Andy Hampster, the last American (and first and only non-European) to win the Giro D’Italia, is a fount of conventional wisdom from his life as a pro racer. In 1988 he won the Giro after attacking through a blizzard on the Gavia mountain pass. He’s modest, articulate, and has the most appealing post-pro retirement setup: making top shelf olive oil and hosting cyclo tours of Tuscany. I’ll eventually get around to ordering his olive oil, which is sold by the 5-liter tin jug.
For an ex-pro road racer, Andy has a marvelous appreciation for practical and fun cycling, and he’s been known to ride slow and stop for coffee.
NYvelocity recently interviewed Andy, and he describes his experience watching the epochal shift towards mainstream doping in pro cycling. Fascinating stuff, the interview.