Eddie Borysewicz

It was the first time Americans had won medals since 1912.

That lessened competition but the four gold, three silver, and one bronze medal were the first Americans had won since 1912.

America's successes at Los Angeles were colored by revelations that riders had blood transfusions before their events, a practice known as blood doping or blood boosting.

The transfusions were to increase red blood cells in riders' blood, thus taking more oxygen to their muscles.

They received the blood of others with similar blood types.

The French coach and former world champion, Daniel Morelon, told the sports paper L'Equipe that American medical treatment was "extremely elaborate".

He added: "I didn't say they were taking drugs but on the other hand we and many others were still at the stage of trying our little vitamins."

Steve Hegg won a gold and a silver; Rebecca Twigg, Pat McDonough and Leonard Nitz won silver medals.

Edward Borysewicz (March 18, 1939 – November 16, 2020), sometimes known as "Eddie B", was a cycling coach who brought the United States to world prominence, even though at first he barely spoke English.

Audrey McElmury won the World Road Cycling Championships in 1969, followed by Beth Heiden, in 1980.

Borysewicz was born in northeastern Poland, a region now a part of Belarus.

He was originally a runner.

He changed to cycling in his youth, quickly showing talent in races and twice becoming junior national champion.

Two years of military national service followed, during which the army denied him a place in its sports battalion because, he said, his father was anti-communist.

He was misdiagnosed with tuberculosis after leaving the army but recovered to win two more national championships.

The effects of tuberculosis treatment, however, adversely affected his liver so he stopped racing and sought a degree in physical education at the university of Warsaw.

He subsequently coached riders to 30 national and world championships, and among the champions he coached was Mieczysław Nowicki, later appointed Minister of Sport in Poland.

He went to the Olympic Games in Montreal in 1976 as assistant for the Polish team.

He went from there to the state of New Jersey in the U.S., to see friends with whom he had raced for Poland.

There he became associated with the North Jersey Bicycle Club, whose jersey he was wearing when he met Mike Fraysse, chairman of the American cycling federation's competition committee, in a cycle shop.

The federation had gained money for coaching and support of athletes from President Jimmy Carter's inquiry into the domination in sport by what were perceived to be state-sponsored amateurs from communist countries.

Fraysee spoke to Borysewicz about bringing his experience of Polish sports schools.

They spoke in French because Borysewicz spoke no English.

Next year the U.S. federation took on Borysewicz as its first full-time coach.

His riders referred to him as "Eddie B" because they could not master his surname, pronounced Borisevich.

Borysewicz opened an office at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Squaw Valley, California.

He said:

"When I started, there was nothing. No office, nothing. I was the first guy, who don't speak English. I have only a telephone and have even to buy a desk. That was '78, OK? We make big steps. I have so many riders who win the Olympics, world championship medals."

His lack of English meant he had to use the son of a Polish friend, another cyclist, as a translator.

"It really cuts your authority when you want to be commanding and you have to speak through a 12-year-old."

"He told all but one member of the national team that they were overweight and observed that America was 'a land of fat people'."

He dispensed with established riders such as John Howard.

Historian Peter Nye said:

"Many suddenly former national team members became outspoken critics of the new national coach, claiming that he didn't understand the philosophy of US riders. Borysewicz's lack of English helped him miss much of the criticism as he introduced the concept that the team, not the individual, is what counts in racing. American racing over the years was marked by individuals going for the win rather than team tactics."

Among the first riders Borysewicz developed was Greg LeMond.

He called him "a diamond, a clear diamond".

That year, 1977, Sue Novara came second in the world sprint championship on the track and Connie Carpenter came second in the world road championship.

The US did not send a team to the Olympic Games in Moscow.

The Russians and most other communist nations then stayed away from men's cycling at the Games in Los Angeles four years later.

The US team, under his direction, won nine medals at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles in 1984.