i want lance back.
There was time when the first three weeks in July were, for me, the most wonderful time of the year. These weeks of bliss would start on a Saturday morning when Lance Armstrong and the sport’s finest cyclists and their teams would take to the roads of France in a 100-year-old event called the Tour de France.
The Prologue — always an individual timetrial — marked the start of the race. Riders would have their first chance to show whether their nerves of steel and months of intense training and fanatical dieting were going to make them or their team a serious contender in the Tour. Next, it was all about the sprinters for a few days — guys like Robbie McEwen, Baden Cooke, Stuart O’Grady, and big Tom Boonen. Then, with nearly a week of fast, flat stages under their jerseys, the climbers would take over, and, like magic, Lance and his teammates would once again dominate the field.
I loved the Tour de France. Largely, I admit, because of Lance Armstrong. Like many, I am inspired and amazed by how he battled back from cancer, but after his impressive return to the Tour in 1999, I quickly became as much a fan of Lance the cyclist as Lance the man. He’s a phenomenal, fearless cyclist. He inspired great riding among the whole Tour field, and I loved watching every exciting second!
So, when I faced July 2006 and the reality of a Tour without Lance, I was uncertain that I could remain interested in this sport and its crowning event. There was mumbling that George Hincapie might be a contender, and I’m definitely a Hincapie fan. So, I rooted for him while my husband rooted for Floyd Landis. When Landis made his incredible comeback last summer, we were on our feet cheering him on. My love of cycling was in full swing once again! It felt like the most wonderful time of the year! Until the Landis victory came under scrutiny. Until his samples tested positive for unnatural levels of testosterone. Until he resorted to stupid tactics to try to prove his innocence.
The disappointment was so overwhelming that the 2007 Tour de France started without even a second glance from me. Sure, I wanted the Discovery team to ride well; I wanted them to ride American Levi Leipheimer into the yellow jersey. But now, yesterday’s news that Alexandre Vinokourov tested positive for a banned substance, sending his entire Astana team home (including serious contender Andreas Kloden) infuriates me beyond description. All these riders and their stupid doping issues have made it nearly impossible to be a cycling fan.
I want Lance back.