Jay wrote:
the French would like nothing more than to destroy the American that dominated their race for so long.
ehh, what makes you say that? It's not like the french have been up there fighting for it for ages.. Nothing since Hinault/Fignon..
I'd say most cycling fans (including the french) wish Armstrong was clean. He's done absolutely massive things for the sport (cycling's Tiger Woods, really) and is a huge inspiration for everyone, not least those diagnosed with cancer. At least, he was.
But it was a rotten dirty sport at his time, and every cycling fan also wants it cleaned up. Which they're doing quite well - the current cyclists are cycling quite a bit slower than Lance and his competitors atm, which says a lot.
The IOC still has a lot to answer for (ruined the sport, many would argue), as does Lance. The evidence is building up - former team mate after former team mate, closer and closer friends, more and more reliable cyclists, are admitting that they were on a team that used drugs (US Postal).