Go Lance, go!

This afternoon Lance Armstrong, the American cyclist and ex-cancer sufferer, failed by an impossibly small fraction of a second to take the leader's yellow jersey in the Tour de France, a race that he won for 7 year's running until he retired a couple of years ago. We have always supported him and have a particular interest in doing so this year. It is not just that he is old -well, in cycling terms anyway- but also because the French health minister issued a "warning" before the race that he would be under very close scrutiny with regards to drugs tests. It is not that we have a problem with any cyclist being tested for drugs, given the shame that drug abuse has brought on the sport over the last few years (and probably before, if only we had known). What annoys me profoundly is the special attention given to Armstrong, who has never tested positive, and the fact that this is from a representative of a country whose own cyclists are hardly models of probity. Richard Verenque, anyone?

The French really need to come to terms with the fact that the Tour de France can be won by an American.

Oh yes, go Mark Cavendish as well!