Brits find Frenchies rude and boring
- Thread starter bobke
- Start date
It is a mystery.......When you examine the past winners of the GT's and one day races there are 3 countries which have historically dominated the top step of the podium....... Italy, France, and Belgium. And in recent years Belgium has also been short on winners as their norm.
I doubt if drugs have anything to do with it.
Recently it was either Fignon or Hinault who made the statement that the newer French riders are lazy.... That answer is too simple. Has the French culture changed? I have stated I ran a pub that had many international students..... I found it funny that most French students had little interest of their countries sport....The Russians had more interest in their top riders then any of the international students. The Irish/GB and Danes were aware of the sport of cycling.
I doubt if drugs have anything to do with it.
Recently it was either Fignon or Hinault who made the statement that the newer French riders are lazy.... That answer is too simple. Has the French culture changed? I have stated I ran a pub that had many international students..... I found it funny that most French students had little interest of their countries sport....The Russians had more interest in their top riders then any of the international students. The Irish/GB and Danes were aware of the sport of cycling.
wolfix said:
Wolf - you're correct, it was Hinault who said that he thought that the current crop were lazy (he was asked if he would ever consider being a DS - he said that he wouldn't take on the job because he believed all cyclists today were overpaid and as such were lazy and not as motivated as the riders of his era : he could have a point there).
As regards the French being rude and boring? I find them to be polite and quite interesting.
But I have to qualify that.
I've been to France several times - most recently in April.
In all my trips there, when a native French person hears one speaking in english, they assume that you're English/British.
Their reaction to you is, let's say, reserved.
But when you explain that you're Irish - their entire attitude changes. They become quite friendly and more talkative.
The French like the Irish, and vice versa.
A bit of a blanket statement? I travel and actually work with the French regularly, and have no trouble... and we are their Southern cousins!Dondare said:
They eat snails and frogs legs with garlic and never wash. Also they all smoke filthy cigarettes.Powerful Pete said:A bit of a blanket statement? I travel and actually work with the French regularly, and have no trouble... and we are their Southern cousins!
Sometimes sporting federations just don't run things very well and they stop producing champions the way they use to. Funding may have something to do with it. If you go through the list of junior world champions recently, French names are very scarce. There are a lot more sports competing for participants nowadays and a lot more leisure activities so for a sport to remain popular the authorities really have to work hard.saluki said:
Here in Australia even when I was growing up (which wasn't all that long ago, heh heh) most kids played cricket in the summer and Aussie Rules or Rugby League in the winter. Now there are all sorts of sports competing with them and things just aren't as clear cut as they use to be.
Tennis is a good example. There was a time when Australia produced some of the best tennis players in the world but I think the authorities just assumed that things would always be that way. But the game has fallen in popularity here in Oz and grown overseas and we just can't cut it on the world stage anymore. Bad management=less players=less sponsorship=less success at world level. Perhaps the same can be said for French cycling.
Excellent point, Heinkel. You also have to remember that the TdF, the big showcase of cycling, was forced to go international in the 70s whereas the Vuelta and the Giro have stayed pretty much Spanish and Italian races respectively, giving home riders much greater opportunity to gain experience at GT level.
And it's quite true that most French kids would rather play football or basketball than get out and ride a bike
And it's quite true that most French kids would rather play football or basketball than get out and ride a bike
Virenque said:Good point. I really love french cheese, but will never eat snails!!
Snails are gross, but have you ever seen (or smelled) andouillette? OMG!
