Retro PEZ Talk: Everyone has a story to tell, some more than others, but Len Pettyjohn can talk about the US stars of the 80s on a first hand basis. There has been many a top rider pass through his hands, from Greg Lemond, Alexi Grewal, Doug Shapiro, Davis Phinney and the ‘lost soul’ that was Michel Zanoli. A great read that will keep you gripped to the end.
A name which kept cropping up when we spoke to our 80’s ‘cult riders’ was that of a certain manager, Mr. Len Pettyjohn. We thought we best have a word and if you loved 80’s cycling please read on – you’ll thank me.
PEZ: Did you ever race, Len?
Len Pettyjohn: I did, but came to it late as an extension of riding a bike around the Wisconsin campus while doing graduate work in the 1960’s and 70’s. I was intrigued by all the fast kids on bikes around the campus and got hooked pretty quickly, even though I didn’t have time to race until I moved to Colorado in 1974. I started doing novice category races and within a couple of years moved up to Cat 2 levels where I frequently got schooled. Once I got to Masters level I was able to actually race vs hanging on. There was a very long break from racing, and even riding, while I was involved with teams and events, but came back to Masters races after I retired.
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