What is the root cause of Lance Armstrong's indecision about riding his bicycle in the 2009 Tour de France?
Until I read recently filed stories about his training for next season, I thought he was concerned about the attitude of Tour de France officials and perhaps some members of his own team.
Now I see that the threat of personal violence is also part of it. Many French cycling fans despise him and there's no way to control spectators alongside the roadside; that close relationship makes cycling unique.
8th attempt
When Armstrong announced in September that he was coming out of retirement to raise worldwide awareness about cancer, he pointedly said that an 8th attempt at a Tour de France victory was definitely on the plate.
Now, he's not so sure. Tour de France president Jean-Etienne Amaury has said that Armstrong had “embarrassed” the event. Astana teammate Alberto Contador has said he didn't want any competition from within the team.
And German cyclist Linus Gerdemann has been quoted about Armstrong's return: “This is not positive for the credibility of cycling.” (This from a 26-year-old with one Tour stage win to his credit as a member of T-Mobile.)
Amaury and Gerdemann were referring to doping allegations that have never been proven.
“… can get you”
Armstrong mentions tension with his cycling in the Tour. He spoke with reporters at wind-tunnel training in San Diego. He talked about how football fans may hate an opposing team, but there's no physical interaction.
“Cycling's not that way. So if they hate you and you're on the roads and they want you, they can get you.”
I've read in the past that cycling fans spat on him on climbs like the Alpe Huez. This week he said his last two Tour de France races were “not fun.”
Weird
Asked about why French cycling fans dislike him while he's better liked throughout other parts of Europe:
“It's very weird and the psychology of it, I can't figure it out. In a sense it's a historical event to them; no one had ever won more than five. The way I race the Tour, even stuff like I'm doing here today, the thought and methodical approach, and the robotic approach to racing, not showing emotion, not showing suffering or pain, is not a popular style of racing in France.
“To them panache is the guy who suffers and is swinging all over his bike and looks like he's about to fall off. And I've never found that to be an effective way to try to win.”
Other races
Armstrong is still enthusiastic about competing in Tour Down Under, Tour of California, and the Giro d'Italia, as well as Tour of Flanders, Criterium International, Circuit de la Sarthe.
Armstrong's longtime coach, Chris Carmichael, is confident that Armstrong will return to the Tour.
See also: LA Times “Armstrong ready for recycling”
Recent Comments