Tuesday, December 2, 2008

The ComeBack Kid

I don’t think any objective source could dispute the fact that no other person has done more to bring cycling into the public eye than Lance Armstrong. There will always be pundits that will look to punch holes in his career, and discount his character. Everyone has their flaws, and Armstrong is no different, but ask yourself this: Would the Tour have ever reached water cooler status, had it not been for a certain guy from Austin who refused to loose? Better yet, how many bike shops stayed in the black for seven years because a litany of weekend worriers gracing their stores trying to emulate his greatness?

Now hold up, this blog is not turning into an Armstrong love fest. What I wanted to bring to the table was the latest info from his Twitter Page, yes his comeback and the Tour. In particular the most recent account by CyclingNews that indeed he WILL be riding the Tour in ’09. Much has been speculated about his return. Everything from his conditioning, to his motives. Can he do it they ask? Is he really in it to win it? Could he possibly be doing this just to bring attention to his foundation? I believe his reasoning his much simpler, he’s board!

There are people in life who live just beyond the fast lane. Wide F’n Open we call it. Life cannot move fast enough, and they simply must have an unprecedented amount of stimulation just to survive. We all know the type. Their desk is covered in paper, they text an update to their Twitter page with one hand, drink a granda mocha in the other, drive with their knees and adjust the radio all at the same time. I think Lance is the same person. He’s known to be on his “Crack-Berry” constantly, balancing his public speaking schedule, with his foundation’s schedule with his training schedule. He’s a father of three, on the Presidents Council of Physical Fitness, and who knows what else, yet that’s not enough. Fast forward to 2009 and now he’s back in the grove. He’s got the F-One team cracking on the latest tech gizmos, Chris Carmichael emailing him the days workouts based on his V02, resting heart rate, and yesterdays poop size, and Brunel calling about the strategy for the Tour with three leaders banging heads in the team buss. He is got to be loving life now.

Pull up a chair, sit back and relax. The show next summer, and the days leading up to it, will be interesting to say the least. How it will all play out is anyone’s guess, and you know everyone will be guessing. And as luck would have it, I’ll be on the slopes of Mont Vento ready see it with my own eyes!

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