I have a poster of Greg Lemond hanging in my living room of him standing atop the podium at the 1983 World Championships. I remember trading a friend of mine something for it in 1985, but I don't remember what it was. I think maybe it was maybe a wool jersey. Anyway, growing up I always had the poster hanging in my bedroom. I'd look at it almost daily, sometimes just a glance, other times a long stare. Sometimes thinking, "What's it like to win a World Championship title."

Heck, being able to represent your county in the biggest race of the season would be a highlight in it's self, but to win, that would incredible. Two years ago, Greg signed the poster for me. "To Tom, All My Best," he wrote. Then one day I came home, sat on the couch to watch TV and grab a quick snack before heading out for a ride. But something was different, an empty feeling came over me when I looked up at the wall and it was gone. Stolen, I thought.

The first thing I did was call my girlfriend. "My Greg Lemond Poster is gone, do you know where it is?" I asked. Well, she replied, "I took it to have it framed for your birthday, but I guess it's not a surprise now." But it was. I never really told her what the poster meant to me, but she knew. And now it hangs behind glass, surrounded by a black frame above the fireplace and some of the numerous medals we both have won while chasing our cycling dreams.

However, today, I look at it a bit differently. I now know what it's like to represent the United States of America, wearing the Stars and Stripes and racing in the World Championships. Although I still don't know the feeling of winning, I know how hard it was for me to get there and then race among the best in the world with thousands of fans cheer you on. The feeling was incredible, just when I thought I was about to blow up, there would be a group of fans screaming, cheering and chanting me on.

It was the hardest race of my life, but when I crossed the finish line in Chateau-d'Oex, Switzerland at the 1997 World Mountain Bike Championships, I had a smile as wide as Greg's on that poster.

----Tom Horrocks