Henri Desgrange said:
Do you think it may have been a wind-up? Surely even Lance/US Postal/DiscoStana fans have some interest in the history of cycling.
But then reading some of the posts on here suggests my faith is misplaced.
blimey... youve got to give people a chance....:/
so what if the guys knowledge is late 90's and early 2000's.. hes been to see the tour four times.. isnt that enough..
My wife was first introduced to the tour by me five years ago.. she had never seen cycling, doesnt even like sport but that summer got addicted watching the tour... shes since seen it live three times (twice in paris, once in london), last year watched her first giro, and vuelta, and a couple of the classics, this year shes watched the whole of the tour down under, qatar, california, the two belgian classics, paris nice, tirreno, and msr yesterday...
what does she know of the history, a little, shes heard of merckx, fignon, she knows about tom simpson, she has a rough idea of what sean kelly has won, but you cant expect everybody to know the history.. i wouldnt consider her less of a fan because she cant tell me the last time the tour went up ventoux, or who the youngest yellow jersey winner was, or how many times merckx won the tour...
someone who started watching us postal etc, of course there knowledge is going to be mainly about that.. i start cycling and watching it in the mid 80's so i missed coppi, Merckx etc, i just know what i know from reading books, watching old films etc...
i hope this doesnt turn into the kinda place where its what you know, not how much you care now.. i thought cycling fans where meant to be a helpful bunch.. i remember in london, my wifes first race, chatting to people, and she was really open about the fact shed only been following cycling a couple of years and everyone helped her, telling her about stuff.. i remember my first club run, turning up on my crappy old road bike, with ex pros, experienced riders, kids women etc and there was no stigma or anything...
lets not go down the road where not knowing the entire history is a bad thing, or where only knowing about 1990 onwards is classed as not being a proper cycling fan... theres nothing worse than elitism...
oh.. just to point out.. cyclingnut is not my wife.. lol...