James Oberstar: “I rise to acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishment of Lance Armstrong in winning five consecutive Tours de France. I…”

“I rise to acknowledge the extraordinary accomplishment of Lance Armstrong in winning five consecutive Tours de France. I have with me the principal newspaper in Paris that follows athletic events, Le Journal de Paris, whose headline says, ``les Parisiens etaient la a l'arrivee du Tour,'' `Parisiens were there when the tour arrived in Paris', and so was I. I made it my point, a long-held dream, to be on the Champs Elyssees for the final stage of the Tour de France, as an avid cyclist, to cheer and support Lance Armstrong, whom I have known for quite some time. I also got to ride the last leg of the tour, as this newspaper shows 11,000 other cyclists, wearing yellow jerseys with the logo ``La randonnee du centenaire'' (The Centennial Ride), riding the Champs Elyssees over the last 40 kilometers of the Tour de France; and not only that, but I was interviewed on French national television just quite by accident, I will say to my friend and my colleague from Texas, in French, and represented the United States I think very appropriately. It is impossible to understand the accomplishment of Lance Armstrong unless one follows the events of cycling and understands the technical intricacies of the Tour de France. To say that it is like running a marathon every day for 3 weeks is in itself an understatement of the athleticism and the strength and the mental toughness that it takes to lead the tour, to win it five times in a row.”