Politics
Harry Hamburg / NY Daily News / Getty
Billionaire Donald Trump at news conference at the DuPont Plaza in Wilmington Delaware, promoting his "Tour de Trump" bicycle race to be held in May.
- In 1989, President Donald Trump put his name and face on one of America's largest bike races: the Tour de Trump.
- The 11-day bike race, crafted in the image of the Tour de France, was 837 miles long, venturing from Albany to Atlantic City, and had a $250,000 pot of prize money.
- The race finished with a flourish outside Trump Plaza, his now-closed casino.
- According to USA Cycling President Kevin Bouchard-Hall, Tour de Trump - and Tour DuPont, which replaced it - were "wildly successful" and raised the profile of American cycling.
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Before he was president, Donald Trump was the face of one of America's biggest bicycle races.
In 1989, he lent his name to the Tour de Trump, an 11-day bike race crafted in the image of the Tour de France.
The race was 837 miles long, from Albany to Atlantic City, and broken into 10 stages. The massive race was put together with 35,000 traffic cones, 40,000 feet of snow fence, 30,000 feet of rope, and 15,000 plastic ties. There was also a $250,000 pot of prize money for the winners.
When Trump was first approached with the idea, he was skeptical about lending his name to it. But he went for it. He guaranteed $750,000 to fund the Tour de Trump and quickly made a profit. It became one of the many projects he's lent his name to and made money from, even without hands-on involvement.
And in typical Trump fashion, it was controversial. Trump was met with protesters who viewed him as a symbol of greed. His lawyers threatened a different annual bike race because its name, "Rump," was too close to his own. And one of the racing teams was sponsored by a Dutch brothel.
But it also helped the cycling industry. USA Cycling President Kevin Bouchard-Hall told Politico that the race and its successors were "wildly successful endeavors which raised the profile of American cycling internationally and, within the US, raised the profile of the sport of cycling."
Here's what Tour de Trump was like.