Let me say that it is easier today than it was 5 years ago. Because of the LeMonds and the Armstrongs young American cyclists have it easier than the pre-Discovery days. But Americans still must sacrifice more the Europeans to compete in pro cycling.
There are a few obvious reasons that Americans have had difficulty finding their way to the upper echelon of the sport.
The main and probably most influential obstacle is geography. Cycling is very much a European sport and to compete you must physically be in Europe. Until recently there were no big races in the states. So how is a rider to be picked up by a top team if he isn't seen by them. Well one way to go is to start your own team, which is what Americans did with teams like 711, Motorolla and USPS. Most Americans that ride in Europe today got their start on USPS. Before USPS it was very difficult for US riders to be noticed. Today there is only Discovery, but Discovery has funds available to help young riders.
Another thing is time, in order to race the Tour De France or Giro, you have to be in Europe for almost 9 months and for many riders that also means spending huge amounts of time away from your family. Which no doubt is difficult for everyone. For a rider this means much sacrifice, which is why you will almost never see an American rider abandon a race unless he crashes.
There are other obstacles such as popularity (both at home and in Europe), money, and places to train. Most European riders do not face these obstacles, of course it isn't their fault.
By my comment I meant that it just seemed to me that to sacrifice so much to do something you love and then throw it all away was less than logical.
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