<p>I can’t believe Lance Armstrong is coming out of retirement! I thought he was enjoying eating and drinking what he wanted (not to mention the various celebrity “dates”). I wonder if he can really pull this off. I actually think he can.</p>
<p>yay!!! I am so excited!</p>
<p>Interesting… especially considering all the big names got kicked iout for doping a couple of years ago (Basso, Ulrich, etc.)</p>
<p>Woohoo! …</p>
<p>I think it’s exciting too. Though with his incredible record, people aren’t going to just expect him to compete, but to win-- yet again. Very tough road ahead.</p>
<p>He isn’t doing it to just compete. He’s doing it to win. He’s not programmed to not win. (he and I were on a swim team together back in the day…)</p>
<p>Yippee! Maybe it will bring some excitement back to the Tour. I think he will do it. We have been followers of the Tour for years and years and are often in France in July to watch it live on TV every day and even occasionally a stage in person. Since Lance stopped competing, this is the first year there has been any excitement, and even then it was only moderate. We remembered Sastre when he won the white jersey for best young rider when he was on Lance’s team.</p>
<p>I’m sure the French journalists will have a heyday with this one.</p>
<p>I think it’s awesome!</p>
<p>How cool is that MomofWC - was he an awesome swimmer???!!!</p>
<p>He was an awesome swimmer, runner and biker. I competed in triathlons that he won. He was very gifted and very arrogant. My favorite Lance story is from when he was 19 and had just come back from racing (bike) in Europe. They didn’t wear helmets very often in Europe back then. He left our swim practice on his bike to ride home (about 20 miles) and was weaving in and out of traffic on his bike- no helmet. Our coach’s sister (a former college swimmer who knew Lance since he was little) pulled up next to him in her car and said, “You stupid little $hit, what would your mother say?” For YEARS when I saw Lance on the podium on TV and followed his career, that was all I could think about.</p>
<p>Great story, MOWC!</p>
<p>I liked the one he told in one of his books about dipping tennis balls in gasoline, lighting them, and catching with mitts. It is amazing he survived adolescence let alone cancer. </p>
<p>Anyway, can’t wait to see what kind of team he assembles. Boy, I hope George Hincapie is on his team. </p>
<p>Floyd Landis is also ready for a comeback. I will never know what to think about him. If he was set up (and many locals truly believe that is the case) then I feel so sorry for him. MOWC - your claim to fame is being on a team with Lance, mine is I buy my groceries where Floyd used to ride his bike to work. Impressive, huh?</p>
<p>I was very disappointed about Floyd and I tend to give them the benefit of the doubt, but who knows? Cool that you have that grocery connection!!</p>
<p>Just curious - Is he considered ‘old’ for racing at this point? Don’t know how long these guys compete (or even how old he is for that matter).</p>
<p>He’s a little old, but he is not your normal athlete! I personally think he may be the greatest athlete of all time.</p>
<p>MOWC, I agree about the greatest athlete of all time thing.</p>
<p>His mental capacity in some of those races was amazing. I very clearly remember the one stage in the Pyrenees were he made up almost 10 min. on the Spanish rider and passed Pantani. The look on his face reminded me of the sheer willpower you could see on Michael Jordan’s face in the NBA finals game when he had the flu. It was so much beyond their natural physical prowess at the point.</p>
<p>Go Lance! I know he is an incredible inspiration to a dear friend of mine who is a cancer survivor, and to me - ever since he dated Cheryl Crow! GO LANCE!!!</p>