Star Quality

Bauer Power ...
in the Young Riders Jersey, 1985 Tour.

He will keep it for 17 days!

The first time I had the pleasure to watched Steve Bauer, was his convincing win at the 1982 Canadian National Championship Road Race in Edmonton.

Watching him control the race and zip up the steep Emily Murphy hill as if it was a training ride ... I had to do a double take. He dominated that race.

I knew, from that time, this talented rider was destined to ride, one day... the Tour de France.

Cycling guru, Fred Mengoni started his top level cycling team (G.S. Mengoni) lasting from 1981 to 1988. Steve Bauer, Leonard Nitz, Doug Shapiro were some of the top riders to wear the white and blue Mengoni colours.

G.S. Mengoni often went head to head with the 7-Eleven cycling team and won. An example is Bauer beating out Davis Phinney to win the 1984 United Texas Tour. Bauer shone brightly taking the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in a photo-finish with Alexi Grewal. Bauer's big star shone brighter still becoming Canada's first rider to medal (bronze) at the 1984 World Road Race Championships in Barcelona.

The World's best cycling team, La Vie Claire, signed him and he entered the big one, his first Tour de France in 1985. Thrusted into a top team to support Greg LeMond and Bernard Hinault, Steve Bauer didn't disappoint. La Vie Claire powered to win stage 3's TTT to Fougères and Hinault clinched his fifth Tour.

Steve Bauer's star quality quickly escalated with a fantastic and powerful hold on the Young Rider's White Jersey for most of the race finishing an exceptional 10th overall in his first Tour.