Still going strong after a tumultuous ride

From the highs of winning an Olympic gold medal in 1984 to being dropped from the 7-Eleven Tour de France cycling team due to his volatile nature and to admitting steroid usage in 2008, it is safe to say Alexi Grewal has had a tumultuous journey.

The now 58-year-old rose to prominence when he edged Canadian Steve Bauer to win the gold medal in the mens individual road race in Los Angeles in a dramatic final-lap showdown. He became the first rider from the US to win the Olympic road race. Grewals victory opened the doors for two decades of American domination in international cycling even though doping tainted many of the wins, achieved by Lance Armstrong.

Grewal emerged as a cyclist following in the footsteps of his father Jasjit Singh Grewal, a Sikh from Punjab, who moved to the United States in search of greener pastures and settled down in Colorado. The younger Grewals big moment came at Los Angeles and he still savours that triumph.

“That race is obviously what I am famous for but I did a lot of races. That race was a gift to me. I was …read more