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But you did imply that the criticism tends to come from abroad?
"...they don't like them because they are British."
Unless, of course, you were implying that British cycling fans are afflicted with a great self-loathing regarding their nationality?
The_Kindness_of_Trees-
Well the internet really, characters like Digger, Ross Tucker and Vayer, and the cesspool that is the clinic. I can't comment on the forrins en masse, just the comments I have seen online. Just go a see the various Sky/Froome/Brits/Cookson threads in the clinic and you'll see what I mean.
I'd assume since there is a large anti-Brit bias the majority are not of the country. You should have seen the crescendo that occured during the London Olympics and the hysterical doping accusations towards us, equating us with East Germany etc etc.
The second massive factor is Lance. He came from a non-traditional cycling country, doped and bullied his way to 7 TdF wins, only really focussed on the TdF, and won it in a similar manner to Sky. I think many cycling fans around the world take that anger and betrayal and misdirect back onto Sky, thinkling they are seeing history repeating itself. A great deal of what goes on in Twitter and the clinic is less debating evidence and more dedicated character assassination. Froome, Brailsford, Cookson, Wiggins, Thomas are all really loathed and anything they can dredge up to portray them in a bad light is used, not to prove they are doping, but to make them look like bad dopers like Lance, rather than good dopers like Pantani.
Jimmy_Fingers
I wasn't meaning so much the French, just the general attitude of many cycling 'fans' who seem to be more interesting in berating the cyclists on Twitter than actually watching cycling.