Imagine throwing the football around with Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin.

If baseball’s your deal, how about taking infield with Robby Thompson and Will Clark?

Sounds cool, doesn’t it? And it’s probably not going to happen.

But if you’re a cyclist, heading out on a recreational ride with three-time Tour de France champion Greg LeMond is at your fingertips.

When the inaugural U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame Legends Gran Fondo pushes off from Central Park on Sunday, LeMond will be one of a dozen Hall-inducted riders touring the dual-course outing.

As many as 400 cyclists are expected to go wheel-to-wheel with sport giants like LeMond, Olympic medalists Alexi Grewal (gold) and Nelson Vails (silver) and Pan American Games gold winners John Howard, Wayne Stetina, George Mount, Jeanne Golay and Mike McCarthy.

The Gran Fondo covers 93 miles and will tour the foothills west of Davis between Winters and Vacaville. The Medio Fondo traverses much flatter terrain and goes for 63 miles.

Hall of Fame board president Anthony Costello is excited about the potential of the Legends Gran Fondo.

“One of our goals when we relocated to Davis was to add more annual events that could focus on our inductees and raise money for the organization,” Costello told The Enterprise earlier this year. “We’re optimistic that we can make this a truly one-of-a-kind event in the country, and grow it quickly.”

With registration swelling to more than 300 riders, Hall Executive Director Joe Herget says there is still time for riders to get involved:

“The Gran Fondo is attracting many of America’s greatest cyclists from all disciplines of the sport.”

LeMond, a 1996 Hall of Fame inductee, is the marquee participant.

LeMond became the first American (and non-European) to win the Tour de France when he captured the race in 1986.

The following year, a gunshot wound from a hunting accident almost ended LeMond’s racing career. But the Lakewood native returned to training in Colorado and Nevada City and miraculously captured back-to-back Tour de France titles in 1989 and ’90.

He lives in Minnesota.

But with riders like track superstar Vails and triathlete Howard in the fold, local cyclists will have a star-studded field in which to ride, and from which to tell stories for decades.

BMXer Stu Thompson as well as mountain-bike mavens Jacquie Phelan and Ruthie Mathes have joined the ranks.

Fuji Bicycles, Bicycling Magazine and Sutter Davis Hospital already have checked in as sponsors.

Registration fees are $95 for the so-called Elite Package (63-mile ride) and $135 for the Pro Package.

With either route, participants get rest-stop food and a “premium post-ride meal.” In each case there is start-to-finish timing, bike parking and medical and technical support.

The Medio Fondo crew gets a USBHOF Legends Gran Fondo T-shirt. The major difference in the longer, more expensive ride is that cyclists will receive a limited-edition Legends Gran Fondo jersey.

Herget notes that “registering today includes an automatic entry for a chance to win a brand-new Fuji Gran Fondo 2.0 bike.”

Visit www.usbhof.org/register to sign up.

The Legends Gran Fondo begins at 7:30 a.m.

— Reach Bruce Gallaudet at [email protected] or (530) 747-8047.

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The legendary Greg LeMond, Tour de France winner in 1986, 1989 and 1990, will be riding with local cyclists on Sunday in the inaugural U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame Legends Gran Fondo. There is still time to register for the ride. AP file photo

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