Posted on 07/20/2005 7:58:43 PM PDT by Dolphan
REVEL, France - (KRT) - Lance Armstrong is counting down the days now, and the rest of international cycling is counting right along with him.
"It's been great, but it's time to do something else," Armstrong said as he approaches Sunday's finish line of his seventh straight Tour de France victory.
He doesn't get any argument from the other riders who have tired of chasing the Texan for all these miles over all these years.
The American domination has become something of a sore subject, particularly in France. It is one thing for the French to be second-best to Italy, Spain or Germany - all great cycling nations - but to constantly finish behind a rider from America, where cycling is about as popular and well-understood as team handball, well, that is something else.
The French newspaper L'Equipe cattily noted the other day that if you combined the times of the top five U.S. riders in the Tour and the times of the top five French riders, the American were 3 hours, 24 minutes faster. In the interest of completeness, the paper pointed out that the home team was also behind Spain, Italy, Germany, and the states of the former Soviet Union.
(Excerpt) Read more at mercurynews.com ...
Spoiler alert!
Did anybody complain when Eddie Merkx or Miguel Indurain dominated the Tour?
Well!! Get some Frenchman who can peddle faster!! What's the beef!!??
Another Crying jag by the French. I believe I heard that they were really upset about the English getting allof the attention over the Bombings, what childish crybaby antics are these? A World Leader --- Grow Up!!
Hee, hee, and the one finger salute to the Frogs.
They weren't American...
It's OK for the Frogs to lose to a German, they are used to that. (Or was Merxkxcxk a Belgian?)
I wish we had American downhill and slalom skiers that could beat the Europeans more often. Or how about a winning Americna Grand Prix driver?
I'm surprised that Lance hasn't been attacked or assaulted by European fans or partisans.
They're not very sporting losers.
(Of course, we never get the opportunity, but that is besides the point.).
Le French suc le big one.
"Well!! Get some Frenchman who can peddle faster!! What's the beef!!?? "
Well if you could get the French riders off the juice so they didn't die of heart attacks in thier pedals maybe they could win.
Handball is a powerhouse here in America, again the French are so French.
We need to send them some freedom fries.
I dont think the European fans hate him as much as the European press does.
From what I understood, tons of fans last yr were wearing the yellow bracelet that has become so popular here in the States.
Also, I was under the impression that US skiiers have been doing quite well in the last season or two.
As far as grand prix drivers go, that type of car racing is a distant 4th, or 5th in this country, and with the Michelin fiasco, it won't get any better anytime soon.
Live it up, Frenchies. When the muslims introduce Sharia rule, the only sport you'll get is polo with a sheep's head.
As long as it isn't American domination (whether it's cultural, sports, political) they don't care who rules them.
But, they will be in for a big surprise when they find out what the Mohammedans have in store for them.
The icing on the cake is that the French wine, cheese, and tourism industries are tanking because Americans are taking their business elsewhere in record numbers.
So the Frogs are pissed that a Texan is beating them at their own game, non? Maybe they out to take a cue from the Texan and eat a friggin' steak every once in a while instead of clogging their colons with cheese....?
It was last year or the one before, Toad partisans spat upon Lance.
BTW- Eddy Mercx is a Belgie
The French are inconsequential and have small.....
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