Yeah, it was nice to see him retire a champion, and refute claims of letting his team win for him by dominating yesterday's individual time trial.DougFowler wrote:Well, I guess maybe Americans are doing okay in bicycle racing - but I bet it doesn't stop the French from bitching. Wow - what a triumph!!
Congratulations to Lance, and to the Discovery Channel for its sponsorship.
When he first won, I was floored, not so much because he was able to do so, but that he did it with a team whose key members were Americans. In the modern era of the Tour, American riders have participated only since Jonathon Boyer entered earned a spot on a European team in 1981. Greg Lemond came along, and proved that American cyclists could be great and lead top European teams. Some years later, a team sponsored by 7-Eleven and comprising mostly Americans made a tentative entry into the field.
Lance was too short-tempered and hot-headed to be good at the grand tours before his bout with cancer. In those days he was a scrappy kid with a chip on his shoulder, and not always safe for the good name of his sponsors. His first sponsor, who owns a bike shop in Dallas, is a friend of mine. Cancer is a hell of a way to learn patience, but he learned it well. And he grew up in the process. His concentration and commitment are what put him in the Yellow Jersey year after year, not just raw talent, and nobody would have ever thought Lance was capable of either on that level before his illness.
I was standing in that bike shop in Dallas when Lance announced his cancer nearly ten years ago. The whole shop fell into a hush as the word spread. Several in that store had suffered under Armstrong's temper and bad behavior, but nobody wanted that. A year later, they were his most loyal fans and strongest supporters, even though they all believed his career was over. We all became committed fans of the Postal Service team (which had been the Motorola team before that, and the 7-Eleven team before that) for putting him on the squad after his French-based team dropped him (in the middle of his treatments, and after promising they would stick with him).
My television has been tuned to OLN for the last three weeks, as it has every July since that first victory.
Between Armstrong and Lemond, Americans have won ten of the last 25 Tours since Jonathon Boyer's first appearance. That's just amazing. The leading team is an American owned and sponsored team, and three of the top ten finishers this year were American. Back in 1986 when Lemond won the first time, nobody could have predicted that it was a harbinger of an American dynasty. It's a little like having a French soccer player come over here, join the NFL, and become the MVP of the Super Bowl for seven years running. Of course the French will bitch! Let them.
Rick "a former bike racer, USCF District Rep, official (who was almost forced to DQ Lemond from a race when he was a junior), and bike-shop bum" Denney
