Viva Lance Armstrong

photo by: gavandanna

More and more cycling pros are weighing in on Lance’s comeback. Australian Stuart O’Grady is one pro who’s showing a lot of respect for the former Tour de France champion.

“Nothing would surprise me with Lance. If he turns up and shocks everyone, it is probably part of his master plan ¹.”

O’Grady also shed light on the attitude of Australian cycling fans who appear to be welcoming the Lance comeback with open arms.

…”I have just spent a week in Victoria and every person I spoke to is going to come to Adelaide for the Tour Down Under. I don’t know if he understands the magnitude he could pull here in Adelaide. ¹”

O’Grady’s also noticed a different feel around the Tour since Lance retired claiming the Tour was “a little bit lost without Lance and his team ¹”. The Tour Down Under isn’t known for it’s steep climbs and O’Grady isn’t expecting Lance to have any trouble with them.

It seems like the hype and anticipation surrounding Lance’s first race back is starting to build up, particularly in Australia!

1. AdelaideNow: O’Grady expects Lance to surprise [↩] [↩] [↩]

photo by: joshgray

Could Lance’s comeback be more than a one year deal? Returning to professional cycling after three years off at age 37 was surprising enough, so few people have discussed the possibility that his comeback would be anything more than a one year encore. But a recent quote from Lance suggests that he hasn’t ruled out racing in 2010!

“I don’t want to rule out a second year, but I don’t want to guarantee it either,” Armstrong told the newspaper. “My performance will determine a lot of it. ¹”

Could Lance be leaving the door open should he not win the 2009 Tour so he can go out on top in 2010? Or could he be leaving it open in case he does win and wants to add onto his record number of titles? Maybe he would try to capture the other two grand tour titles (Giro d’Italia & Vuelta de Espana)?

Lance also shed some light on whether or not he would race in the 2009 Tour de France:

“I’m definitely coming back to racing, and I recognize the Tour is the marquee event,” Armstrong told the Austin American-Statesman. “Chances are more likely than not that I’ll [ride in the Tour de France]. ¹”

“More likely than not” would imply that Johan Bruyneel’s recent statement² about a start being 50-50 is at least one percentage point off!

1. ESPN: Report: Lance leaning toward 2009 Tour, says 2010 possible [↩] [↩]
2. ESPN: Astana manager says Lance ‘50-50′ for 2009 Tour de France [↩]

photo by: richdrogpa

Commenting after the 2009 Tour de France unveiling, Astana team manager and longtime Armstrong friend Johan Bruyneel was qouted saying there’s a “50-50″ chance Lance would start the 2009 Tour.  Bruyneel added:

“For him, the goal of a comeback is not linked to an obsession to win an eighth Tour ¹”

Bruyneel also chimed in on the 2009 course and whether it was favorable for Lance:

“There’s always a whole lot of comments on the course, it’s good for this guy or it’s good for that guy, ultimately it doesn’t matter,” Bruyneel said. “Ultimately the guy who wins the Tour — and I think any stage race — is the guy who is the best prepared and has the best support team, and is the most consistent. It’s as simple as that. ¹”

When Lance first announced his comeback he specifically mentioned his goal of winning an eighth tour, but questions regarding his physical shape, the Tour organizers, French crowds, and surrounding the team leader position on Astana have prompted some to question whether he will indeed start the 09 Tour.

Many people including myself have a very hard time believing that Lance won’t start the tour.  It’s the most prestigious cycling race in the world and the ultimate stage to bring awareness to the fight against cancer.  Lance is clearly committed to the comeback and his training, and for him to come up short of winning the 2009 Tour would be surprising, but to not even start seems nearly impossible!

1. ESPN: Astana manager says Lance ‘50-50′ for 2009 Tour de France [↩] [↩]

photo from: Tour de France Official Website

Tour organizers unveiled the route for the 2009 Tour de France ¹ on Wednesday. The course has lots of surprises including a 15k time trial intro stage in Monaco, the return of the team time trial, and a massive climb up Mount Ventoux in the penultimate stage.

The route seems well fitted for Lance and his initial reactions to the course confirm that he seems to very satisfied with the setup.

“From its start in Monte Carlo with a 15k time trial, to the reinstatement of the team time trial, to stages in my old hometown of Girona all the way to another visit to my old friend the Ventoux, I could not have hoped for a different Tour. ²”

Lance also spoke highly of the committee which have shown somewhat reserved enthusiasm for the return of such a dominant man in cycling history:

“While there has been a fair bit of tension and numerous disagreements with the Tour and its organizers, I am well aware that there is new leadership at ASO and I look forward to upcoming conversations and to a mutually beneficial future together,” Armstrong said.

“Whether it’s promoting the Livestrong global cancer campaign or making the biggest bike race in the world the gem that it deserves to be, I look forward to next year. ³”

The new attitude is part of a new Lance, a man who seems much less bothered by what reporters say about him and much more concerned with the bigger picture and his fight against cancer.

“I mean, these daily or weekly [phone conferences]? Everyone’s invited. From the bitterest of rivals I’ve ever had in the pressroom: Get on call. If you’ve got a question, ask it.… They’ll realize that I’m not messing around…The constituency that I represent is now cancer survivors. ⁴”

Lance has come to terms that there are some people who just don’t like him or won’t ever stop suspecting him for doping.

““the people like who they like and don’t like who they don’t like. They make up their own mind. The papers loved to write that I was the most hated athlete in France, but I’m the guy who rides through that kind of shit. They don’t sit on the bike with me and so, you know, out of 100 people, did you have 10 people throwin’ shit at you, yellin’, ‘Dopé, dopé’? Yeah. But you had 90 goin’, ‘Allez Lance! Allez Lance!’ I can do the math on that. My approval rating is 90 percent. Fuckin’ A. I like that. ⁴”

1. Tour de France: 2009 Grand Depart official site [↩]
2. NBC Sports: 2009 Tour to climax on Mont Ventoux

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3. Velonews: 2009 Tour route revealed [↩]
4. Vanity Fair: Lance Rides Again [↩] [↩]

photo by: Lanci Daniele

Lance Armstrong has accepted an invitation to ride in the 2009 Giro d’Italia. The Giro is one of the three “Grand” tours, along with the Vuelta a España and the Tour de France.

Lance has never competed in the long three week stage race considered the second most prestigious in professional cycling.  This year will mark the 100th running of the Giro in what should be an incredible event.

As many hardcore Lance fans know, historically his racing schedule has always focused around the Tour de France, with minimal events during the season and especially around July. It was a routine that came at the expense of the Giro as well as some of the great “One day Classics” during the summer in Europe.

But Lance’s 2009 scheduling philosophy is proving to be very different, and he even mentions regretting not previously riding in the Giro:

“I will give my utmost, and not only to prepare for the Tour,” Armstrong said in a statement from race organiser RCS Sport. “Not having taken part in the Giro was one of my biggest regrets as a rider. Finally I will be able to do it. It will be the Centenary Giro and I know how much that means for Italians. Everyone says it will be only to prepare for the Tour [de France] but, instead, it could be a case that I go to Italy to win and that the Giro will be my true three-week stage race. ¹”

The move does bring some some skepticism around his chances at winning an eighth Tour de France. The Giro is less than a month away from the Tour (2009 Giro ends May 31, 2009 Tour de France starts July 4th) and it’s a grueling three week race in it’s own right, a few of the reasons Lance has avoided it in the past. As Lance mentioned in the quote above many would consider it good training since he has been away from the sport for three years. However with the Contador situation and other factors in play there is a possibility he could make the Giro the focus of his comeback as Lance notes.

It’s going to be very interesting to watch as the season progresses! It’s clear Lance’s main motive behind this comeback is spreading his message on cancer around the world and he’s able to use international cycling races as perfect venues for that.

But nobody can doubt that Armstrong hates to loose. Lance is one of the most dedicated and fanatical trainers in the history of sport, or any sport. His name, especially for Americans, has become almost synonymous with the Tour de France, the only professional cycling race that exists in the minds of many US Sports fans.

Keep checking the site for more news about the Giro and Lance’s comeback! Subscribe to the rss feed and you’ll always be up to date with every new post!

1. Guardian.co.uk: Armstrong to race in next year’s Giro d’Italia [↩]

photo by: cobber_cpd

The International Cycling Union (UCI) has officially cleared Lance to ride in the 2009 Tour Down Under.  Lance had pinpointed the Tour Down Under as the first race in his comeback season.  It’s the first official event of the 2009  Pro Tour.

There had been some questions whether he would be able to ride since the UCI policy had been that an athlete had to enroll with their national anti doping agency six months prior to racing in a Pro Tour event.  Lance did enroll in the US Anti Doping program some months ago, but the strict sixth month period would have put his earliest date to race at Feb 1, 2009.

The UCI decided to allow an exception for Armstrong mainly because the six month rule was devised four years ago, and the their drug testing standards are much higher than they were when the rule was written.

“Riders are now subject to a much-reinforced system of monitoring compared to that of the past,” the governing body said in a statement. “Lance Armstrong has and will be the subject of very strict monitoring throughout the period running up to his return to the peloton.¹”

Lance has taken extra measures in terms of drug testing for his comeback.  He’s hired a film crew to document his comeback and his training and also hired a personal doping expert Don Catlin.  Catlin, who started the orginal US anti doping effort in 1982, will make Lance samples available to the public online as hs blood to be analyzed later to be tested later if new doping tests are developed.

So It’s official, Lance will ride in the 2009 Tour Down Under in Australia on Jan. 20-25 in his first pro tour event since he retired three years ago.

Viva Lance!

1. Sports Illustrated: Armstrong cleared to race [↩]