Eric Reed
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780226206530
- eISBN:
- 9780226206677
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226206677.003.0008
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
French and foreign Tour riders played an integral role in globalizing cycling after the Second World War. The Tour’s stars transported knowledge of the sport and its culture across borders and were ...
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French and foreign Tour riders played an integral role in globalizing cycling after the Second World War. The Tour’s stars transported knowledge of the sport and its culture across borders and were focal points of cycling-related business. Chapter Seven tells the stories of French star Jacques Anquetil and American heroes Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. The ten combined Tour victories of LeMond and Armstrong seemed to validate the continued viability and vigor of the French School and symbolized the globalization of a quintessentially French phenomenon. At the same time, the specter of doping loomed. Chapter Seven recounts the history of the 1998 Festina Affair as well as the doping allegations that swirled around Lance Armstrong and other Tour stars in the new millennium. Doping scandals and the angry, public debates about them were emblematic of French ambivalence to the Tour’s globalization.Less
French and foreign Tour riders played an integral role in globalizing cycling after the Second World War. The Tour’s stars transported knowledge of the sport and its culture across borders and were focal points of cycling-related business. Chapter Seven tells the stories of French star Jacques Anquetil and American heroes Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. The ten combined Tour victories of LeMond and Armstrong seemed to validate the continued viability and vigor of the French School and symbolized the globalization of a quintessentially French phenomenon. At the same time, the specter of doping loomed. Chapter Seven recounts the history of the 1998 Festina Affair as well as the doping allegations that swirled around Lance Armstrong and other Tour stars in the new millennium. Doping scandals and the angry, public debates about them were emblematic of French ambivalence to the Tour’s globalization.
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- June 2013
- ISBN:
- 9781846318351
- eISBN:
- 9781846317859
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Liverpool University Press
- DOI:
- 10.5949/UPO9781846317859.009
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This chapter highlights the increased interest on all kinds of cycling in France after the year 2000. It explains that the industry of cycling has benefited greatly from its growing popularity as a ...
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This chapter highlights the increased interest on all kinds of cycling in France after the year 2000. It explains that the industry of cycling has benefited greatly from its growing popularity as a recreational sport, mode of transport and recreational leisure. And professional cycling events such as the Tour de France also maintained stature despite suspicions of drug use. In addition, the chapter discusses how the bicycle helped in promoting environmentalism among French citizens by reducing health risks and decongesting heavy traffic in urban centers. It also examines the new forms of cycling recreation in sport and leisure that arose after the year 2000. Finally, it touches on how the Tour de France continues to help in shaping the identity of France and the nature of sport. It looks into the phenomenal success of US rider and cancer-survivor Lance Armstrong.Less
This chapter highlights the increased interest on all kinds of cycling in France after the year 2000. It explains that the industry of cycling has benefited greatly from its growing popularity as a recreational sport, mode of transport and recreational leisure. And professional cycling events such as the Tour de France also maintained stature despite suspicions of drug use. In addition, the chapter discusses how the bicycle helped in promoting environmentalism among French citizens by reducing health risks and decongesting heavy traffic in urban centers. It also examines the new forms of cycling recreation in sport and leisure that arose after the year 2000. Finally, it touches on how the Tour de France continues to help in shaping the identity of France and the nature of sport. It looks into the phenomenal success of US rider and cancer-survivor Lance Armstrong.
Eric Reed
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780226206530
- eISBN:
- 9780226206677
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of Chicago Press
- DOI:
- 10.7208/chicago/9780226206677.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Modern History
The book recounts for the first time the commercial and cultural history of the Tour de France bicycle race in the context of globalization. The Tour was the crown jewel of French cycling and also ...
More
The book recounts for the first time the commercial and cultural history of the Tour de France bicycle race in the context of globalization. The Tour was the crown jewel of French cycling and also actuated global networks of spectatorship, media, business, athletes, and exchanges of expertise and personnel. In the process, the Tour helped endow world cycling with a particularly French character, culture, and structure. The book examines the influences of the Tour in the United States, Britain, New Zealand, and elsewhere. The book also analyzes French towns that hosted the race. Case studies of Pau, a regional hub and winter resort for wealthy English speakers in the Pyrenean foothills, and Brest, a port town located at the tip of the Brittany peninsula, highlight how small communities, through sport, engaged the broader world in novel ways in the era of mass communication and tourism. Finally, the book examines the crucial role played by the Tour’s celebrity athletes in globalizing road cycling. The Tour stood at the pinnacle of a “French School” of cycling clubs, competitions, and business interests. The “French School” identified, cultivated, and graduated into stardom many of the sport’s celebrity heroes that became common cultural points of reference for world cycling. The book explores the careers of international stars including French heroes Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor and American stars Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. It also examines the doping scandals that sullied the images of the Tour and its heroes.Less
The book recounts for the first time the commercial and cultural history of the Tour de France bicycle race in the context of globalization. The Tour was the crown jewel of French cycling and also actuated global networks of spectatorship, media, business, athletes, and exchanges of expertise and personnel. In the process, the Tour helped endow world cycling with a particularly French character, culture, and structure. The book examines the influences of the Tour in the United States, Britain, New Zealand, and elsewhere. The book also analyzes French towns that hosted the race. Case studies of Pau, a regional hub and winter resort for wealthy English speakers in the Pyrenean foothills, and Brest, a port town located at the tip of the Brittany peninsula, highlight how small communities, through sport, engaged the broader world in novel ways in the era of mass communication and tourism. Finally, the book examines the crucial role played by the Tour’s celebrity athletes in globalizing road cycling. The Tour stood at the pinnacle of a “French School” of cycling clubs, competitions, and business interests. The “French School” identified, cultivated, and graduated into stardom many of the sport’s celebrity heroes that became common cultural points of reference for world cycling. The book explores the careers of international stars including French heroes Jacques Anquetil and Raymond Poulidor and American stars Greg LeMond and Lance Armstrong. It also examines the doping scandals that sullied the images of the Tour and its heroes.
