Leonard Nitz

Leonard Harvey Nitz ( born September 30, 1956 in Hamilton ) is a former American professional racing cyclist.

Leonard was one of the dominant racing cyclist of the United States from the 1970s to the 1980s. He won 13 national titles in the disciplines of One - and team pursuit and in the 1000 -meter time trial. In the UCI Track World Championships 1981 in Brno, he became Vice World Champion and at the Track World Championships in 1986 in Colorado Springs third in the points race. In 1987 he won at the Pan American Games in Indianapolis the gold medal in the team pursuit, together with Carl Sundquist, Dave Lettieri and David Brinton.

Three times - 1976, 1984 and 1988 - began Nitz at the Olympic Games. 1984, in Los Angeles, he won two medals, a silver in the team pursuit ( with Dave Grylls, Steve Hegg, Pat McDonough and Brent Emery ) and a bronze in the individual pursuit, behind his team-mates from the train quad Hegg, who won gold, and German Rolf Golz.

Shortly after the Olympic competitions in Los Angeles turned out that Hegg and Nitz had doped with foreign blood. But this had no consequences for the athletes, as this practice was not yet prohibited.