Usa Usa Usa!

For the time being, cycling is European. I just don't see a wider audience here. Even with LA being so huge, there is still little appetite. And when you take a story like his and can't sell it wider, I doubt Bobby's win will help that much.

All the same, anything to get us more TV coverage is good.

mike7382 said:

Bobby Julich becomes the first American to win paris nice. Now at least their is someone that people might know besides Lance Armstrong. Ofcourse most people dont like cycling and only know Lance Armstrong won something called the tour de france. Oh well anyone care to comment?

It happened when Greg Lemond Finished, the US were no longer interested in the sport cos there was no one at the top. Big names = big money. the same thing happened in the Uk when Boardman retired, no Brit in the Tour = lack of interest. The sports watching public are a fickle beast, they support the winners one minute and the Underdog the next, just can't win.

One thing for sure i think Cycling fans will watch no matter what, and it looks like this season is shaping up to be a good one.

Bring on the summer....

mike7382 said:

Bobby Julich becomes the first American to win paris nice. Now at least their is someone that people might know besides Lance Armstrong. Ofcourse most people dont like cycling and only know Lance Armstrong won something called the tour de france. Oh well anyone care to comment?

You know that Julich has been a professional for years ?
He was a bloody good cyclist - did very well in the 1998 TDF and apart from a crash in an ITT (if I recall correctly) in the 98 TDF would have been in serious
contention for the Yellow Jersey.

mike7382 said:

Bobby Julich becomes the first American to win paris nice. Now at least their is someone that people might know besides Lance Armstrong. Ofcourse most people dont like cycling and only know Lance Armstrong won something called the tour de france. Oh well anyone care to comment?

I don't believe the comment "most people don't like cycling" is accurate.
Most Americans are not interested and mostly don't care either way and I do not see a lot of change in the foreseeable future.
I think most Americans have a concept of what the Tour is but have no idea of the rules or dynamics of it, of course the same could be said for a majority of football fans. They watch the game but do not understand all the positions and plays or what it take to make a team.
I guess you don't need to know how to build a watch to tell time.

I am still on my lifelong journey toward understanding women, so what do I know!

leegregory said:

It happened when Greg Lemond Finished, the US were no longer interested in the sport cos there was no one at the top. Big names = big money. the same thing happened in the Uk when Boardman retired, no Brit in the Tour = lack of interest. The sports watching public are a fickle beast, they support the winners one minute and the Underdog the next, just can't win.

One thing for sure i think Cycling fans will watch no matter what, and it looks like this season is shaping up to be a good one.

Bring on the summer....

Yeah, and cycling has an enormous number of names. Plus 19 Pro Tour teams. There's just a lot Americans can't learn easily. Some may watch the Tour to see LA, but they probably don't much about what's going with team tactics or who his rivals are outside of maybe Ullrich.

But the fans I do know here all take it very seriously. And cyclingnews.com is essential!

From all the European press I read the sport seems very very popular.... oh sorry I forgot this is lancearmstrongcyclingforums.com..... does everything on these forums have to have an American slant ? Geeez.... lets open up the conversation outside Lance and if they are showing the Tour on TV in the US...... 😠

whiteboytrash said:

From all the European press I read the sport seems very very popular.... oh sorry I forgot this is lancearmstrongcyclingforums.com..... does everything on these forums have to have an American slant ? Geeez.... lets open up the conversation outside Lance and if they are showing the Tour on TV in the US...... 😠

Hey, this started about Julich, not Lance. Would you expect the Irish to be quiet if this was after a Sean Kelly win?

tcklyde said:

Hey, this started about Julich, not Lance. Would you expect the Irish to be quiet if this was after a Sean Kelly win?

As an Irishman, I don't go round shouting Sean's career details.
Those in the know - know that he was a great cyclist.
Ditto Roche.

limerickman said:

As an Irishman, I don't go round shouting Sean's career details.
Those in the know - know that he was a great cyclist.
Ditto Roche.

He is just mad because Lance is one of the best. Also i did start this forum about Julich. The fact that i wrote most people dont like cycling is wrong i apologize. I just meant that no one know it is a sport. Outside of basketball, baseball, and football no one can really name any other srorts. To me cycling is the hardest sport there is. And the fact that Julich and Lance can do it is amazing. I just like US riders because they keep on doing things no has ever done. LIke winning the tour de france 6 times. Or being the first american to win Paris Nice. I just want this sport to be known.

limerickman said:

As an Irishman, I don't go round shouting Sean's career details.
Those in the know - know that he was a great cyclist.
Ditto Roche.

There seems to be a lot of proselytizing in america. Mine is best, no mine is, my dad can beat up your dad, everyone needs to do everything just like I do.

Cycling is a great sport, but I think you have to participate - at one point or another - to really understand what is going on. Or follow it for most of your life. Most americans, who have never raced, think 'oh, cycling is easy, how hard is it to pedal a bike?' Our overweight asses, who have trouble riding in a car for five hours, don't have a clue.

Lance is a great story, and he has probably sparked some interest in cycling thanks to his success, but once he retires interest in the sport will definitley drop in the us.

limerickman said:

As an Irishman, I don't go round shouting Sean's career details.
Those in the know - know that he was a great cyclist.
Ditto Roche.

Absolutely.

My point is merely that it would be completeky fair to celebrate if it was the day after one of his wins. Heck, my family is from Carrick-on-Suir, Sean's home town. I feel a special affinity for him.

I think it's normal for people to want to celebrate their county's champions -- as well as cyclists they feel cycle like they do, or look like them, or even have the same kind of dog.

tcklyde said:

Absolutely.

My point is merely that it would be completeky fair to celebrate if it was the day after one of his wins. Heck, my family is from Carrick-on-Suir, Sean's home town. I feel a special affinity for him.

I think it's normal for people to want to celebrate their county's champions -- as well as cyclists they feel cycle like they do, or look like them, or even have the same kind of dog.

And you won't find me raining on people celebrating Julich or Armstrong winning.
It's only natural to support the guy from your own country.
And it might just inspire some American youngster to take up the sport and come over here and compete or it might inspire someone to take up a fitness regime.
All good positive stuff.

But some people think that LA is the USA-incarnate and get carried away
and start boasting and then take offence when people take a different view.

limerickman said:

But some people think that LA is the USA-incarnate and get carried away
and start boasting and then take offence when people take a different view.

Well this I agree with 100%. And that bothers me not b/c I'm an American but b/c it is such a simplistic (and shallow) view of cycling -- and does a lot of injustice to all the other great riders.

limerickman said:

You know that Julich has been a professional for years ?
He was a bloody good cyclist - did very well in the 1998 TDF and apart from a crash in an ITT (if I recall correctly) in the 98 TDF would have been in serious
contention for the Yellow Jersey.

Limerickman you brought up one of my biggest heartbreaks of 1998.
When he crashed in the ITT at a little over 50km/h I was pretty bummed.
I was living in Philadelphia at the time and had the opportunity to speak to him a year or so prior in Philly. He is such a nice guy and a phenomenal rider. I was really hoping to see him go home with the win.

I was really happy to see him take the win at Paris-Nice. If ever there was a nice fellow deserving of a win like that, Bobby is the guy.

limerickman said:

You know that Julich has been a professional for years ?
He was a bloody good cyclist - did very well in the 1998 TDF and apart from a crash in an ITT (if I recall correctly) in the 98 TDF would have been in serious
contention for the Yellow Jersey.

hehe, what a crazy tour that was. I still remember watchin live on channel 4 the protest stage where they coasted to the finish with TVM riders at the front. Thank god the French had a world cup win to distract them eh lol.