Donald Trump’s BIZARRE Attempt to REPLACE the Tour de FRANCE

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The Tour de Trump story. In the late 1980s, Donald Trump tried to launch America’s own Tour de France — and yes, he named it after himself.

This is the outrageous story of the Tour de Trump, a wild experiment where pro cycling met casinos, Cold War politics, and Trump-sized ego.

From Greg LeMond and Raúl Alcalá to Soviet riders and skyscraper photo ops, this bizarre event actually brought some of the world’s best cyclists to the U.S.

But was it a vanity project… or the beginning of something real?

🚴‍♂️ Watch the full story — from the rise of the race, to the rebrand as Tour DuPont, and why it all disappeared.

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what happens when the world’s most prestigious cycling race meets the flashiest most polarizing figure in American business picture this the late 1980s America is booming wall Street is flying high and Donald J trump is turning everything he touches into gold or at least goldplated then he decides that the United States needs its own tour to France but not just any race a high octane headline grabbing cycling spectacle branded with his own name this is the story of the to Trump a short-lived but unforgettable experiment where cycling collided with casinos cold war politics and oversized egos welcome to one of the weirdest chapters in cycling history and trust us you’ll want to stick around for this wild ride in the 1980s America was on the cusp of a cycling renaissance while Europe dominated the sport for decades the US was just beginning to make waves and then came Greg Leond a young Californian who shocked the world by winning the 1986 tour to France but in terms of domestic races America had little to offer the Coors Classic and Red Zinger Classic had cult followings but lacked international weight the US needed something big something bold enter Billy Packer a college basketball broadcaster with a knack for business packer alongside musician and sports producer John Tesh saw an opportunity to bring a worldclass cycling event stateside they had the vision but they needed a name and money they found both in Donald J trump if you’re enjoying this story so far give us a like subscribe to the channel and leave a comment below it might sound small but it makes a huge difference for our channel’s growth donald Trump in the 1980s was larger than life the casinos the skyscrapers the pageantss everything he touched had his name on it so when he agreed to sponsor the race he had one nonnegotiable demand it had to be called the Tur de Trump the name drew instant backlash critics slammed it as narcissistic and absurd but Trump saw something else publicity he invested nearly $750,000 to launch the race in 1989 the route ran from Albany New York to his own Trump Plaza in Atlantic City was this a serious cycling competition or a glorified ad for his casino empire the answer turned out to be both despite the glitzy branding the 1989 tour to Trump was the real deal teams from Europe and beyond showed up team Panasonic PDM 7-Eleven even Soviet and East German national squads that’s right cold War rivals competed on American soil under Trump banners for cycling fans it was surreal the race covered over 800 miles in 10 stages winding through New York Pennsylvania Delaware and New Jersey and the winner Dag Otto Luritzen a tough as nails Norwegian from the 7-Eleven team a former Olympic bronze medalist and tour to France stage winner Lauren brought serious credibility to the event trump wasted no time taking credit calling the race a triumph and claiming it had united the world through sport bold words but not entirely false in 1990 Trump doubled down the race expanded to 11 stages over 1,100 m now starting in Boston and still finishing in Atlantic City this time Greg Leond showed up in fighting shape fresh off his second Tour to France victory that alone brought a wave of international media but it was Raul Alcala the climbing maestro from Mexico riding for team PDM who would dominate alcalar stunned the field with a combination of raw power and tactical brilliance he attacked relentlessly in the mountains and held his own in time trials lemon finished second proving the race wasn’t a gimmick the Tour to Trump was legit for now while the 1990 race looked like a success Trump’s empire was crumbling behind the scenes the real estate crash hit hard trump’s casinos were bleeding cash and suddenly sponsoring a multi-million dollar cycling event didn’t look so smart he began pulling back by the end of 1990 he quietly exited the deal the tour to Trump was over after just two additions critics called it inevitable cynics called it performance art but cycling fans they were disappointed because for all its spectacle the race had given the US a taste of what a serious international tour could look like the story didn’t end with Trump’s exit in 1991 the race was reborn as the Tour DuPont sponsored by the Delaware based chemical giant DuPont this wasn’t just a new name it was a new era dupont brought corporate professionalism and a much less egocentric approach to the event the route shifted and grew it now stretched further south reaching into the Carolinas and Virginia the tour deont featured bigger prize pools improved logistics and importantly better public relations without Trump’s larger than-l life presence the race was finally judged on athletic merit over the next several years some of the best riders in the world would compete most notably a young Lance Armstrong won back-to-back titles in 1995 and 1996 at the time Armstrong was the face of a new generation of American cyclists the Tour DuPont had become the most prestigious stage race in North America it was even considered by some to be a fourth Grand Tour in terms of quality unfortunately Dupont pulled out in 1996 and without a major sponsor the race couldn’t sustain itself still its legacy lived on in events like the Tour of California and the USA Pro Cycling Challenge so what do we make of the tour to Trump today on one hand it’s easy to laugh a cycling race with Trump’s name plastered across every banner every press release every jersey it sounds like satire but underneath the branding was a serious attempt to elevate American cycling to a global level it brought top tier European teams to race on US roads it introduced American audiences to elite competition and it offered a glimpse at how big cycling could be in the US if given the right backing moreover the tour to Trump and Tour Dupont served as stepping stones they created a template for future races without them we might not have seen the rise of Lance Armstrong or the later success of the Tour of California and let’s be honest the tour to Trump was pure 1980s excess but it was also pure entertainment a mashup of sport spectacle and ego and in cycling as in life sometimes that strange cocktail is what makes history so what do you think was the Tour to Trump a ridiculous vanity project or a misunderstood stepping stone in American cycling history would a race like that work today or has the world moved on from that kind of showmanship let us know in the comments below we want to hear your take and if you enjoyed this dive into one of the strangest races in cycling history please hit like subscribe to Bike Flick and turn on notifications so you don’t miss the next twist in the cycling universe i’m at and this has been another ride through the fascinating dramatic and sometimes hilarious world of pro cycling until next time keep spinning and stay curious