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France 2005

 

Paris, the finish

 

Found a spot on this rainy day where there was a turn and I figured they'd have to slow somewhat, then they enter a tunnel

 

What this told me. were I to do something like this again, that I followed the exactly correct strategy. Watch them in the act, somewhere in the mountains, the more difficutl the better. For the finish, go to Paris and stake out your place. Best if you get a seat in the stands for the final ceremony.

 

There was the usual pre-race entertainment, but he was the only one, probably local, who was different

 

They circle the inner city five time. This may have been the first or second round, and you can just see the back of Lance's yellow jersey
Round three
Round five and you can see that Lance has got the Discovery team back together for the finish

 

 

The clearest shot I got. The exxpression comes from taking care not to get tangled up with riders rushing forward for the final sprint, to get the coveted sprinter award

 

In the distance on the far side the stands. By the time I worked my way through crowds and around barricades it was all over

 

Lance and his team doing a victory lap on the Champs Elysee

 

Do I think Lance got a bad rap? Absolutely. From some jealous US riders (not his team), but especially from the French people in charge. They disliked his winning streak and couldn't wait to get in there, discredit him, and greedily ask for their money and prizes back. In reality, in a sea of doped up riders, Lance still had a special physical talent, like any Olympian, that made him superior to the rest of his adversaries. From what I've seen and learned, he earned every one of his wins the hard way.

 

 

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