Eight is Great!
Today, July 4th, Lance Armstrong will begin his bid for his eighth Tour De France championship. He has now been out of the elite professional cycling world for 4 years. This is a major lay off for any professional sport, but for Lance it just seems trivial. I am super excited because I am a huge fan of the Lance Armstrong story. I hope he at least has a good showing. But there are a lot of things standing in his way.
The first challenge to over come for Mr. Cyclist is the lay off. It is almost impossible for a professional athlete at the most elite level to come back after four years off. He has not had to face the competition at this level. His drive and determination are unquestionable, but his age and the time off could prove to be a problem. The wear and tear that this race puts on your body combined with the layoff could prove to be a big hurdle for the "unbeatable one." Lance's strong points in the race have been the hill stages. The hill stages require more fortitude, both mentally and physically, than other of the race's stages combined. This has never proved to be a problem for Lance because, more than anything, his mental toughness was far above any other in the race. But he will have to challenge more than hills to win this race.
Because of his success, and the reputation of cycling, Lance Armstrong has been accused of being a doper. That's right people claim he cheats. Cycling is among the worlds worst in PED problems. Many of cycling's biggest stars are under the dark cloud of those who cheat, even Lance. The French Sport's Minister says that Lance will be "particularly monitored" during the Tour de France. See the problem exists, not only with the sport but, with the fact that an American has dominated the French flagship event. The French will find any opportunity they can to take Lance down.
I hope that Lance has been completely honest about being clean. His story is one of the best in American sports ever. I will be heavily rooting for him to succeed. But the obstacles may seem to great. For all of the conspiracy theorists out there, even if Lance doesn't win this year that doesn't mean he was dirty. The lay off and the age could have a devastating effect on his performance. Good Luck Lance! Live like no one is watching and LiveStrong!
The first challenge to over come for Mr. Cyclist is the lay off. It is almost impossible for a professional athlete at the most elite level to come back after four years off. He has not had to face the competition at this level. His drive and determination are unquestionable, but his age and the time off could prove to be a problem. The wear and tear that this race puts on your body combined with the layoff could prove to be a big hurdle for the "unbeatable one." Lance's strong points in the race have been the hill stages. The hill stages require more fortitude, both mentally and physically, than other of the race's stages combined. This has never proved to be a problem for Lance because, more than anything, his mental toughness was far above any other in the race. But he will have to challenge more than hills to win this race.
Because of his success, and the reputation of cycling, Lance Armstrong has been accused of being a doper. That's right people claim he cheats. Cycling is among the worlds worst in PED problems. Many of cycling's biggest stars are under the dark cloud of those who cheat, even Lance. The French Sport's Minister says that Lance will be "particularly monitored" during the Tour de France. See the problem exists, not only with the sport but, with the fact that an American has dominated the French flagship event. The French will find any opportunity they can to take Lance down.
I hope that Lance has been completely honest about being clean. His story is one of the best in American sports ever. I will be heavily rooting for him to succeed. But the obstacles may seem to great. For all of the conspiracy theorists out there, even if Lance doesn't win this year that doesn't mean he was dirty. The lay off and the age could have a devastating effect on his performance. Good Luck Lance! Live like no one is watching and LiveStrong!
posted by belly up at
1:11 AM
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