I am a 47-year-old who still feels capable of performing in every respect as I did when I was 34. Therefore, I never bought into the notion that, at 37, Lance Armstrong was incapable of cycling as well as he did when he was 34, the last time he won the Tour de France.
Never mind that Armstrong himself conceded this notion after failing to assert his dominance during the last, mountainous stages of the race, where he sealed victory in all of his unprecedented seven wins in a row from 1999 to 2005.
But, with all due respect to 26-year-old Alberto Cantador, who won, Armstrong was still the star of this year’s race, during which cyclists competed in 21 stages beginning on July 4 and ending yesterday, July 26.
Because Armstrong performed in such vintage fashion throughout the race that he held me (and I’m sure many others) in thrilling suspense – fully expecting him to make up the few minutes that separated his third-place overall time from Cantador’s first place in the final stages (particularly, along the high-mountain course of stages 16 and 20). Alas, he did not, and ended up in third place.
I’m very happy with that. There was no way I was coming back on him. For an old guy, it’s a success.
(Lance Armstrong)
Indeed, there’s no denying that Armstrong’s third-place performance is as admirable as it is enviable: a real tour de force. Moreover, it is a clear indication that, despite admitting that his body did not respond to his mental commands during this race as it once did, he believes he still has the physical prowess to beat Cantador.
Because even before the final stage was over, he had already committed to racing next year, not as Cantador’s teammate with Astana, but as the leader of a rival team, RadioShack. And, given that he managed this third-place finish after a four-year layoff, I for one am willing to bet that Armstrong will dethrone the younger Cantador.
I believe I’ll be better. It’s hard to get back to speed, but now that I’ve been through the Giro and the Tour, I think I can make some tactical adjustments.
(Armstrong)
Meanwhile, nothing has done more to debunk (French-inspired) rumors about Armstrong doping his way to those seven victories quite like his highly scrutinized (and tested) performance in this year’s Tour de France.
Well done Lance!
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