What is Digg?114 Comments
- Hobbes24, on 10/04/2008, -17/+126have a nice gulp of hatred frenchie
because at the end of the day our guy had more in one testicle than your entire country could muster - basye, on 10/04/2008, -17/+88The French have always been and will continue to be, jealous of Armstrong's success. They will do anything possible to slander or libel him in order to sully his reputation.
- UnterDenLinden, on 10/04/2008, -8/+77How has he embarrassed it? Also, is the tour organizer really going to accuse Armstrong of doping? I guess the French hate us that much, even when Armstrong will probably bring 10x more American attention to the race.
- inactive, on 10/05/2008, -5/+50"Who the hell does he think he is? Surviving cancer.... what an embarrasment to the sport."
- robbh66, on 10/05/2008, -7/+50Because it's a french race and Armstrong has embarrassed them... thoroughly...
- CaseyCC, on 10/05/2008, -6/+40Talk about biting the hand that feeds you. What other rider has come across in the last 10 years that has popularized the sport of cycling as much as Armstrong? That would be like the PGA saying that Tiger Woods is an embarrassment.
- TunaFishGangsta, on 10/04/2008, -4/+35This article adds more info and background:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hGUUPbbLbZNVp2 ...
--- snip ---
Amaury, who took over from the recently departed Patrice Clerc two days ago, said the American - who despite never testing positive courted plenty of doping controversy during his career - will have no special treatment.
"We've got no qualms about Armstrong coming back to the Tour," Amaury told AFP Friday.
"But we'll be playing close attention to make sure he respects all requests that are made in an anti-doping framework to the letter."
--- end snip ---
In other words, they have nothing, but they are suspicious because he is damn good. It's been proven that his body is simply designed for biking. Similar to how Phelps is designed for swimming - the man who is 6'8" and has the legs of a 5' man. - thegamingguy, on 10/04/2008, -5/+35When most people think about bicycle racing (and they usually don't), they think of Lance Armstrong. Accusations true or false, he has taken that sport to another level.
- cran, on 10/05/2008, -6/+28It's not all French people. Just like Americans are not all Republican, not all French people are *****.
- Lancelot9201, on 10/05/2008, -3/+24The fact is, he was tested more than many other riders. It wasn't uncommon for him to be tested twice in a 36 hr. period, win or not.
I read once that he wouldn't even drink anything that someone he didn't know offered him out of fear that he was being setup. It has to be somewhat disappointing to him though to have to contently deal with doping when he's never tested positive. I guess innocent until proven guilty doesn't apply to a superstar like him.. - aflaks, on 10/05/2008, -15/+36the french are an embarassment...
- FaithclubDotNet, on 10/05/2008, -2/+20When you kick someone's ass so hard for so long, it tends to embarrass them.
- azneggrollz, on 10/05/2008, -2/+17Phelps is not 6'8"--he's 6'4" and his legs are not that of a 5' man, they are that of a 5'11" man. You're right about one thing though, these two athletes are built to dominate their respective sports.
- Kamatz, on 10/05/2008, -5/+18How is it hypocrisy? Did basye say he would never slander anyone or that no one should ever slander, no he just stated an opinion and you jumped down his throat for it. Seem like you have a grudge or something.
- mrstoneok, on 10/05/2008, -1/+13@tdog138 or anyone else
As someone who never followed racing, due to various articles, I was under the impression that it was known he was clean. I am genuinely curious as to whether or not this is true though. I would love for you to post something that I can read that would suggest otherwise. - dotcomet, on 10/05/2008, -7/+18The French Tour organizers are *****.
- dafragsta, on 10/05/2008, -8/+18Admittedly it's a generalization, but having been best friends with a Frenchie, the French are extremely egotistical and spiteful. This is what happens when you criticize one nation for it's self satisfaction when you have an equal abundance of your own.
- Comatose51, on 10/05/2008, -2/+12It's sad that we have to state something so obvious. Some French might be jerks but some of us Americans are dumb as hell.
- TVarmy, on 10/05/2008, -3/+13Is Armstrong really American? I've seen stuff written about his biology, and I suspect he isn't human, much less from Earth.
- plainOldFool, on 10/05/2008, -0/+9My body was designed for beer.
- auricomnet, on 10/05/2008, -5/+14LOL!
- jcaino, on 10/05/2008, -4/+12what bs. the man is a champion no matter how you look at it - he came back from a bout with cancer to continue to compete at a world-class level and kicked ass at that. doping or not, the man is absolutely bad-ass. i really find it hard to believe that he would risk everything he's accomplished and driven for by doping.
- inactive, on 10/05/2008, -1/+9Paris. In a recent poll, the French Capital came 3rd out of 60 for attractiveness, but only 52nd for friendliness
Parisians have been told they are rude- by their own tourism chiefs.
Tourist officials in Paris have told the city's notoriously grumpy waiters, shopkeepers and taxi drivers that their bad manners and poor personal hygiene are driving visitors away.
This week the Paris tourist office launched a major campaign urging all the city's residents to make tourists feel more welcome in the city.
Hundreds of thousands of brochures containing a "charter" of commitments to be helpful and polite are being handed out to Parisiens and tourists in English and in French.
The charter tells locals, "I will take the time to give information to visitors".
And it urges them to, "make use of my foreign-language skills to reply to visitors in their own language".
But it also tells tourists, "I will experience the Parisien lifestyle" and "I will take advantage of my stay to try French products".
As part of the drive to make visitors feel more welcome, tourist board staff will be sent to the city's most-visited sites in orange and white T-shirts bearing the slogan "Paris est vous", meaning Paris is Yours.
A recent global survey ranked Paris as the world's third most attractive city behind Sydney and London, but it came only 52nd out of 60 for friendliness.
Japanese psychologists have identified what they call "Paris Syndrome", when polite Japanese tourists suffer mental breakdown at the shock of being treated rudely by Parisian locals.
On average, up to 12 Japanese tourists a year fall victim to it, mainly women in their 30s whose high expectations of their first dream trip abraod are shattered by Parisien arrogance.
The Japanese embassy has a 24-hour hotline for those suffering from severe culture shock, and provides hospital treatment for anyone in need.
Paris tourist office chairman Jean-Claude Lesourd said: "We have been trying very hard for a number of years to improve the welcome that Parisians offer to visitors.
"And things are getting better. More and more Parisians can answer questions in English, for example. The old stereotype of people only speaking French is no longer true."
He added: "We have made particular efforts with the city's taxi drivers with workshops to teach them subjects ranging from English speaking to hygiene and how to smile." - hydriplex, on 10/05/2008, -0/+7Actually in print it's libel.
- artfiend77, on 10/05/2008, -0/+6ObamaWins: I think the French are afraid of a single anything.
- ObamaWins08, on 10/05/2008, -0/+6Because the French are obviously afraid of a single American?
- tdog138, on 10/05/2008, -2/+7Here is a really broad overview of the narrative surrounding Armstrong.
http://www.arpuerta.com/040917.html
But the main point I was making was the difference between Armstrong and Bonds. With Bonds, it seems like most people are just ready to accept the fact that he doped without wanting actual evidence of the fact. With Armstrong, most people want concrete proof.
It is clearly a double standard. - inactive, on 10/05/2008, -1/+6retard.
- gurp13, on 10/05/2008, -3/+8Right, because no other rider has ever been nationalistic when winning the Tour. Especially no Frenchmen.
- Ajajadude, on 10/05/2008, -0/+5@tdog
Because Bonds is, and always has been, a complete *****. He's a dick to the fans, to his teammates and to the media (which really is no big deal). He's not a likable person.
Armstrong, on the other hand, is a great story. A man fighting against all odds and coming out on top, beating cancer and successfully getting back into cycling.
Is it any wonder that people have no problem believing Bonds, the *****, cheated and Armstrong, hope for cancer patients, is clean? - subversive1, on 10/05/2008, -5/+10His best revenge would be to win an 8th time.***** You Amaury
- hoogie, on 10/05/2008, -1/+6snip - lol
- eyepennies, on 10/05/2008, -1/+5Look up Slander in a dictionary, douchebag. He didn't slander anyone.
- Ajajadude, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4...how is that xenophobia?
- megamod, on 10/05/2008, -0/+4The 12 people that dugg you down stink and have hairy arm pits (the women too!)
Oui oui monami - inactive, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3Krosom:
Is it so hard to accept the fact that Lance is just a supreme athlete? He is propably the most tested athlete in the past 100 yrs, yet there had never been a confirmed positive test for banned substances.
Unique and driven, he is a true champion. - bphicke, on 10/05/2008, -3/+6...to life.
- twotimesthru, on 10/05/2008, -4/+7This isn't the first time a retired cyclist came back to ride in the tour... I think they're just a bit unnerved because Armstrong brings so much more to the Tour. Not that the Tour is lacking without him. It's just clear that a tour with Lance is vastly different. When Lance rides, the others teams strategy is to watch what Lance Armstrong does...
- LenBaird, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3Imagine if a French team won the Superbowl or the World Series 7 years in a row. That is how he embarrassed the Tour.
- vigi, on 10/05/2008, -4/+7I've been there maybe 6 times and spent a total of 10 weeks living there and I can count exactly 2 of them I do not want to kick in the teeth... Both of whom are now living in California.
- inactive, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3Owwmykneecap:
Christ you're stupid. I suggest you look up the meaning of slander. - inactive, on 10/05/2008, -1/+4That's redundant.
- inactive, on 10/05/2008, -0/+3 i actually felt good about floyd landis coming back to win it all. and then i heard about the doping. it makes you question whether all of those sports miracles were really miracles. sonuvabitch cycler...
- inactive, on 10/05/2008, -15/+18Don't make us go back to "Freedom Fries," *****.
- DaveyT5, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2Lots of people inside cycling don't like Armstrong and its not all because he wins the tour more than anybody else. For starters the tour was virtually the only race he did every year, while other top riders were racing UCI pro series and other grand tours like the Giro lance trained only for the tour and only for the tour. While lance is right in saying that nobody on his team was busted for doping its really only half true. The many of the higher profile domestiques on the US postal service and discovery channel teams have tested positive after lance retired and they started racing for other teams, this is one of the main reasons there is a lot of suspicion on lance. though they may be jealous there are a lot more reasons to people hating lance than the fact that they are french
- plainOldFool, on 10/05/2008, -1/+3Verbs. Use them.
- inactive, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2That was an intelligent, well though out post.
- psevium, on 10/05/2008, -1/+3What, there's other bicycle racers?
- belfastbiker, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2Went to see him kick ass in person in Paris, stopped watching cycling at all, including Le Tour, when he resigned.
Don't think he needs to come back though, he's a little old. He'll still be competitive, but not as dominant - would hate to see him bow out again, losing. - tito13kfm, on 10/05/2008, -0/+2"Am I alone here in hating the french?" - Al Bundy
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