Lance's Legacy
Yes, I know cycling's a fringe sports in the United States and yes, I know that cyclists look a bit silly with their skin-tight shorts and elfin shoes. But that doesn't dimish what Lance Armstrong achieved this Sunday when he became the first six-time winner of the Tour de France. And he won all those tours consecutively. And he won five of them in thoroughly dominating fashion. And did we mention he's a cancer survivor?
What does all of this mean?
Simply that Lance Armstrong's six tour titles deserves a spot in the pantheon of all-time greatest sports achievements. Right up there with Mark Spitz's seven Olympic gold medals, Jerry Rice's receiving records, Wayne Gretzky's masssive point totals and Hank Aaron's home runs.
All of which is based, of course, on one tremendous caveat - that Armstrong did it all drug free. But if he did - and he's innocent until proven guilty - then let the accolades flow.
What do you think? Is Armstrong an all-time great? Or is he just the master of a sport that few people in the U.S. follow, sort of like being one of the greatest curlers of all-time?
Comments (2)
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I'm a big Lance Armstrong fan. I've been following "Le Tour" since 2001. By the time I started following, Lance had already won the tour twice. The last three years I've followed it religiously.
From the start, it's obvious that Lance is the strongest rider in the field. While a lot of people say it's because he's doping, they discount the sheer amount of training and prep work that precedes his Tour efforts.
He's the best rider in the time trials because he's spent countless hours familiarizing himself with the course and determining where he can cut a corner to save a second. He's spent hours determining which position on the bike gives him the most power per revolution. He's spent hours in the wind tunnel to determine which bike and which helmet and what posture cut down on resistance the most.
He's the best rider in the mountains because he studies the course in minute detail, determining where and when the attacks should come. He trains for months out of the year at altitude to adjust his body to the thinner air. He knows exactly which teammates will carry him through each kilometer and at what pace they'll ride. No detail is too small to be considered.
He even counts each calorie and each carb to determine how much he needs to eat of what to achieve and maintain optimum fitness.
Lastly, he has the strongest and best prepared team. They've demolished the field in the last two team time trials and they've shepherded Armstrong through every potential pitfall.
Put it all together and you've got a rider that doesn't need to dope to win. The guy is just totally prepared and totally focused on winning the Tour and no other rider comes close.
Lance is totally dedicated to his sport, he's light-years ahead of his competitors, and he's gotten millions of people interested in cycling as a sport. I think he certainly deserves to be included in any list of top athletes.
Posted on July 28, 2004 4:39 PM
Americans may be ignorant of cycling, but it is not a fringe sport. It is the second most popular sport in the world, largely in Europe and South America. The Tour de France is the most followed sporting event in the world in non-football world cup years. In many countries, business practically shuts down for 3+ weeks so that people can watch the tour. Increasingly, the peloton is truly international. That an American, as an outsider in the cycling world, can accomplish what Armstrong has accomplished makes the accomplishment all that much greater. Of course, he isn't the only American in the peloton. Tyler Hamilton, Levi Leipheimer, and Bobby Julich are also team leaders on European teams. Floyd Landis and Christian Vandevelde are upcoming stars. George Hincapie has only gotten more reliable over the years.
Posted on August 3, 2004 4:54 PM