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Monday, September 8, 2008
Lance Armstrong coming back?
Maybe I should have paid closer attention last week when a cycling buddy of mine mentioned that Lance Armstrong rode the Tuesday nighter, a long-time group ride/unofficial race that unfolds on the south side of Austin every week. Armstrong wasn’t just tagging along to look at the scenery, he was blasting along.
But word today from VeloNews took me by surprise: The seven-time Tour de France winner, now 36, might be coming out of retirement and hopes to race in the 2009 Tour de France, according to the biking journal’s website. And just like that, we’ve got reason to tune in to the world’s biggest cycling race.
I guess we should have expected it, if it’s true. Retirement in the sports world doesn’t really mean anything anymore (see Brett Favre and a multitude of boxers who don’t understand what the word means), and Armstrong did crank it up at the Leadville 100 this summer. Armstrong finished second, behind six-time defending champion Dave Wiens, in the 100-mile mountain bike race through the Rocky Mountains. Wiens shaved 13 minutes off the course record, and Armstrong finished less than 2 minutes behind him.
Just last week, Armstrong came in sixth in the Nike+ Human Race, finishing the 10K in about 34 minutes, no matter the 96-degree temperature.
Of course, an athlete like Armstrong must find it hard to coast at anything.
I’m betting Armstrong will add to his collection of yellow jerseys in France next year, if he’s really back in. I’d argue that if he’d raced the tour in 2007 and 2008, he’d already have nine victories, and would be eyeballing his 10th. Instead, we got the Floyd Landis public relations disaster in 2007 and a win from Carlos Sastre this year. I just lost interest, and I think a lot of others did with me.
Apparently Armstrong’s got something left to prove. VeloNews says he won’t collect any salary or bonuses (not that he needs them), and will post his internally-tested blood work online.
Will that silence the critics? I doubt it.
Word of Armstrong’s possible un-retirement (does retirement actually mean anything in the sporting world these days?) ripped through the Austin cycling community on Monday.
Cyclist Ian Dille, who rides with Super Squadra, Bicycle Sport Shop presented by Girling Elite Cycling Team: “Cool. It’ll add just that much more much needed publicity to the sport. Lance is a total celebrity and gets people who know nothing about cycling watching Versus with diehard enthusiasm. Do you think Vande Velde or Leipheimer will ever appear in U.S. Weekly?”
Dille adds that word in the cycling community is that Armstrong is as lean as anyone’s ever seen him. (Maybe it’s all that marathon running he’s been doing?)
And about that Tuesday Nighter last week? Armstrong finished second, and just barely, crossing the unofficial finish line on the wheel of one of Dille’s teammates, Steven Wheeler. Also in on that battle? Dave Wenger and masters national champ John Korioth, whom I wrote about a few weeks ago.
“After Wheeler smoked them, Lance told College (that’s Korioth’s nickname), ‘We need to talk about your tactics.’ College’s reply: ‘We need to talk about your fitness.’ Anyway, as you can see, it’s definitely got us excited.”
Me too. I hope it’s true. I’d be Ihappy to see Armstrong back on the bike and racing. I’ll be watching in 2009.
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Where can we eat healthy in Austin?
I like to stay fit. Besides swimming and running, I try to eat healthy foods. Sometimes, it’s hard to find restaurants that serve foods that aren’t slathered in cheese and cream sauce.
The more you exercise, the less you crave junk food. I don’t usually want to eat a plate of cheese enchiladas after an 8-mile run, or glazed doughnuts after morning swim practice. I want something that tastes good but is good for me.
It’s not a problem at home. I keep all kinds of whole foods on hand. But what to do if I’m out and about, or have to interview someone over lunch or dinner?
Who knows a good place to refuel after a workout? Where can I go for a meal that doesn’t leave me weighted down or sluggish? What should I order?
It’s not that I don’t enjoy ice cream now and then. But my eating habits have changed over the years. I eat tons of fruits and vegetables and lots of beans and tofu. I eat meat, too, just not as much as I used to — maybe a few times a week.
So, Austin. Where can I find a good meal that’s good for me, too?
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