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 filthy French!
Go Lance Go.....WIN this one for the USA!
"On the Tour thread for today, someone said that on the German sites (I guess he meant cycling sites) people were hoping Lance would be killed (!) by furious fans, before the race is over."
People who think like that are seriously disturbed. So much anger towards an athlete who has no control, no association or influence over President Bush.
Dude dressed in ORANGE and wearing icky EUROTRASH Sandles...LOL..way kewl...yeah, I wanna peeaUropeen
G
How french!
Heras should have stuck with USPS. I suspect he was on his way out anyway. Azevedo did a great job as a replacement.
Is the Race replayed on any ESPN channel? I have Dish Network but do not get the Outdoor Life Channel.
Is there any internet site that broadcasts?
I don't really think it even has anything to do with Bush. They're just mad as heck that Ullrich hasn't been able to win one in all these years, since Lance took over!
Ullrich has been 2nd every year since Lance began coming in 1st.
Not sure it's at all political.
But yes, seriously disturbed, no matter what their (lack of) thinking is.
No wonder we Americans have such a cultural inferiority complex when compared with the sophisticates of "La Belle France"
Sorry - OLN only. On the internet, you can listen live to the tour at letour.fr, or follow along on various sites with text updates like Velonews, the letour.fr site, or the BBC.
The motorcycle escort should carve a path on each sides of the road. With replacement escorts as they mow down the spectators. No spectator should be allowed on the road or off the curbs.
Heras is having a terrible tour - it was wise for the USPS to replace him. He couldn't even keep up on the Pyrenees with the weakest climbers on the USPS team.
"Also, the guy with the "F*ck Bush" on the back of his shirt also had a "livestrong" bracelet on from the Lance Armstrong Foundation to support cancer patients and survivors."
Obviously the guy wearing the "F" Bush shirt, his chemo-therapy must've fried his brain cells.
I agree I have never heard him express political sentiment on left or right. In fact I recall him being asked once about something political and his was response was "I am a cyclist."
Thanks for the info!
No, and it's maddening, because OLN seems not to be carried by many systems.
This is only the 2nd year I've had it.
On Sundays, I think cbs gets to run it, so you can watch the final day then, this Sunday.
(And it bugs me that Lance's girlfriend made some remark a couple of weeks ago, about how Americans just aren't interested in the tour, or cycling, or whatever. I just wanted to say to that dunderhead, guess what, hardly anyone gets to see it in the US! Nobody carries it!)
Anyone remember how the German fans kept Monica Seles from kicking Stefi Graf's butt?
Yeah, Lance better start wearing Kevlar!
Better yet give the cops some pepper spray, that should cool their ardour.
Tour de France - The winner gets to wear yellow.
His girlfriend is country singer Sheryl Crow (?sp). I objected to her interview because of Lance's children. They did not need to see her in future video records, OLN made a mistake with that one but they are star struck.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.