L A N C E makes it 7

OLN did a poor job of coverage at the end, but overall an uneventful tour. There were few true challengers this yea, but that does not make the ride easier.

I tip my hat to Lance and look forward to a new crop of riders next year, but I will certainly pay more attention to the Giro.

 

HE DA MANN!

 

A truly remarkable ending to a remarkable career.
Lance did us proud.
Just another American kickin' some @ss in France.

John

 

Amazing!

So the sporting story of the century comes to a close?

(...or does it?)

What a ride.

[Ugh oh, here I go...]

Back in my cycling days I remember looking up to Lance as the up and coming US rider I wished I could be (even though nobody outside cycling in the US seemed to know his name). Tour DuPont, Tour Du Trump, whatever... I didn't miss it.... Faster guys from my team even rode with Lance.

... then I remember seeing him struggle in the tour. I remember wishing the USA had a deeper field of riders. (Except on the days I was lining up to lose to more talented/gifted amateur riders than me, then I didn't wish for a deeper field). Little did I know what was to come...

And then I remember reading his words from his cancer press conference
(the conference Nike uses as an inspirational ad campaign now. "I will return to competitive cycling", etc). While reading it I couldn't help but think of my father's unsuccessful struggle against cancer and thinking [I hate to admit it]: "Nope, that's it for your sporting career Lance. Just focus on living." How wrong I was!

And then when he lined up for the prologue that first year back I had to hold the tears back just to see him line up. Then when he won his very first stage back I [already] thought it was one of the sports stories of the century. Again, he had so much more to do!

...so look at him now. A record 7 (not 5, not 6... 7!) and he leaves, to continue living just how he wishes. How inspirational!

So....What's next for Lance?

...And......What's next for cycling?

...And .........What's next for cancer treatment?

Please answer in 10 words or less <laugh>! Sorry for rambling.

Puff
www.exhaust.tv

 

Yep, thats gotta p-ss 'em off. I read that he was drug tested "randomly" more often than any other athlete this year. Any truth to that? Anyway, well said...a remarkable end to a remarkable career.

 

I miss the good old American rides; core states, tour du pont... We'll never see the sport really take hold in a slant-brow, beer-swilling society like the US, but we enthusiasts and riders will get up at 3 in the morning to watch crappy cable networks for our F1, and cycling fixes while espn, espn2, fsn, cnnsi and the other morons all talk about the same damned thing day-in day-out with different talking heads.

 

He's like the Michael Shumaker of cycling!
Congrats to him.
I wonder how many French people watched it?

 

Congrats to Lance. The Schmi/Senna of Cycling. Personally, he's a great rider, but I never really him personally.

 

What an inspiration. Miracles do happen.

 

no, actually like the jackie ickyx...endurance racer.

johan museaw (sp?) was the senna!!

 

yes, du pont was fantastic...world class!!!

i wonder what will happen to our sport now that lance steps away?

 

Congrats from this side of the pond too!!!!

Good to see him go out in style....

 

Lance told Levi that he was the new blood in cycling and that it was up to him to carry the torch for US cycling in the states. Levi being realistic knows that the sport will never really catch on here though. There was an article about it on Yahoo and a podcast as well.