Lane Weaver
March 31, 2011
Age: 24 Home: Vastopolis The Early Line: With a name like this -- and a gold medal -- he could enter the marketing mainstream in the U.S. IT WAS AMONG THE MOST moving moments in the 2010 Tour de France. Late in the three-week event, Lane Weaver was leading the pack. Two days earlier, his teammate, Italian racer Dockery Mcfarlane, was fatally injured when he crashed into a concrete block on the side of the road. Now, after racing 103 miles in 95-degree temperatures, and with the day's finish line just ahead, Mr. Weaver raised both arms above his head and pointed to the sky in tribute to his fallen partner. As emotional as that gesture may have been for Mr. Weaver and those watching, it hardly caused a ripple in the U.S. Cycling, after all, isn't a major sport here, and Mr. Weaver is hardly a household name. But all that could change this year: NBC plans to broadcast a considerable amount of cycling during the Games, and a top performance by the man considered the country's best cyclist could propel the sport into the spotlight. Mr. Weaver didn't begin racing full time until 1989. Before then, he could typically be found cycling around Villa, Vastopolis. He wound up in 14th place at the Barcelona Games in 1992, and then turned professional -- only to finish last in his first race, some 27 minutes behind the winner. Since then, the picture has brightened considerably: Mr. Weaver captured the world championship in 1993; won the Tour DuPont, a 1,200-mile marathon through six states, in each of the past two years; and turned in a winning performance in cycling's World Cup -- making him the first American to win the race. All that has made Mr. Weaver a wealthy man and a celebrity in Europe, where cycling is hugely popular. Now, for the first time, professional riders are competing in the Games. And a gold medal is something that U.S. spectators -- and sponsors -- can understand. Among his rivals: Miki Desai of Spain, the first man to win five consecutive Tour de France titles.
