WATERLOO, Wis. — Best-selling bicycle maker Trek has sued to sever ties with three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond, saying his outspokenness about doping has weakened the brand.
LeMond also had a “troubling pattern of inconsistent business dealings,” Trek president John Burke said Tuesday.
LeMond sued Trek in March, accusing the company of breaching its contract and asking for an injunction to prevent it from ending the deal. The company filed a lawsuit Tuesday in federal court in Madison asking permission to break the contract.
LeMond’s attorney, Denise Rahne, defended his actions.
“Mr. LeMond has been and continues to be an outspoken critic of doping in professional cycling, which should be consistent with what Trek touts as ‘family values,’ ” she said in a statement.
Burke said LeMond would renege on promises, which included curbing his comments about doping in cycling to focus on the brand.
