Nope. What I said was, if he /is/ unpopular with European pro cyclists, then the fact that he takes the trophy in the most famous cycle race in the world without "paying his dues" in the minor races would account for it without the need to invoke any nationalism at all.

And the other thing I said was, Eddy Merckx was (is) the greatest cyclist who ever lived. And I stand by that. You seem to think that preference for Merck is indicative of pro-European bias. You have a lot to learn about Europe. If you think the French hate the Americans, you should hear what they think about the English, Germans, Flemings and so on. In fact there is more animosity between French and Flemish speakers in Belgium than between most people of different nationalities.—Just