Lance Armstrong afraid French fans might attack

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Lance Armstrong said in an interview in San Diego two weeks ago that he had been wary of some angry fans at the Tour de France during his last two appearances, when he won his record-setting sixth and seventh consecutive titles. He underscored the 2004 time trial up L’Alpe d’Huez, where boisterous fans were close enough to touch cyclists as they climbed the famed 21 switchbacks.

Armstrong also told the London newspaper the Guardian that were he to ride in the Tour de France again after a three-year break, he’d be even more cautious.

But Armstrong should be able to handle the trip, even if there are detractors. The U.S. News Media Group, in conjunction with Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership, has named the cyclist -- who’s known for the Lance Armstrong Foundation, which funds cancer research -- as one of America’s Best Leaders.

Also on the list were David Baltimore, a Ph.D and former president of the California Institute of Technology and a Nobel laureate; Robert Gates, the U.S. secretary of Defense; and film director Steven Spielberg. They, presumably, will not be chased by angry French cycling crowds. Though Gates probably would know how to stop them.

-- Diane Pucin