Les Barczewski was born and raised in West Allis, Wisconsin. He and his brother Leigh started out as speed skaters and quickly progressed through the ranks. By 1974 he was competing at the juniors worlds. In 1979 he was 3rd in sprints beating Jerry Ash 2-1. His brother Leigh won that year. In 1980 Les was a member of the Olympic track team but it was boycotted. 1981 he becomes national sprint champ beating Mark Whitehead. 1983 it was a silver medal in the match sprint at the Pan Am Games.
Tandem sprints was also a big deal with Les. He either teamed with his brother Leigh or Nelson Vails. He and Vails won a national title in 1985 and a silver medal the same year at worlds. In 1986 he turned pro but the end was near. He got 7th at the Pro World Sprint Championships. Koichi Nakano won. That same year Les was the pro world record holder for 200 meters and then he retired.
Les is currently living in Mexico. This year he'll be inducted into the U.S. Bicycling Hall of Fame.
