I realize cycling doesn't get a lot of press over here, but I'm a Lance Armstrong fan and I'll be pulling for the guy to win an unprecedented 6th Tour de France this year.
Armstrong is 32, and no one older than 31 has ever won (that being Miguel Indurain in 1995). Old foes - perennial runner-up Jan Ullrich - and former teammates - 2003 iron man Tyler Hamilton, who finished fourth after racing with a broken collarbone - lie in wait (although Spain's Iban Mayo wiped out yesterday and is an almost insurmountable 4 minutes behind), and the course itself has been modified to make it as anti-Armstrong as possible:
To ensure an exciting race to equal last year, Tour organizers have pushed all the action into the second half of the three-week Tour. The first major mountain stage doesn't come until Stage 12 and all the decisive stages are sandwiched into a nine-day window.
"The last week looks really tough, the toughest we have ever done," said Armstrong, who will be starting his 10th career Tour. "It will be much better to have a stronger second half than a strong first half."
In another twist, gone is one of the long flat time trials that Armstrong has used as a springboard to grab an early lead. That's been replaced with a climbing time trial up the steep switchbacks at Alpe d'Huez in Stage 16.
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New rules also limit how much time teams can lose in the critical team time trial to 2 minutes, 30 seconds. Perhaps not coincidentally, it's a stage that Armstrong's U.S. Postal Service team won last year and took more than three minutes out of rivals Simoni and Mayo.
Then there are the omnipresent doping allegations. I hope they come to nothing, and that neither Armstrong nor his team are so stupid that they'd allow his accomplishments to be tainted by the use of performance enhancers. I'm still optimistic enough to hope for the best, but I'm also cynical enough to be prepared for bad news.
In the meantime, go Lance. Maybe you can inspire Sheryl Crow to write some better music while you're at it.
I mean, "Soak Up the Sun" is just awful.
UPDATE: And so it begins...
Armstrong takes yellow jersey as US Postal win team time trial
Go Lance. Soak up the sun is awful but damn, what a hardbody she is.
Wonder if Lance's ex-wife -- you know, the one who nursed him back from cancer only to get dumped for Sheryl Crow -- is cheering for him to win a 6th Tour?
Did you wonder the same thing about Wade Boggs, Mudge? Or were you not a Sox fan at that time?
For the record, I never liked Wade Boggs -- any more than I like Manny Ramirez now. No matter how good he plays, he's still the guy that begged off a critical series last year because of a sore throat - but then went to go drinking with a Yankee buddy of his on Saturday night.
Meanwhile, Pete, we're off topic. Are you suggesting that, because other athletes lie and cheat and ditch their wives, it's okay for Lance to do it?
I'm not suggesting anything. What I'm wondering is - short of committing actual crimes (domestic abuse, assault, murder) - if you're really that concerned about what your favorite athletes/actors/musicians are up to in their personal lives? I'm a fan of Armstrong's because of what he's accomplished, as well of what he's overcome. He's not a marriage counselor, so who cares if he's divorced?
As for the original question, I have no idea if Kristin Armstrong is rooting for her ex. If their divorce settlement included future earnings, I'd imagine she is.
Geez. Lance is a jerk. He dumped both his wife and Wade Boggs for Sheryl?
Mostly, Pete, I am just pushing buttons. I'm kind of an ass that way.
Tour de France. yawn.
musta been a boring vacation, Pete