Doug Shapiro (September 15, 1959 – January 15, 2025) was an American professional cyclist who became a bicycle accident consultant. He was a member of two

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

Olympic Olympic or Olympics may refer to Sports Competitions * Olympic Games, international multi-sport event held since 1896 ** Summer Olympic Games ** Winter Olympic Games * Ancient Olympic Games, ancient multi-sport event held in Olympia, Greece bet ...

teams and was only the third ever American to compete in and finish the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

. For over the last twenty years, he served as a consultant and

expert witness An expert witness, particularly in common law countries such as the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States, is a person whose opinion by virtue of education, training, certification, skills or experience, is accepted by the judge as ...

to attorneys who represent parties involved in bicycle accident litigation. Shapiro began his competitive cycling career at the age of thirteen. During his career as both a top amateur and professional racer, Shapiro competed in many countries throughout the world. Shapiro was a member of the American Olympic Team in 1980, but was not able to participate due to United States participation in the

1980 Summer Olympics boycott The 1980 Summer Olympics boycott was the largest boycott in Olympic history and one part of a number of actions initiated by the United States to protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. The Soviet Union, which hosted the 1980 Summ ...

. He was a member of the 1984 American Olympic team. In 1980, he received a

Congressional Gold Medal The Congressional Gold Medal is the oldest and highest civilian award in the United States, alongside the Presidential Medal of Freedom. It is bestowed by vote of the United States Congress, signed into law by the president. The Gold Medal exp ...

at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

due to the 1980 Olympic Boycott. The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest civilian honor bestowed by

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

, and its first recipient was

George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...

, who was so honored on March 25, 1776. In 1984 Shapiro won American's top cycling stage race, the

Coors Classic The Coors International Bicycle Classic (1980–1988) was a stage race sponsored by the Coors Brewing Company. Coors was the race's second sponsor; the first, Celestial Seasonings, named the race after its premium tea Red Zinger, which began in ...

- riding for the 7-Eleven racing team. The following year, in 1985, Doug Shapiro became just the third American to compete in and finish the Tour de France (achieving 74th place), in addition to finishing third in the 1985 Coors Classic. In 1997, Shapiro was inducted into the Cycling Hall of Fame as part of the

7-Eleven Cycling Team The 7-Eleven Cycling Team, later the Motorola Cycling Team, was a professional cycling team founded in the U.S. in 1981 by Jim Ochowicz, a former U.S. Olympic cyclist. The team lasted 16 years, under the sponsorship of 7-Eleven through 1990 and t ...

that competed in the

1986 Tour de France The 1986 Tour de France was a cycling race held in France, from 4 July to 27 July. It was the 73rd running of the Tour de France. Greg LeMond of won the race, ahead of his teammate Bernard Hinault. It was the first ever victory for a rider outs ...

. In 1999 he was inducted into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. From 1985 to 1989, Shapiro competed on professional cycling teams. In 1985, Shapiro rode with

Jan Raas Jan Raas (born 8 November 1952) is a Dutch former professional cyclist whose 115 wins include the 1979 World Road Race Championship in Valkenburg, the Tour of Flanders in 1979 and 1983, Paris–Roubaix in 1982 and Milan–San Remo in 1977. He w ...

and

Joop Zoetemelk Gerardus Joseph "Joop" Zoetemelk (; born 3 December 1946) is a Dutch former professional racing cyclist. He started and finished the Tour de France 16 times, which were both records when he retired. He also holds the distance record in Tour de F ...

on the Kwantum Hallen Team. Shapiro built his reputation as a hill climber and sprinter and earned the nickname "Bullet.” After breaking his hip and being advised to retire, Shapiro had an additional successful season before retiring in 1989. In 1990, Shapiro acted as the

technical advisor In film production, a technical advisor is someone who advises the director on the convincing portrayal of a subject. The advisor's expertise adds realism both to the acting and to the setting of a movie. Nipo T. Strongheart Nipo T. Stronghear ...

and

technical writer A technical writer is a professional communicator whose task is to convey complex information in simple terms to an audience of the general public or a very select group of readers. Technical writers research and create information through a vari ...

for the video "Cycling for Success,” produced by the 7-Eleven Bike team. The video was the first of its kind to offer cycling safety tips and techniques. It was created for all levels of cyclists, from the serious racer to amateur enthusiast. Shapiro owned and operated Shapiro & Associates. The Company provides bicycle expert witness services to personal injury attorneys, municipalities, government agencies, manufacturers, and insurance companies that are involved in bicycle accident litigation. Shapiro died in California after a climbing accident on January 15, 2025, at the age of 65.Legendary U.S. racing pioneer Doug Shapiro dies at 65
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Major results

;1980 :New York State Champion ;1984 :1st

:1st stage 1 Settimana Bergamasca Italy :1st stage 1 Tour De Ardennes France ;1985 :1st stage 12

;1989 :1st stage 6 Tour of Texas ;1988 :1st National Capital Open :1st Las Vegas Sports Festival

Major results

References

External links

See also