Now that Armstrong is out of the Tour are Americans less interested in the Tour de France?

Question

or are we continuing to root for the USA team

It will be very hard to pick a winner , the answers are very well detailed. I so wish we could get interested in this sport all over the USA. Since I was born in Ghent Belgium I also found out the Tour will stop there in 2007. I may just have to crack the piggy bank and cross the ocean at that time. Thanks for answering, all of you.

Answer 1

Americans never have carried the same passion for cycling that the French have had. I watch the Tour this year with a greater interest than ever. Already the yellow jersey has been on the shoulders of four different riders including one of our riders.
With Lance gone the Tour has taken on a wide open statis, anyone can now win stages, sprints, gain points and win the overall.

Not too ramble on but if your watching the Tour, take a look at how beautiful there country side is and then ask why. I guess we lazy Americans would rather pay $3 to $5 a gallon for gas and at the same time destroy are country than ride a bike, loose some weight and clean the air when possible.

Answer 2

I just got back from Panama City Beach, FL and have been watching the tour every morning as I have since the very first OLN coverage of years past. I was impressed how the local paper there always put the TDF articles on the front page of the sports section. I am now reluctantly back in Memphis. I read the Commercial Appeal religiously daily. I was not shocked nor surprised to see the TDF articles in the back or the last page of our local sports page. What gives? There are now 300 million Americans, 6 million Tennessean's, and nearly a million Memphians at large. Take a look at the numbers below regarding viewership. Lance sure did bring them in while he was living (racing). The Lance effect has diminished. I just wish the newspapers would drop his name from the articles. He shouldn't be mentioned if he's not competing. It's time to stop looking back and to pedal forward Lance or No Lance.

OLN viewership down with Lance-less Tour de France

This shouldn't surprise anyone. The number of viewers tuning in to the first four stages of OLN's Tour de France coverage has been nearly cut in half this year with the retirement of Lance Armstrong.

Tour coverage at the Outdoor Life Network, once known as the Only Lance Network, has crashed 49% to 207,544 people. Combining the number of people watching live and taped replays raises viewership to 749,472. But that's still a 47% drop.

The New York Times, however, reports that while this year's figures appear dim, they're bigger than the early years of Tour de France coverage on OLN. In 2002, OLN drew viewship of 171,975 over the first four days.

Last year, Armstrong-mania rocketed OLN to its highest audiences ever. An average 607,250 watched OLN's 23 days of live coverage, according to the Associated Press. The live finale in Paris drew an astronomical -- for OLN -- 1.7 million viewers.

NY Times writer Richard Sandomir compares Armstrong's impact on cycling to Michael Jordan's impact on basketball, or at least his impact on viewership; the NBA drew smaller audiences for its finals after Jordan's two retirements.

Gavin Harvey, president of Comcast's OLN division, told the NY Times that the drop "is within the range of where we thought it would be."

There is a bright spot. Traffic to OLN's website is soaring, perhaps due to the addition of video segments from each race.

The fishing and hunting network picked up the Tour in 2001, after Armstrong had won the in 1999 and 2000. The timing couldn't have been better.

OLN commentator Bob Roll told the Times that he agrees Armstrong drew a huge audience for OLN. But he says the race is more exciting without him, because there is no favorite.

I agree with Roll. I personally got bored with the total Armstrong coverage, as did many others. Now, instead of wondering when Armstrong would take the yellow, the question becomes who will take the yellow. It's a wide-open race, even with several American favorites.

Remember when OLN would cover the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a Esapana? Let's hope the Tour doesn't go the same route.

Answer 3

I think overall, the American side has lost its starpower, since Lance was always paid attention too. I don't think the people that know what the Tour de France is have lost interest. America still has some great star power and if one of them wins it, then the Tour will remain on the map. The US has 3 riders who could win it, with Landis being the best hope right now. A former Armstrong support rider in contention is a story all in its own.

Answer 4

Americans don't care about the Tour de France. I'm very much into football, a very non-American sport, yet I don't care an inch about the Tour de France. Good for the people who are in it! Congrats to them! But I think it's kind of boring to watch on television. If I was in Paris on the last day, or along the trail where they were, I'd be excited to see, but not on television, not hearing about it second-hand.

Answer 5

Pretty much only cyclists in the US are at all interested in the Tour...

Lance brought some needed attention to the sport, but it will level off again very soon...

Anyway, I hope an American at least finishes in the top 3 overall!

Answer 6

Truth be told Americans never cared about the Tour de France , or any cycling for that matter. Americans prefer the violence that football provides...

Answer 7

Definately

Answer 8

if I've told you once I've told you a thousand times,QUIT BEING SO JUVENILE! now stop scratching.viva lance. i know my bike will no longer be hitting the course in France.wee wee

Answer 9

no Landis and Hincapie is there. and Zabrieskie

Answer 10

i couldn't be less interested. they have a better chance of me caring now that that fag is not there. i am so tired of hearing about him it makes me sick......................