BBC Home

Explore the BBC

New visitors: Create your membership
Returning members: Sign in

66 comments

user rating: not rated yet

Armstrong fears Tour de France attack

Tour de France
comment on the article

Seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong is worried he may be attacked by spectators when he returns to the race next year.

Doping controversies continue to blight the American who dominated the race from 1999-2005.

And he fears that ill-feeling in France may spill over into the race in a similar fashion as to what happened with Belgian great Eddy Merckx in the 1975 Tour.

Merckx, chasing a then record sixth Tour title, was punched in the stomach by a disgruntled French fan, who thought he may beat Jacques Anquetil's record, while climbing Puy-de-Dom.

Armstrong claims "directors of French teams have encouraged people to take to the streets...elbow to elbow".

What do you make of his comments? Can you see a spectator trying to take Armstrong out and sabotage the race?

Latest 10 comments

Read members' comments or add your own

posted Nov 19, 2008

Dope them all up and have the race.
If the old boy (two months older than me)wins again so what?

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Nov 19, 2008

The article tells you where Eddie got punched.

Tomfoord - >>if he did cheat, so did all of his competitors<< What nonsense noone seriously thinks everyone in the whole peleton was on the game, especially not in the last decade.
The difference now is you can see noone is getting away with it whereas before there were a few. Cheating (succesfully) in LA's first stint was a selective and occaisional affair. Anyway you still had to be brilliant at the sport.
Lance does love to stir the French up doesn't he!

Just ask the French about Richard Virenque!!! Blown out the back one day then winning the next two Vino probably got some tips!

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Nov 19, 2008

i think armstormg is on another ego trip where does he realy rate in what he has won outside of his tours most of the wins he is credited with winning have been stages of the tour what classics did he ever win people like merick kelly rode all these races and lots more

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Nov 20, 2008

@fabbrampton

He won the Amstel Gold Race.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Nov 20, 2008

>people like merick kelly rode all these races and lots more<

Different times man. It doesn't work like that anymore. Check out Stijn Devolder last year: he wanted to do good in the classics AND TdF. He did well in the spring, did ok in Tour de Swiss and then completely blew himself up somewhere on a French mountain. These days, you can't have it all.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by Grok (U5632170)

posted Nov 20, 2008

Well, I'm sure the police can solve everything, if one's remarks are directed at anyone.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by Grok (U5632170)

posted Nov 20, 2008

Cheats, those who demean others and do other illegal things, will be brought to justice. Then we will see these cheats for what they are.

add comment | complain about this comment

comment by tom oo (U7723646)

posted Nov 20, 2008

PS. Should really have said I TRY not to let it detract from my enjoyment, because there's no denying that these drug cheats do really disappoint me.

add comment | complain about this comment

posted Dec 9, 2008

The thought of this is sick,Lance among the greatest cyclists of all time brought nothing but credibility to the Tour.Why would a man who fought for his very life endanger it using performance enhancing drugs.Just read his books of how without any evidence of any desciption he's been hounded by tour officials over the years,all because he's an American and not French.Lance is a champion in every sense of the word,he should be applauded not threatened by so called cycling fans.By the majority he will be welcomed as one of the truly greatest athletes of all time.

add comment | complain about this comment

Comment on this article

Sorry, you can only contribute to 606 during opening hours. These are 0900-2300 UK time, seven days a week, but may vary to accommodate sporting events and UK public holidays.

RATE THIS ARTICLE

Rate Breakdown

  • 5
    0 votes
  • 4
    0 votes
  • 3
    0 votes
  • 2
    0 votes
  • 1
    0 votes

average rating:
0 from 0 votes