  Our goal was to win one stage and get someone in the top 20, something that we achieved on both accounts. This was great as it really set up 7-Eleven to go ahead and sponsor the team amongst the professionals in Europe.

Il Passo Gavia...

Crossing a Cinghiale in Toscana, photo: Hampsten

BR:  Your win in the 1988 Giro d'Italia is still talked about as one of the greatest exploits in cycling history. How does it make you feel to know that you have such a prominent place in the history of one of the world's greatest bike races?
AH:  It's really cool. I mean, it was for me one of hardest days I've ever experienced, and I appreciated the opportunity to push myself both athletically and psychologically further than I ever had. All races are hard, but I had never physically dug that deep before. Going up the Gavia Pass in a snowstorm, knowing that the descent was going to be much worse than the climb was really tough. It would have been logical and easy to quit, but I didn't... And nobody on my team did. I was really glad I was able to do that, but to be honest, I never really want to do anything that hard in my life again.
BR:  This is a good lead-in into my next question which is: Was it the most difficult day [Passo Gavia, stage 17] you have ever experienced on a bicycle?
AH:  Absolutely. It was the most difficult day of my life. Nobody would have complained or argued with me if I had pulled over and not raced. It was above and beyond what anyone is asked to do at a race. As a bike racer it was really hard for me to turn pro and go to Europe. Coming from North Dakota and going all the way to Europe was what I was dreaming about the whole time, so I convinced myself to keep riding and keep racing all the way down the mountain. It wasn't dangerous or icy, and I don't think the race should have been cancelled. The fans really appreciated the fact that it wasn't cancelled. It was kind of an end of an era where all the racers raced. Nowadays when the weather is bad sometimes a race gets cancelled. I'm not going to say that's good or bad.
BR:  Was there something that you learned about yourself on that day, or during your cycling career, that you have found applicable or useful in your daily life?
AH:  Yeah... If I really want to do something, I can do just about anything I put my mind to. Also, my personality is very good for bike racing. I like doing hard things... sort of the monotonous beating my head against the wall. And that's the mentality it really takes to do the training to be a bike racer. Now, you know, looking back over the 10 years or so since I've retired, I have chilled out a lot. I don't tell myself everyday that it's another Gavia. I still like to work hard, but I also like to play pretty hard too. One thing I've learned is to not take things so seriously anymore.
BR:  Right. The difficulty of something like the Gavia Pass probably makes little daily distractions like sitting in traffic seem pretty trivial.
AH:  Yeah, if I really want to push myself, I know I can. I know how deep I can dig. On the other hand, looking at my whole career, and not just that day on the Gavia, I was very fortunate to be a bike racer. It's fantastic that Jim Ochowicz on the 7-Eleven team selected me and didn't push me too hard, or make unrealistic demands on me. I had a wonderful career. It set me up to do exactly what I'm doing right now. I'm riding my bike. I get to play in the winter. I do my bike tours in the spring and fall, and that keeps me busy. I get to spend a lot of time with my daughter and my friends.

La Vita Ciclismo and Italia

Relaxed Hampsten, photo: Hampsten

BR:  It is evident that you are passionate about the bicycle. Is it this passion that led you to a career as a pro cyclist, or did you see it as a way to travel the world and have some cool experiences?
AH:  Well, it just sort of came together. I never imagined that I'd ever be a pro. I remember in 1977 talking with my brother, reading magazines and talking about the Tour de France, and all these amazing exploits that these guys were doing. I thought, wow that is really cool; I'd love to be doing that. But to be honest, I almost enjoy riding my bike now more than before. Like today, I'm looking forward to getting out for a few hours and jumping on my bike for a quick ride. There's almost nothing I'd rather do. It's a cool sport. It's a great activity. You know, I have as much fun riding around town with my daughter as I do cranking out a 100-mile ride.
BR:  That's awesome. Well said. I know I get totally cranky after a couple of days without riding.
AH:  It's a disease isn't it?
BR:  Oh yeah. My wife is literally forcing me out the door to go riding so that I'll be tolerable to be around.
AH:  It is, it's like Doctor Bike. Cycling is the right vehicle to get out in nature. Pretty much no matter where you live, anybody can get out on a bike and see the world. You come back feeling pretty good about yourself.
BR:  Yeah, it makes you feel like a kid, and any activity that can do that can't be bad. ... I once read in an article that you are the "Best American cyclist that no one's heard of." Do you prefer it that way or would you have preferred to be more of a media icon like Armstrong, for example?
AH:  I'm not even going to touch some other writer scratching their head and trying to think of something new to say. But I think the real question is: do I wish I were a bigger media icon? Personally, no. I tried to win the Tour de France every year I raced, and I didn't. I don't look at it as a failure. There were always three to five other riders faster than me. I'm glad I had all the opportunities that I did to try. I wanted to win the Tour because I respected it. That would have been the coolest accomplishment I could have achieved, and I'm glad I focused on it instead of trying to win more one day races. I wouldn't wish being as famous as Lance Armstrong on anybody. Knowing the way I am, that's not the way I would want it to be. I'd rather just be out riding my bike.
BR:  I've heard you do a little dabbling with making wines and olive oils on your farm in Tuscany. Are your wines for your own consumption or do you plan on someday marketing your own blend?
AH:  Just for my own drinking. A good year is a few hundred liters. I don't even bottle it.
BR:  Do you stick to the local stuff... Sangiovese, Malvasia, Trebbiano?
AH:  Yeah, that's exactly what I do. One vineyard has some Sangiovese and the other has just whites... Malvasia and Trebbiano.
BR:  Sounds like a pretty good life. I'm jealous.
AH:  Yeah, it's a good life.
BR:  What do you wish for somebody who goes on one of your tours to come away with? [Andy owns Cinghiale Cycling Tours]
AH:  To get the feel for how Italians live. Italians are hard working people. They work four hours in the morning, have a great lunch with family and friends and then go back to work till the evening. That's it. There's not this huge stress that we Americans have about staying late at the office till 10 o'clock. Italians just don't do that. I want people to come home with an understanding of Italy. Not just the food and wine, but the real essence of how Italians live.
BR:  Very smart. Sounds great. Thanks so much for your time, Andy. You have been very cool to talk with.
AH:  No problem. It was my pleasure.

These days Andy splits his time between crafting some of the world's finest bicycles and leading tours around the Tuscan countryside. If you're in the market for a new steed, check him out at www.Hampsten.com. If you're looking for a place to break in that new steed, consider one of his tours around Tuscany: www.Cinghiale.com. You won't be disappointed.

Hampsten's Teams and Selected Palmarès:
7-Eleven (1985), La Vie Claire (1986), 7-Eleven 1987-1990, Motorola (1991-1994), Banesto (1995) and USPS (1996)

Giro d'Italia (1988), Stages in Giro (1 in 1985, 2 in 1988), Tour de Suisse (1986, 1987), Tour de Romandie (1992), Tour de France: Young Rider (1986), Tour Stage: Alpe d'Huez (1992)