I have had excellent experiences with the French, especially with regards to being a cyclist there on many different occasions the past twenty years. I'm sure others on the list will report the same thing about other countries too. This business of trying to peg various nations into certain pre-conceived groups is inaccurate and pointless.
No surprise, there are plenty of numbskulls everywhere you go, including France and Austria--and the USA. Happily, there are *many more* nice people in each country too. Snooty Frenchmen? Sure I've seen 'em, but I've met vastly more who are fine people and very welcoming to foreigners. An example of this is the nice reception the French people always give our American contingent of randonneurs at the quadrennial Paris-Brest-Paris. When one is riding into a small village and hears, "Bravo l'Americains!" from some spectators, or some some farm kids give you cool water on a hot afternoon at the top of a steep hill, or if lost and off-course at 3 AM but a passing motorist stops to help and then leads you back on track, how does that reconcile with Mark's comment below?
"Dissing" the French as a whole reveals an ignorance of a country where most people love cycling as much as most Americans love baseball. No doubt Chuck, e-Richie and others will report the same type of warmth in Italy, etc. At any rate, we all have a lot to learn on the CR list if we keep our minds and ears open.
Classic content: good manners are timeless. If we're in Dale's "living room", we should behave ourselves... for all we know his kindly grandmother in the rocker upstairs is French! ;-)
Bill Bryant Santa Cruz, CA
Mark Poore wrote:
> ...One has to remember that people of the Germanic language sometimes
> come off as abrasive and cocky. Having lived in Austria for three months I
> was first put off by it, but then became enlightened and these folks dont
> mean anything from it and are truly some of the finest people out there,
> must be something in the translation that makes their comments come off like
> that. Now the French on the other hand
.
>
> I am truly sorry that Arnie received the reception that he did and I believe
> he could have been a valuable source of information. Our loss.
>
> Mark, havent left W VA yet, Poore