The Tour de Lance

Whoops! I mean Tour de France. It looks to me like he's going to take home a record 7th win this year. I'm somewhat ambivalent about it - on one hand, the icon "Lance Armstrong, cancer survivor and cycling badass" is very seductive, and I find myself pulling for him DESPITE the toothache inducing sugary sweet inspirational story that is his history. On the other, and speaking as a fan of the sport, a victory in the Tour without Armstrong present just seems a little hollow. Yes, it is an incredible achievement just to complete a 21 day race that takes place over a few thousand kilometers, and an even greater one to do it faster than the top competitors in the sport, but to win within the next couple of years will leave that person (I'm guessing Jan Ullrich for yellow next year, but he's getting kind of old) wondering whether or not they're the best, or just the best of those that chose to compete.

I dunno. Perhaps after a few years Armstrong will just be a hero from cycling's past (like Hinault and Merckx), not someone directly comparable to so-called "real life" athletes.