You’d think that with such an historical event taking place in France overnight that the Australian newspapers would be a sea of yellow and ‘we are the champions’ headlines this morning. Yet what I saw staring back at me when I visited one of the most respected newspaper websites (ie not a Murdoch tome) was a dead, tattooed junkie. Now that’s news!
Australians are known for our love of the ‘Tall Poppy Syndrome’, where we like to take a famous public figure, be it a politician, entertainer or sportsperson, and build them up to a level of adulation sometimes deserved, oftentimes not, and when that figure reaches the pinnacle of their field we criticise or ridicule them to bring them back down to ‘our’ level. We don’t want to be seen as lesser than them, or more likely want our heroes to be just ‘ordinary blokes’ like us. Aussies love to be the common man, but also want to be better than all those high-and-mighty Poms, Yanks, or in this case, ‘Frogs’.
Now that ‘we’ have won the world’s biggest bike race, we will embrace the victory and milk it for all it’s worth. Even if the majority or the Holden-drivin’, VB-drinkin’, steak-eatin’, footy-watchin’ public thinks that cyclists are lycra-wearin’ fags, and would gladly swerve their ute to run us into the gutter for a bit of a laugh.
So enjoy your time in the sun Cadel, make the most of the plaudits from the press, the politicians and the cycling fans, because cycling will still be seen as not a real man’s sport by most. Kind of like yachting, but hey, we loved it for a brief moment when we won the Americas Cup.
You little bloody ripper!
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Bravo Cadel!
Newspapers, TV and radio are going nuts down here about Cadel. On the positive side they are all talking about it and our local sports radio station ran a poll, "Is Cadel's win the greatest ever Australian sporting achievement?" Over 80% said yes!
On the more amusing side, heard some social commentator try to talk it down saying there are more important things in the world (yes this is true), she didn't know why people get excited about somebody winning a sporting event, the guy "apparently lives in Switzerland" so not a real Aussie, etc.
The irony here is that given how much of a social conscience Cadel has, and how little he likes the limelight, he would be about he only Australia who would actually agree with what she was saying (except for the bit about Switzerland).
Cadel "You little bloody ripper!". What a man.
I missed the first ten days of the Tour, upon my return I happily found tivo had recorded f'ing too many hours of HD tour bliss and I have been doing nothing but spending every night catching up ever since. I watched the Alp d"Huez last night, could that have been the best stage ever? Chapeau Cadel, no one is tougher, he deserves this completely.
Luckily I could fast-forward through two million Michelob Ultra ads. Lance should go to jail for endorsing that, let alone doping. If I even meet someone drinking that piss I shall be forced to give them a nasty taunting. Secondly, I'm glad Alberto punched that fool, more punching of obnoxious fans I say! The Dutch corner was drunk and loud but at least not hampering the riders.
Please file this in the "two dollars short and two days late" bin.
@Gianni
Luckily, no-one was riding back down the road...
good Cadel...GOOD Cadel....GOOD GOOD Cadel!
Enjoy mate! you deserve it.
Dunno whether people have seen this, but if not, it aint a bad shot. John Lelangue posted this photo on twitter. Cuddles in the bus after the TT. 1664 in hand. Job done.
@Marcus
It's shit like that that got you your new badge, mate.
@frank
On that topic (Clenbutador), yesterday I was shooting the shit about the Tour with my brother and mentioned that the 2010 Tour is still under a cloud because of Clenbuterol. I said that I thought the drug was some sort of masking agent and Alberto only got caught with a little bit in his system. My brother is a racehorse vet who used to do a lot of drug testing on horses. He snorted, "Clenbuterol! Its not a masking agent (in that special tone that older brothers use to tell their younger brothers that they know nothing)! Its an anabolic. We used to see it all the time in racehorses. It fucking works!"
@Marcus
I bet those guys are partying fucking hardy right now. Still. Hincapie, I'm guessing, knows a thing or two about after-Tour winning parties.
Good on the lot of them.
@Marcus
I'm familiar with that tone; mine is on his way over here to visit me next week, so I'll be getting a few years' worth of it just to catch up.
Clenbuterol. What a joke his story is. And what of the plasticizers? Once that test is approved, he'll have some more 'splainin to do. In the end, I'm glad he raced and lost. The Giro was useless because of him. But thanks to Cadel and the fight from the Schlecks (and Tommy V), the Grand Tour has been resurrected.