Just a data point, nothing more

Just had a family from Toulouse (France) come in to look at bikes before
heading home. They started talking about Lance; their son (looked about 20)
is a big fan and the dad knows everything about him backward & forward. We
spoke briefly of the substantial disconnect between the French press and the
public, but also acknowledged that the best thing Lance ever, in terms of
assuring a (relatively) positive legacy in France, was his "heroic" loss in
2009.

A world that thinks differently than rbr believes they should think. Or says
they think. Who knew.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

Just remember, this is a nation that holds Richard Virenque in esteem.

-rj

"ronaldo_jeremiah" wrote in message
...
Just remember, this is a nation that holds Richard Virenque in esteem.

-rj


Believe it or not, I understand that. Virenque is their "everyman" who has
failed in a big way, and brought himself back up. They worship that sort of
thing. The press is all about individual epic battles, against the elements,
against another individual, against ones own personal demons.

I've written previously of how I stumbled across the hotel complex where the
teams were staying in Bourg en Bresse some years ago. A pretty big crowd was
gathering outside, waiting for riders to come out and sign autographs. Few
did. But the crowd waited. For whom, I had no idea. And then Virenque
emerges. You have no idea how he can work an audience. He kisses the women,
he poses with their babies for photos, he engages in friendly conversation,
he smiles. In short, he is charismatic beyond belief in such situations.

I cannot think of an American parallel.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

On Aug 21, 5:50*pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:

You have no idea how he can work an audience. He kisses the women,
he poses with their babies for photos, he engages in friendly conversation,
he smiles. In short, he is charismatic beyond belief in such situations.

I cannot think of an American parallel.


Dumbass -

Bill Clinton.

-rj

"ronaldo_jeremiah" wrote in message
...
On Aug 21, 5:50 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:

You have no idea how he can work an audience. He kisses the women,
he poses with their babies for photos, he engages in friendly
conversation,
he smiles. In short, he is charismatic beyond belief in such situations.

I cannot think of an American parallel.

=====
Dumbass -

Bill Clinton.

-rj
=====

Seriously? I'm not so sure. I don't think Clinton hit the bottom quite so
hard. Even at its worst, he still seemed to be made of teflon. He can only
wish that she had been (since teflon doesn't hold stains).

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

On 8/21/2010 4:31 PM, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:
Just had a family from Toulouse (France) come in to look at bikes before
heading home. They started talking about Lance; their son (looked about
20) is a big fan and the dad knows everything about him backward &
forward. We spoke briefly of the substantial disconnect between the
French press and the public, but also acknowledged that the best thing
Lance ever, in terms of assuring a (relatively) positive legacy in
France, was his "heroic" loss in 2009.


I've heard about the idea of the French love of the "heroic loser"--why
they so loved Poulidor. But I guess he was also doubtless more lovable
than Anquetil.

Steve



A world that thinks differently than rbr believes they should think. Or
says they think. Who knew.

--Mike Jacoubowsky
Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReaction.com
Redwood City & Los Altos, CA USA

On Aug 21, 6:47*pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:

Seriously?

Yes, seriously. Your analysis of Virenque also matches a third of
American politicians and a significant portion of mafia bosses.

A culture that reveres sociopathic cheats should be ashamed of
itself. Sadly, that describes most cultures.

-rj

On 8/21/2010 1:31 PM, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

A world that thinks differently than rbr believes they should think. Or
says they think.

Dumbass,

When I'm in France I say things I think will make the people I'm
casually talking with feel good, too. Why would I want to pick a fight
with store keepers?

"ronaldo_jeremiah" wrote in message
...
On Aug 21, 6:47 pm, "Mike Jacoubowsky"
wrote:

Seriously?

=======
Yes, seriously. Your analysis of Virenque also matches a third of
American politicians and a significant portion of mafia bosses.

A culture that reveres sociopathic cheats should be ashamed of
itself. Sadly, that describes most cultures.

-rj
=======

I don't see it, especially with the mafia boss analogy. Those guys
didn't hit rock bottom. They got caught, that's all. If they served
time, that gave them credibility.

Virenque is more the equivalent of John Edwards or Gary Hart
resurrecting themselves in a big way. I don't think a third of American
politicians could pull that off. It's the resurrection that I'm focusing
on, not the corruption itself.

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com

"Fred on a stick" wrote in message
...
On 8/21/2010 1:31 PM, Mike Jacoubowsky wrote:

A world that thinks differently than rbr believes they should think.
Or
says they think.

Dumbass,

When I'm in France I say things I think will make the people I'm
casually talking with feel good, too. Why would I want to pick a fight
with store keepers?

Picking a fight? Them with me? Kinda backwards! They were pro-Lance, I
was the skeptic. I was going to bring up the changing views of Lance in
the US, but that's not something they wanted to hear anything about.
Very nice people, by the way. In the end, I gave the son a photo I took
of Lance during the St Etienne time trial (2005).

--Mike-- Chain Reaction Bicycles
www.ChainReactionBicycles.com