Text 34366, 56 rader
Skriven 2006-07-24 09:58:18 av Ward Dossche (2:292/854)
     Kommentar till en text av Ross Cassell
Ärende: Re: Le Tour
===================
Ross,
 
> Another freaking steenkin American has won the Tour De France DAMMIT!!
 
Indeed, it proves the point that many have been making for a while ... there
are no great cyclers anymore and "no" Lance was not great either.
 
It has become a specialised matter with the Tour, the classics, the
semi-classics and the world championship all in their own class. These days a
rider may be good at something, but not anymore in everything.
 
For that reason Lance never excelled in the classics nor the
world-championship, for that reason Floyd does not excel in them either.
 
Lance was the ultimate example of the one-trick poney, he could only do one
thing, and he did it well although now most everybody is convinced that he was
not clean.
 
Then again, my idea is that the Tour is such a gruelling event you cannot make
it on pancakes alone and commercialism has long ago overtaken the sports-event
in itself. We now know that our all-time great Eddy Merckx did not run clean
either, that Fausti Coppi was "using", etc...  Everybody here still doubts the
Jan Jansen victory etc...
 
There's nothing as demanding in any sports as this three-week race and I think
some excellent medical preparation is needed these days. Some call it doping,
some call it else.
 
> You go Floyd!!
 
> ..and lets not forget Tiger for winning "The Open"..
 
I notice you haven't mentioned the American soccer team, their mediocre
performance in Germany during the World Championships and their early exit?
 
The US press also reported on Wimbledon and wrote more about the absence of the
Williams-sisters than about the other great performances. Heck, they've been
mostly absent anywhere the last 4 years ... incidentally that is also the
time-frame where steroid-testing for women was introduced.
 
No comments I guess? I could also talk about American track athletes, Olympic
champions even, who are now bared from competing because of severe substance
abuse.
 
And what do you think about American gymnast Paul Hamm who was awarded the
Olympic all-round gymnast title by mistake and refuses to concede defeat?
 
Claiming universal greatness is impossible but ignoring the weaknesses when
heralding greatness is weak.
 
Take care,
 
 \%/@rd 

--- D'Bridge 2.54
 * Origin: "Leonard will be free" - http://www.leonardpeltier.org (2:292/854)