Ron Kiefel Career Retrospective

ron kiefel Career Retrospective

Ron Kiefel’s journey to becoming a pro cyclist started in 1973 when Ron was 13 and his father bought a small bike shop in the Denver suburb of Wheat Ridge. A summer of sweeping up around the shop and Ron had earned enough money to purchase his first road bike.

Endless riding around the Front Range provided freedom, exploration and adventure aplenty. One day a mechanic at the shop joined Ron on a ride, and it quickly became evident to his eyes that Ron possessed some serious legs. The mechanic suggested Ron try his first race, a criterium in the Denver Tech Center.

Ron settled into the front of the pack and was doing well over the course, but then touched wheels with another rider and crashed 300 meters before the finish. He dragged the bike across the line, closer to last place, but the seed was sown and Ron’s hunger for competition blossomed.

Photo: Taken at a Mt. Evans hill climb race, start near Echo Lake. Ron at center in red/black jersey. His father, Eugene, is at far right, and his sisters Erlinda and Leona at rear. The kid looking back is Alexi Grewal, who went on to win a road race gold medal in the 1984 Olympics.

That talent for explosive acceleration at critical moments, especially on climbs, quickly established Ron as a force to be reckoned with on the U.S. National Juniors circuit. Coaches, team developers, sponsors and especially the competition began to take notice.

Photo: 1978 Junior Worlds. Ron at left, Greg LeMond kneeling.

Chief among the witnesses to Ron’s natural abilities and race prowess was Jim Ochowicz, the man behind the development of Team 7-Eleven. In 1982, after seeing Ron handily attacking and often beating star riders such as Davis Phinney, “Och” – as he was called – offered Ron a position on the team.

Photo: Olympic Training Center, Colorado Springs, CO, 1978. Och second from right, Ron fourth from right.

In short order, the dual threat of Ron leading out ace sprinter Davis Phinney became the stuff of cycling legend, and the two went on to dominate races and stages throughout the 1980s. Ron and Davis became the force to be reckoned with in the Coors Classic each year and Ron personally won several stages and prologues of this fabled race.

Photo: By John Maynard. Ron and Davis strategizing, 1984 Coors Classic, Boulder, CO.

1986 Coors Classic Stage Win

1985 Coors Classic. Photo: John Maynard

In the Race Leader jersey, 1986 Coors Classic.

In July of 1984, Ron and eight other 7-Eleven riders earned their place on the U.S. Olympic Cycling Squad for the L.A. Games. In eight short days, the U.S. Cycling Team won nine medals of a possible 15, four of them gold. Ron won a bronze for his part in the team time trial.

Photo: Olympic Team Time Trial, 1984, Ron leading out.

Photo: Ron with President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan at Olympic Medal presentation ceremony, 1984, Los Angeles, CA.

All of this national success was grand, but Och had bigger goals in mind. He quickly set in motion the plan for going international and fielding his young team on the vaunted European pro circuit.

That first year in Europe, 1985, was an arduous journey for the young American team. Bad weather, lack of acceptance, cultural differences and the unrelenting high-speed pace of the European peloton made for a rough baptism. They had planned for two stage races in France and two in Italy, plus two major one-day races, Milan-San Remo and Trofeo Laigueglia.

With mixed results in the French stage races, on February 20 the 7-Elevens headed for Italy for the Trofeo. Toward the end of the 196km course, Ron found himself at the head of the pack. With a short climb just before the finish and in trademark style, Ron rocketed off the front to catch the lead rider Vittoria Algeri, the Italian national road champion. The two worked hard to stay away from the charging group and with 300 meters to go, Ron launched into the sprint and blew past Algeri to clinch his first – and 7-Eleven’s first – pro victory.

Photo: Ron Kiefel crosses the line as he wins in the 1985 Trofeo Laigueglia.

In April 2010, VeloNews did a 25th anniversary piece on Ron's Trofeo win. Click the image at right to launch a pdf of the article.

With that win, the desire to see how they could perform in a major stage race was set. The Giro d’Italia was just a few short months away and Och pulled off a promotional masterpiece to get his upstart team into the start list. His 1985 Giro goal: a stage win and a Top 20 finisher.

That first Grand Tour for the American team was a painful reality. If it could go wrong, it did. The Italian racers treated them like Dave in the movie Breaking Away. But the American spirit couldn’t be broken and the team rode on, often crashing and often sick, but persevering and slowly earning respect.

At the conclusion of the second week the team embarked on Stage 15, a tough 203-km day. Attack after attack, the peloton splintered until a lead group emerged, with Ron sitting in and plenty left in his legs. Another attack launched, Ron quickly answered and he found himself gliding across the line as the first American winner of a stage in the Giro d’Italia. That day will forever be remembered as the day the Americans arrived. They’ve never left.

Team 7-Eleven, Paris, Tour de France, 1987.

Team 7-Eleven, 1989 Training Camp. They had changed bike sponsor to Merckx. Note Bob Roll at center in snakeskin tights with Eddy Merckx to his left. Ron is to Eddy's left.

Ron went on to ride many more professional European races in his career, including three finishes in Paris-Roubaix and seven finishes in the Tour de France. He won a Tour of Tuscany and racked up two U.S. National Pro Road Championships and two U.S. National Team Time Trial Championships. After 7-Eleven disbanded, Ron rode for Motorola, Saturn, and Coors Light.

In 2004, Ron was inducted into the United States Bicycling Hall of Fame.

And all of this because his father bought a little bike shop in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.

On Alpe d'Huez, 1986 Tour de France