It really is fascinating to me that the Press (especially the European Press) refers to Lance Armstrong as a Texan, but almost never as an American (and then only secondarily). If Armstrong was from California, I somehow don't think you'd see people waving Golden Bear flags. Greg LeMond (the first American to win the Tour de France... and three times at that) was from Nevada, which is perhaps an even more "western" state than Texas and home to internationally famous Las Vegas, and yet he wasn't ever referred to as a Nevadan (sp?), but simply as an American. Something about the Texas myth.
When I visited Quebec a few years ago, I was told to identify myself as a Texan so that I wouldn't be confused for an "English" Canadian. Being known as an American was good, but being a Texan got me a free beer in Montreal.
It's good to see that the world's fascination with Texas and the "Lone Star Myth" stills lives, and that even the loathed "Cowboy from Crawford" hasn't totally expended that currency in Europe.
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