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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.
Permalink | Comments (17) | Post your comment Categories: cycling
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By G
September 8, 2008 5:35 PM | Link to this
Yawn.
By carib
September 8, 2008 5:53 PM | Link to this
Did he run out of Hollywood singers and starlets. Who cares.
By A tour fan
September 8, 2008 6:13 PM | Link to this
Yawn was this past years Tour. Go Lance! It would be most excellent to see him back in the game!
By Austin
September 8, 2008 7:05 PM | Link to this
Oh God…Gross….Yuck. What a tool. Pam - your a tool too for even writing this. Enough.
By Pat
September 8, 2008 8:27 PM | Link to this
Who cares if Lance returns to riding a bike.
By Kasper
September 8, 2008 8:58 PM | Link to this
If Lance rides for Bjarne Riis, I will purchase tickets to Paris for everyone who reads this column.
By Franklin
September 8, 2008 9:42 PM | Link to this
We are bored with Lance seriously. He also should be more careful now, just because he never got caught before doesn’t mean he won;t get now. Plus that whole Kazakhstan team thing is a bit fishy anyway. Hello Vinokourov and Dimitry Gaag.
By Frank
September 8, 2008 9:48 PM | Link to this
If Lance does join Astana, his riding at the Tour de France assumes that Astana will be invited to the Tour de France.
By Stogey
September 9, 2008 6:59 AM | Link to this
Who cares ! Another has been, wanting to be again ! aka Bret Farve
By Clerkenweller
September 9, 2008 1:39 PM | Link to this
Return of the one trick pony? Word here is that if he comes back it should be to race the Classics and add a bit of depth to his Palmarès. Fascinating development, and definitely not a yawn.
By Jeff
September 9, 2008 2:40 PM | Link to this
GO Lance GO and Pamela thanks for enlighting all those idiots out there that don’t understand how much Lance as done for our community and Cancer survivors!
By john doe
September 9, 2008 5:57 PM | Link to this
This sounds like more about Lance’s ego and need to be in the spotlight than anything else. BTW, did he ever clean up the pollution he caused from his land?
By StumpyPeeps
September 10, 2008 12:59 AM | Link to this
He should stick with fund raisers and charity events.
By Jack Hammer
September 10, 2008 1:20 PM | Link to this
I can’t believe all you people who are commenting are from Austin! What happened to the progressive left leaning openmindedness type attitudes we hear about that place? I look at the comments here and all you people sound so bitter, as if Lance was a member of a local mob! Geez, I guess there are a lot of haters in Austin, as place where I wouldn’t have guessed that.
And I can’t believe you even go after the author? Whether you like it or not, this is a story, and a local one for you, so quit firing at the messenger.
And before you start in on me. don’t worry, I will stay away.
Jack
By Jack Hammer
September 10, 2008 1:23 PM | Link to this
I can’t believe all you people who are commenting are from Austin! What happened to the progressive left leaning openmindedness type attitudes we hear about that place? I look at the comments here and all you people sound so bitter, as if Lance was a member of a local mob! Geez, I guess there are a lot of haters in Austin, as place where I wouldn’t have guessed that.
And I can’t believe you even go after the author? Whether you like it or not, this is a story, and a local one for you, so quit firing at the messenger.
And before you start in on me. don’t worry, I will stay away.
Jack
By TruDat
September 10, 2008 5:29 PM | Link to this
Jack, These people are not for real. AAS has no controls on who can post and not a whole lot more control on what they post. For that reason this place is frequented by trolls that want nothing more than to illicit a passioned response. Folks in this town you would meet are just what you think and not at all representative of the trolls posting here. In fact, its not unthinkable that all those negative posts are from one person.
By Jessica
September 11, 2008 8:47 AM | Link to this
I am excited that Lance is returning to cycling. I admit I was bored watching the tour this year esp after last years extreme disappointment with Frank Landis. I find Lance inspiring, as many others I know do. He doesn’t test positive for anything except hardwork and dedication. I bet most of the yawners here can’t even get off the couch and make it to the frig without getting winded. America is fat and out of shape and needs a few die hards out there to inspire the few of us that are trying to exercise, eat right and prevent disease in the process. So GO lance and good for you!!!!