Lance Rides Again
I am not exactly what you would call a cycling fan. But when Lance Armstrong began his comeback from his epic battle with cancer in the late nineties voicing his unwavering certainty that he could win the Tour De France, arguably one of the world’s most grueling sporting events, I was hooked.
Recently, a good friend of mine (and an avid cyclist and cycling fan) offered this point of view on Lance’s stunning run: “I doubt very much that he was clean. I find it hard to believe that he dominated the most elite field that the sport has to offer, all of whom were doping it turns out, while he was clean.”
But never mind that oh-so-ever minor detail - MLB take note. I had to follow his journey: From improbable comeback to Tour domination. He attacked the sport the same way he attacked cancer – He took no prisoners. And it certainly was fun watching Lance dispatch the world’s greatest cyclists year after year en route to seven consecutive victories. It was good to be Lance and it was fun to watch Lance.
But then Lance retired. He had other things to do; Causes to crusade for, Foundations to build, women to…well, women, and, of course, spending plenty of time with his BFF Matthew McConaughey.
To be honest, sans Lance, I had absolutely no interest in cycling or the Tour De France. Floyd Landis? Yeah, right - And a cheater as the day is long. Besides, I had already begun to develop a healthy disdain for the legions of Lance wannabes and their mini pelotons that routinely clogged my neighborhood streets on weekends. Way too many aggressive, middle-aged men in overly tight day-glo spandex perched precariously atop expensive bikes with tiny seats wedged up their fat asses. I’d had enough. Cycling was officially off my sports radar.
But now Lance is back - Unretired. Do I care? I am trying not to. It’s pretty much the same way I tried not to care about the many times Jordan and Clemens, retired, unretired, retired, unretired ad nauseam. But still, I couldn't turn away, I had to know if the end result would be another championship or a train wreck. One may ultimately prove to be a retried train wreck, which the other will forever remain His Airness.
(The following commentary is attributed to my good friend, avid cyclist and cycling fan referenced above – AND NO he is not an alter ego) In Lance’s case, why come back, is there something he still has to prove? Like winning the other two legs of the three grand tour races on the schedule that he has never ridden to win, unlike all the greats before him. Thus, leaving many of us (Again, not me, this my friend and avid cyclist talking – Yes, Really!) to believe the he saves himself entirely for the Tour De France, which makes dominating the race easier for him.
(And now, back to me) – So, what is at root of Lance’s comeback? Armstrong says he is back in a "support role" for his team. Isn't that like Tiger Woods saying he'll caddy for his US Ryder Cup team? I think the "support role" positioning is simply a hedge against the odds of actually pulling off an eighth victory. Simply put - Like most champs, I think Lance relishes the big stage and just doesn't want to let go.
Sally Jenkins, coauthor of Armstrong’s book and Washington Post columnist had this to say; “…I suspect …that he's doing it for myriad reasons. He's interested in multiplying the money that can be raised to fight cancer on a VERY large scale, and his best platform for fund raising is aboard a bike, it's the best way for him to command attention... And he feels like he's fit enough and still viable enough to make a run at the thing…”
If what Sally posits is true, then I applaud his efforts all the way around. And maybe he can win the damn thing again (whatever the thing may be). And surely, the ranks of day-glo clad Lance-ies will once again overflow my neighborhood streets in herds of peddling pelotons. And, maybe, just maybe, I will have to pay attention.
FOOTNOTE: I have to give a shout out to my life-long friend, Mark Howard Long, Professor of History at UCF, the barefoot Professor, self professed avid cyclist and cycling fan and owner of pieces of the aforementioned spandex, for editorial assistance on this story. You can read his blog at http://barefootprofessor.blogspot.com/
Recently, a good friend of mine (and an avid cyclist and cycling fan) offered this point of view on Lance’s stunning run: “I doubt very much that he was clean. I find it hard to believe that he dominated the most elite field that the sport has to offer, all of whom were doping it turns out, while he was clean.”
But never mind that oh-so-ever minor detail - MLB take note. I had to follow his journey: From improbable comeback to Tour domination. He attacked the sport the same way he attacked cancer – He took no prisoners. And it certainly was fun watching Lance dispatch the world’s greatest cyclists year after year en route to seven consecutive victories. It was good to be Lance and it was fun to watch Lance.
But then Lance retired. He had other things to do; Causes to crusade for, Foundations to build, women to…well, women, and, of course, spending plenty of time with his BFF Matthew McConaughey.
To be honest, sans Lance, I had absolutely no interest in cycling or the Tour De France. Floyd Landis? Yeah, right - And a cheater as the day is long. Besides, I had already begun to develop a healthy disdain for the legions of Lance wannabes and their mini pelotons that routinely clogged my neighborhood streets on weekends. Way too many aggressive, middle-aged men in overly tight day-glo spandex perched precariously atop expensive bikes with tiny seats wedged up their fat asses. I’d had enough. Cycling was officially off my sports radar.
But now Lance is back - Unretired. Do I care? I am trying not to. It’s pretty much the same way I tried not to care about the many times Jordan and Clemens, retired, unretired, retired, unretired ad nauseam. But still, I couldn't turn away, I had to know if the end result would be another championship or a train wreck. One may ultimately prove to be a retried train wreck, which the other will forever remain His Airness.
(The following commentary is attributed to my good friend, avid cyclist and cycling fan referenced above – AND NO he is not an alter ego) In Lance’s case, why come back, is there something he still has to prove? Like winning the other two legs of the three grand tour races on the schedule that he has never ridden to win, unlike all the greats before him. Thus, leaving many of us (Again, not me, this my friend and avid cyclist talking – Yes, Really!) to believe the he saves himself entirely for the Tour De France, which makes dominating the race easier for him.
(And now, back to me) – So, what is at root of Lance’s comeback? Armstrong says he is back in a "support role" for his team. Isn't that like Tiger Woods saying he'll caddy for his US Ryder Cup team? I think the "support role" positioning is simply a hedge against the odds of actually pulling off an eighth victory. Simply put - Like most champs, I think Lance relishes the big stage and just doesn't want to let go.
Sally Jenkins, coauthor of Armstrong’s book and Washington Post columnist had this to say; “…I suspect …that he's doing it for myriad reasons. He's interested in multiplying the money that can be raised to fight cancer on a VERY large scale, and his best platform for fund raising is aboard a bike, it's the best way for him to command attention... And he feels like he's fit enough and still viable enough to make a run at the thing…”
If what Sally posits is true, then I applaud his efforts all the way around. And maybe he can win the damn thing again (whatever the thing may be). And surely, the ranks of day-glo clad Lance-ies will once again overflow my neighborhood streets in herds of peddling pelotons. And, maybe, just maybe, I will have to pay attention.
FOOTNOTE: I have to give a shout out to my life-long friend, Mark Howard Long, Professor of History at UCF, the barefoot Professor, self professed avid cyclist and cycling fan and owner of pieces of the aforementioned spandex, for editorial assistance on this story. You can read his blog at http://barefootprofessor.blogspot.com/
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