Yes, of course it's daft of me to generalise about "the french". However, years of following the TDF on french radio plus reading Lance Armstrong has shocked me. For years the french riders did rather poorly in the TDF, and french commentators naturally were very sad about that. In compensation, they heaped vitriol on LA and persisted in speaking as if he were a proven drug cheat, when test after test carried out by themselves had shown no such thing. I am not just quoting LA's books, I heard this for myself and it was sickening. French libel laws do not offer the same protection as ours. I also have the impression that "anglo-saxon" winners are less popular than EU ones.Originally Posted by IainR
I am actually franco-phile rather than franco-phobe, so I am very glad to hear that the locals supported the winning Brits. Perhaps fans of mountain running are different from TDF supporters - after all, one doesn't hear of UTMB spectators shouting threatening abuse at participants, which does scarily happen from time to time in the TDF.
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