Preparation H!
LOL!
Posted on 08/26/2005 1:47:29 AM PDT by lowbuck
Nothing says more about different countries and the relations between them than sports. You can learn at least as much about America by watching the World Series as attending a Republican or Democratic convention, and for the past century, no cultural phenomenon has been more central to French life than the Tour de France. That lies behind the bitter row which has erupted, with accusations -- a remarkably long time after the event -- that Lance Armstrong used performance-enhancing drugs in the 1999 Tour, the first of his barely believable sequence of seven victories. For the French, we are talking about something more than a bike race. The Tour is part of national culture.
So it is bad enough that no French rider has won it in 20 years; for an American of all people to have dominated is intolerable. And as if to illustrate the continuing rift between the countries, Mr. Armstrong was out biking only days ago with his friend and fellow Texan, George Bush.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Better yet........maybe you should subscribe.
So is whining...
Surrendering is also part of the French culture.
More to your point, guess you should thank Free Republic. . .
They wish he was boiled, fact is he was tested about 85 times this last Tour De France and all of them turned up negative.
More fine french whine.
Watching Lance on Larry King Live now (European time). Recommend ya'll give this a view when it comes on in the states.
What the French are doing is disgusting. Even if true (and that is a big if), the French have gone about this witch hunt with wall the same subtly they used to drag innocents off the streets an into the bloody guillotines during their "glorious" Revolution.
The samples are six years old, there is no remaining sample left now, so Armstrong cannot disprove a negative, the results were leaked to a hostile media outlet and not to him first, etc. The list goes on and on.
The French are loved by some, but hated by many--including Europe. Ask a Dutchman, Irishman, or Pole what he really thinks of the French. You will get an earful.
If your going to smear someone do it with the most recent race not the first one. Lance peeded in more bottles than anyone in history and this is the best the Frogs could come up with.
You have been critical of his personal life? How is that even any of your business to begin with?
That said, I second the rest of your post.
He's a public figure....
..We can have our opinions here at FR...
..at least he was honest to state that outright, and then proceed to compliment him.
Lance Armstrong didn't beat the French. The French gave up.
Really! Wow! What do sports say about our relationship with Iran or Saudi Arabia or Afghanistan.
Why this controversy is erupting now is one thing. Another one is that Lance's samples are full of EPO. If he has taken drugs and indeed is the fraud he now appears to be, he must give his title(s) back and get his image dismantled. Greg Lemond is saying for years that he knows Lance is taking drugs. Teammates of Lance testified he was jumping out of the window when the officials came to test him.
A few days ago we saw how fast he is without drugs when GWB made swallow eat dust at the race in Crawford.
I just hope Lance sues the L'Equipe and this entire thing gets examined under the microscope. Could become the new Michael Jackson case.
To the item: If an allegation is made publicly, and later retracted, the public will remember the allegation and little notice the retraction.
The French have been losers for so long you'de think by now they would have learned to be gracious at it.
The froggies probably contaminated his urine. There are enough people who hate Lance and are jealous that you can't overlook that real possibility.
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