Posted on 07/21/2004 1:04:05 PM PDT by BluegrassScholar
L'ALPE D'HUEZ, France (Reuters) - Tour de France director Jean-Marie Leblanc has admitted he had seen fans spit at five-times champion Lance Armstrong during the 15.5-km time trial to L'Alpe d'Huez.
Leblanc also said the swarming crowds on the twisting climb on Wednesday had frightened him as riders, including Armstrong, were forced to weave through excited fans who jumped out on to the road.
"I was scared too and I felt relieved when we reached the section with barriers," Leblanc told Reuters after stage winner Armstrong described the stage as a "bad idea" and hit out at some German fans.
"Until this morning, everybody thought this time trial was a good idea and now we realised it was not so.
"There were lots of aggressive fans surrounding the riders and I even saw two idiots spit at Lance Armstrong."
"Unfortunately I doubt you can put barriers on the 14 kilometres of the climb," he added.
Armstrong, who stormed to victory nearly a minute ahead of his closest challenger Jan Ullrich and now looks set for a record sixth Tour win, urged organisers to think seriously about holding another time trial at the ski resort.
"I don't know if that's such a good thing for the Tour de France. I don't think it's safe. I think organisers should watch out," said the American.
The spitters could be from anywhere in Europe. I saw this today and was amazed how close the crowds were.
Damn those Europeans are sophisticated.
The French should know better then to spit on a liberal American opposed to the Iraq War.
It was most likely German's doing the spitting. If your country was run by socialists and has 12% unemployment and your guy was getting his @ss kicked by an American, you'd be pissed, too.
Okay...EUROPE is really starting to p*** me off!
Let's not forget the constant (all hours of the day & night) drug testing. That's why he left France & brought a place in Spain.
I am still suspecting that a fan is going to take Lance out by some means such as a stick in the spokes.
Getting a place is Spain didn't get him out of drug testing.
Some of the graffiti on the road was hostile as well, e.g. "Lance Sucks," "EPO Lance." But one bit was great. It said "Cut their balls off Lance." Indeed.
The French fan are just lovely. They did the same thing to one of the Williams sisters as well. They hate winners, and American winners most of all.
Two class acts!
Of course not, but it did pretty much stop the 3am drug testing, though.
...but I thought the French love Americans, they just hate our gov't? :>
We're supposed to emulate them, right?
The spitters could be from anywhere in Europe. I saw this today and was amazed how close the crowds were.
Those spitters could've been any radical fringe group goons using Mr.Lance Americana as their scape goat regardless of his political affiliation. Besides most people in general get tired of the same person/team winning year after year. The masses over the course of mankind always go for and relate better towards the under dog. Lance hasn't been an underdog in a long time.
And Americans were supposed to carry the label of "ugly".
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