obby Posted July 22 Report Share Posted July 22 Tour de France director Jean Marie-Leblanc admitted Wednesday that he saw fans spit at Lance Armstrong during the first-ever time trial to historic L'Alpe d'Huez. "There were lots of aggressive fans surrounding the riders and I even saw two idiots spit at Lance Armstrong," Leblanc told Reuters. "Unfortunately I doubt you can put barriers on the 14 kilometers of the climb."Until this morning, everybody thought this time trial was a good idea and now we realized it was not so."Armstrong finished the 9.6-mile climb through 21 hairpin turns to the L'Alpe d'Huez ski station in 39 minutes, 42 seconds - the only rider under 40 minutes. It was the first time Tour organizers organized an individual race against the clock on the legendary climb."I wanted it bad because of the history around this mountain and the importance to the race. All in all, it was a very important day," Armstrong said. "Lots of emotion, lots of adrenaline."At the bottom of the climb, crowds completely covered the road, parting only at the very last second as riders hurtled toward them. Some fans ran alongside the bicycles, waving flags that came close to catching handlebars or wheels. Others were slow to move aside, forcing riders to swerve.Police motorcyclists rode in front of the racers, sirens blaring, parting the crowds somewhat. But every moment still seemed to be an accident waiting to happen."The crowds were animated, I should say," said Armstrong, who complained in particular about German fans. "Although I enjoyed my day, I still think it's a bad idea to have a time trial on this mountain."The Associated Press contributed to this report Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daprofessional Posted July 22 Report Share Posted July 22 fuck france, the only thing they're good for is fermenting alcohol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.