job816 2: Good point.Go U.S.A. I know I'll get hammered by a few Politically correct lefties. Who cares.

I think OLN's coverage of this year's tour is fantastic. I have to wonder if the same level of technological innovation and effort has gone into supporting and building all the teams. While a 6th win would absolutely be a breakthrough, I have to wonder if a Miguel Indurain or an Eddie Merkx had that same innovation behind them could they have taken their own streaks out further.

To keep this in a travel vein, the views have been extraordinary!

Grasshopper: Everything is relative,those men were great riders and the best of their era. Everyone is competing in the same time with the same technology available to them.Lance has no advantage that he didn't earn,nor any technology unavailable to anyone smart enough to find it.

It is so very exciting for me for in two weeks time I will be on Alpe d'huez cheering on all these amazing althletes. My husband will even ride up the day before and they say that all the pople lining the road cheer you on. It will certinly be a one-of-a- kind experience.

Dr. Do Good, I'm sorry, you are off on this one. Mgmargate has a valid point. A couple of years ago (could be two or three, not sure which), even the European papers were commenting on how rude the French spectators were to Lance along the route. The French were screaming insults and making all kinds of remarks about (unfounded) drug use etc to French tv crews (we get French TV stations here). It was obviously an anti-American, anti-Armstrong bias, not merely routing for the French team.
I hope there is no repeat of that unsportsmanlike behaviour this year. It really was inexcusable.

DRdoGood: Being that you started it are you positive those WMD that even the French and Bill Clinton insisted Saddam had aren't in Syria,Lebanon or Iran.

The French even asserted that Lance was avoiding taxes on his Letour winnings and did not share it with his teammates. As a result (or partly because of this), Lance sold his home in France and now lives part of the year in Spain. However, for those who don't know Lance was considered very arrogant in his younger years and was not very sportsperson like himself when it came to talking about the French and other cyclists. However, I think both the French and Lance have mellowed over time.

MGM, resist the temptation to bring irrelevant politics into this, no matter who started it, or you will guarantee this thread gets pulled. Keep your focus on Lance!!

mgmargate - I had no wish to get drawn into THAT discussion (and I certainly haven't broadcast my views on it on THIS forum)- I was merely using it by way of illustrating your own agenda.

Apologies for mistaking you for Uncle Sam. It was a natural mistake given the tone and gist of your comments and those of dearlt departed U.S are so very coincidental (albeit over the span of one year) on this subject. However I now stand corrected and, am sure, can look forward to more of your reasoned and modulated postings.

kind regards

Dr D.

DrDoGood&BTilke: No Problem.Have a good one.

I did note that the crowd did seem to be cheering Lance pretty good. The announcers stated that the French people mostly like and respect Lance a lot more than the French media imply.

In an interview on BBC or ITV (apologies for EVER mistaking the two!) Lance was asked if the likes of Jan Urlich (sp?) kept him awake at night.
His response:
No, but he gets me up very early in the morning.
THAT is why I think he is a great sportsman.

As to Lance's breakup he apparently lives on the same street as his ex and kids so he sees them every day when in Austin.
As for Indurain, I think it is he that Lance is indebted to for his riding style. The purses have gotten larger, the emphasis and exposure also. This is true of most pro sports--it's the breaks for those that came earlier.

Hey, the man is sleeping with Sheryl Crow! I doubt he thinks much about Jan at night. ;-)

And I hear it's Peets Coffee that gets him up early in the morning. He's done very nice things for their stock prices.

HAH!!!

As to his "breakup"..is it at all within the realm of possibility that his ex could have played some eenie weenie tiny minuscule part in the breakup or are we on the usual "the Man is always the bad guy" kick again?

The French love a winner as much as anyone else because they know that the person in second place is really the first one who lost.

And so they "changed the rules"..big deal..he'll win anyway!

topman . .. it always takes two.

ttt

Vous allez Lance.

I like to CHoose the "Rashamon" approach. there are three sides to a story: His, Hers and the TRUTH!