Joyon was the man who chopped 20 days off the round-the-world record, which MacArthur went on to beat by over 24 hours earlier this year. Joyon covered the near 3,000 miles from Ambrose Light, New York, to the Lizard, off Cornwall, in six days, 44hrs, 1min and 37sec to break the 1994 record of fellow Frenchman Laurent Bourgnon. "It was [cycling's governing body] the UCI's officials who decided."The irony - that Armstrong considered, as an American outsider, to have little respect for cycling's traditions and then forced to contravene them in the face of implacable officialdom - was lost on nobody.Alasdair Fotheringham writes for 'Cycling Weekly'. In full view of the television cameras, Armstrong was obliged to take off his Discovery Channel team jersey and don the yellow.The Texan's flamboyant explanation of his U-turn - "[The race director] Jean-Marie Leblanc told me that either I wore that jersey or tomorrow I wouldn't be wearing a jersey at all" - was given short shrift by Leblanc himself."I was ahead of the race so how could I have told him?" Leblanc said. Lance Armstrong had initially refused to wear his leader's yellow jersey out of respect for the rider who had previously held the No 1 spot, Dave Zabriskie."He would be wearing the maillot jaune today if he hadn't crashed [in Tuesday's time trial]," said Armstrong, whose decision was in keeping with a cycling tradition stretching back to the days of Merckx.But to no avail. Tour de France officials have flatly denied newspaper reports that on top of London's successful Olympic candidature, they would also be announcing next week that the UK capital will host the start of the Tour de France in 2007. London is strongly believed to be the best-placed candidate of six cities currently bidding for the 2007 Grand D?rt - which would include an evening prologue centred on Trafalgar Square. But the Tour is keeping its cards hidden as to who will get the start - and more so after a day when London was awarded the Olympics at Paris's expense."We would definitely not make such an announcement about another start during the Tour itself," said race director, Christian Prudhomme.
"We have already stated that this decision was not going to be published until October, certainly not next week. Friends of mine who attended Live8 event have also commented on how well getting to and from the event and travelling around the centre was organised. Once again we have proved that with such high profile events we have the people and expertise to do it not just well but with exceptional ability.MICHAEL SPURLINGOXFORD Finnish delights Sir: President Chirac was unwise to criticise Finnish food. Married to a Finn for many years, I know that criticism of anything Finnish is not taken lightly. I should not be surprised if next week Finnish tanks are rolling through what is left of Paris, and a blue and white flag is flying from the Eiffel Tower. Had M Chirac sampled a fraction of the food I have eaten in that country, and especially if he had tried my late mother-in-law's coffee, he would have expressed a very different view.RICHARD BETTSHONINGHAM, NORFOLK. They are the ones to benefit from using the building, so why should a casual visitor support their habit? Indeed the one-off visitors should be encouraged to enter the cathedral, for they might enjoy it so much as to return to become regular churchgoers, and then they would pay and help the upkeep of the building even more.JULIAN SUTTONRICHMOND, SURREY Welcome to London Sir: Having been in London on Saturday for events entirely unrelated to Live8 and the Pride March, I congratulate the Metropolitan Police, Mayor of London's office and all those involved in the infrastructure for the organisation in the centre of the capital.
When we hear that a person is "deprived" we should ask the questions "by whom?" and "of what?" In the case of our own "deprived", they are lacking what we may regard as a superior culture, but which they clearly do not.JOHN RISELEYFARNBOROUGH, HAMPSHIRE Cathedral turnstiles Sir: When it comes to paying to enter our cathedrals (letter, 6 July), those who attend services there should be the first to dig into their pockets. We are soon going to need a new law outlawing incitement to hatred of the French. But somehow I can't see the Government bringing it in.TREVOR PATEMANBRIGHTON Deprived by whom? Sir: The new cancer atlas (report, 6 July), showing higher rates in deprived areas, may challenge some people's understanding of deprivation. It appears to involve having more to drink, more to smoke and more sexual partners at an earlier age.