Johan Bruyneel – who is serving a lifetime ban from cycling for his role in the US Postal/Discovery doping programme – has lightly needled Greg LeMond’s long-cited VO2 max of 92.5 mL/kg/min by showing a phone photo of an alleged 1988 lab result reading 74.7 on The Move Podcast, broadcast on 21 November.
Bruyneel presented it less as a scandal and more as a playful “show me the receipts” moment, poking at a number LeMond has cited for decades as proof of his freak-level physiology during his miracle 1989 comeback. The conversation following a discussion of the recent projections of Pogačar's VO2 max, which was extrapolated at over 90mL/kg/min.
According to Bruyneel, Lemond's lower value came from a test taken when the American cycling legend was overweight, under-trained and understandably not at ‘92-and-change’ levels after the 1987 hunting accident. The document, shown via his phone screen on camera, allegedly came via a doctor connected to the French Fagor setup, where LeMond was supposedly chasing a contract.
LeMond’s side of the legend is well-worn: repeated late-80s testing that, when paired with race weight, delivered VO2 max figures in the “92, 93, 94” range. He’s also mentioned an earlier treadmill result of 79 before turning full-time pro. And, crucially, his résumé includes the 1989 Tour de France and the World Championships, which tend to settle most arguments in cycling.
Even if Bruyneel’s 74.7 number is authentic, a single off-season test doesn’t automatically vaporise the higher claims. VO2 max bounces around with body mass, training status and test protocol, and comparing scores across labs and eras is like comparing watts from a smart trainer to a bathroom scale.
Of course, this isn’t just about oxygen uptake – it’s another chapter in a long, spiky rivalry. Bruyneel is serving a lifetime ban for his role in the US Postal/Discovery doping programme while LeMond has spent years publicly challenging performances from that era. So a surprise VO2 reveal, delivered via camera roll, raises as many questions about motivation as metabolism.
Cover picture credit: Wilhelm Westergren/SWpix.com
