| | Associated Press
AUSTIN, Texas -- Gorillas are wearing yellow and banners are flying
for Lance Armstrong.
The American cyclist's adopted hometown is gearing up for
another celebration as he pedals toward a possible second
consecutive victory in the Tour de France.
| |
 |
| |
A 5-foot tall gorilla sits in Austin as the city celebrates Lance Armstrong's bid for a second consecutive Tour de France. |
In one residential neighborhood, a 5-foot-tall, 3,500-pound
concrete garden statue of a gorilla is a drive-by eye catcher,
sporting a yellow jersey in honor of the tour leader and wearing
sunglasses. A racing helmet sits atop its watermelon-sized head.
"We're actually not huge sports fans, but we admire Armstrong a
whole lot, and when you've got a gorilla like that, you decorate it
any chance you get," said the owner, plastic surgeon Jim Fox. "He
looks kind of buff in the yellow."
Headlines in the local newspaper tout Armstrong's lead every
day, and banners urging him on to the finish line hang from
buildings.
But unlike 1999, when Armstrong shocked the sporting world with
his remarkable comeback from testicular cancer, a victory in 2000
was expected.
"It's not quite as rabid as last year," said bicycle shop
owner Hill Abell. "We all started the tour this year believing he
was going to win, no ifs, ands or buts."
Even so, cycling enthusiast Charlene Postell watches the race
highlights every evening and gets annoyed when she's interrupted.
"This year it's in your face because of the way he was treated
by some of the people over there," she said, referring to French
media who had suggested Armstrong's 1999 victory was somehow
tainted by drugs.
Postell marvels at Armstrong's ability to cruise through the
mountain stages of perhaps the world's most grueling athletic
event. So much so that she was shocked when, on Tuesday, Armstrong
lost nearly two minutes of his lead. He still leads the race by 5
minutes, 37 seconds with four days of riding left.
"The nearest we can figure is he's an alien," she said. "It's
almost superhuman what he does. That's why we couldn't believe he
struggled."
Armstrong has a house in France but calls Austin his stateside
home. His return here last year prompted a hero's welcome -- with a
downtown parade in his honor -- and it could be difficult to stage a
similar celebration this year. City officials say July 28 victory
parade is being planned.
Armstrong's time in Austin will likely be short. Karl Haussmann,
director of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research,
said that if Armstrong holds onto his lead through Sunday's final
stage, he's expected to hit the talk show circuit and then go right
into training for the summer Olympics in Australia.
At least some of the celebration has already traveled to Paris.
Austin Mayor Kirk Watson, himself a testicular cancer survivor, is
vacationing in France and plans to be at the finish line of the
tour's final stage in Paris.
Like last year, Armstrong's ride has created a flood of
donations to his cancer foundation, Haussmann said.
The biggest difference is that calls from curious media seeking
to tell the story of Armstrong's remarkable recovery have tapered
off.
"It's not as novel of a concept as it was last year. You don't
see people coming from the deep, dark corners looking for the
story," Haussmann said.
Armstrong's ride has created a boon for retailers. Abell said
his shop has seen a 50 percent jump in sales over the last month,
with many families fueling the fantasies of children dreaming of
riding through the French Alps wearing a yellow jersey.
"The kids are coming in saying, `I want to be the next Lance
Armstrong,"' Abell said.
| |
ALSO SEE
Armstrong three days from second Tour victory
AUDIO/VIDEO
 Armstrong is confident of his lead.
wav: 136 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
Lance Armstrong says he just bonked on Tuesday.
wav: 361 k
RealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6
|
