Ron Borges on Lance Armstrong. This is the kind of sports writing that makes me ashamed to be an American. Lance is not an athelete at all?
For my money, being the greatest athlete in the world involves strength, speed, agility, hand-eye coordination, mental toughness and the ability to make your body do things that defy description.
Clearly he doesn't have any strength. And he is obviously slow, having won so many time trials. He can't have been very agile to ride down the side of a mountain at 70 mph within inches of other riders - requires no hand-eye coordination at all. Having cancer and training for the Tour, then riding 3 weeks for 5 hours / day with legs fill of lactic acid can't possibly require any mental toughness. So, sure Ron, I can totally see where you're coming from...
For those who don't know, bike racing is a very hard sport. I was a track star in high school. I thought I was in shape. I started bike racing and learned just how hard it is. I follow a very strict training program, monitor my heart rate, and eat all the right foods. I train an average of 15 hours per week (which for a working man with a family is tough!). That's about 200-300 miles / week. And I'm still unable to do better than the second tier category racing in this country. My only solace in that result is that I know from experience that there just aren't very many people who can do this. It takes a certain determination and skill that cause most people to give up when they realize just how hard it is.
Bicycle racing might not be as popular as baseball in America. But in Europe these athletes are real heros. The Tour is watched by millions of fans each day world wide. When I go to Europe I watch bike racing on Eurosport where they broadcast races live with no commercials for 3 hours straight. Its a matter of familiarity and as a sports fan we recognize that different sports are popular in different parts of the world. It doesn't make the partipants any less athletic!
Lance is one of the best athletes in the world. He can ride above is LT for over an hour and he has a resting heart rate of 30. He is the definition of a great athlete and an inspiration to millions. Unfortunately for the U.S., our experience of sports means drinking a couple of six packs in front of a TV. Get out and participate in sports if you call yourself a sports fan! Lance sure got me out on my bike and now I'm 20 lbs lighter, a heck of a lot stronger, and loving every minute of it!
