The mythical proportions of the big boss’ decision to rejoin the peloton has probably been on most cyclists’ lips for the past days. It seems that it might have a domino effect too, Floyd Landis and Michael Boogerd are thinking of joining Lance. I guess life away from the spotlight is hard to bear. Although, the boss shouldn’t have to complain too much with Sheryl Crow and Kate Hudson on his résumé.
Some claim Armstrong is the greatest cyclist of all time; I would be committing treason and blasphemy stating that opinion. For Belgians there is only one: Eddy Merckx. Over the years, the sport has undergone a dramatic transformation and has become much more specialized. In the old days, les coureurs would embark on both the Classics as the major Tours. Yes folks, cycling is not only le Tour de France. Every year, more than one million people stalwartly cheer on their heroes in de Ronde van Vlaanderen (Tour of Flanders). To give you a statistic, that’s 10% of the Belgian population or nearly 17% of the Flemish inhabitants. Cycling is a religion in the more sensible region of the Low Countries (sorry couldn’t resist making a joke about the Dutch).
In a certain way, I can understand Armstrong’s motives. The fight against cancer deserves no less than overexposure in the media. There is no doubt about his love for the sport and the camaraderie of being part of a pro cycling team. And ultimately, there’s the main reason, the addiction for sports. The fight to be number one and prove one is the best.
Do I think Armstrong is making the right decision? Honestly, I have ambiguous feelings about his comeback. Yes, he would give cycling a much needed boost, especially in the North American media. On the other hand, I respect Lance for what he has achieved in the past and I would rather hang on to those images. I seriously doubt he will be able to achieve his previous level. My hat off to him if he pulls off an eight Le Tour victory.
You could say that I am quite a conservative cycling fan. Even though I have an immense amount of respect for Miguel Indurain and Lance Armstrong, they embody modern cycling. They both had the month of July marked with a big fat red pen in their calendar, but other major races would be left untouched. The international media has a tendency of only focusing on the Tour de France circus, often ignoring the likes of Paolo Bettini, Tom Boonen or Fabian Cancellara to just name a few, and their fantastic feats.
Outside Europe, only a select few know more than a few household cycling names, and I’ve never been a fan of front runners. Cycling is more than just Lance Armstrong and Le Tour de France; I hope people won’t forget that.
Read my words, the cycling world has a new Tour phenomenon: Alberto Contador. He has joined the immortal Merckx, Gimondi, Anquetil and Hinault as the only cyclists to have ever won the Giro, the Vuelta and the Tour. This deserves nothing more than the utmost respect.
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