Third Time’s A Charm

In what can only be described as sweet, American cycling sensation Lance Armstrong won his third consecutive Tour-de-France cycling race yesterday as he rode through the streets of Paris in what has to be his greatest professional triumph and his greatest personal triumph since the birth of his son Luke.

For those of you who may not be familiar with the politics and backstabbing that are so much a part of professional sports, allow me to go into a little detail. A couple of years ago, there was a scandal with the use of banned chemicals among cyclists in the Tour. The French media in their perpetual efforts to pander to their readers, sought to impugn Armstrong’s character by suggesting that he was one of those guilty of such behavior, when in fact, it was proven that Armstrong was indeed clean.

My own observation of the French as a people – in a collective sense and not individually, is that they are the most spoiled rotten people on the face of God’s green earth. They have had it too good for far too long. They seem to be exceedingly lazy in that they stage wildcat strikes to cripple the country whenever they get the itch. It’s not the people as a whole; just enough to make life difficult for those who would just as soon go about their business. Twice in the last century, we have had to rescue their ungrateful sorry hides from the Germans and more than twice, we were swindled and insulted on the streets of Paris and continue to be to this day. They just don’t get it.

The problem the French press has here is that they can’t stand the concept of a non-European let alone an American winning the Tour once, let alone three times. They seem to have an arrogance that is unexceeded by any of their peers worldwide. Unlike the terrorists of the Middle East who have at least succeeded in perfecting the car bomb, the French have had neither a substantive invention nor a cultural contribution to the world since before the onset of World War I. About the only positive public accomplishment they have had since then was the detonation of the first Rainbow Warrior. They seem to be the leader on bellyaching.

Lance Armstrong

My guess is that if Armstrong were not committed to his principles, to winning and the need to continuously train not only for the Tour, but for other racing events throughout the year, that he would not be living in France for any portion of the year paying what could only be described as confiscatory levels of income tax to the French. The fact that Armstrong came back from advanced testicular cancer to not only win the Tour once but three times – and in a row at that, only goes to show how indomitable the human spirit can be.

If anything, Lance Armstrong (shown, right) should not only be commended for his win, but also for the role model he has become to millions in overcoming adversity. The French press should take a step back and if nothing else, be a good sport and commend Armstrong for yet another job well done.

Nice going, Lance!

• Photo of Lance Armstrong courtesy of the Associated Press
• With files from FOX News (http://www.foxnews.com/)

Copyright © 2001 by Timothy Rollins.
All Rights Reserved.

-Published with permission