Injured

NBA great Bill Walton is considered as one of the best centers to play in the league. He led the Portland Trailblazers to its only Championship in 1977 and in 1986 with the Boston Celtics, where he played the 6th man role. But in the 11 years that sandwiched his championship seasons, the Big Red-Head was nagged by injuries that would put a “what if?” before his name, Call it crazy logic but Lance Armstrong was lucky he broke his collarbone in 2009, not between 1992 and 2005 or the magic years between 1999 and 2005. Same with Michael Jordan, who broke his foot in his sophomore year in 1985, not in 1992 or 1996. Can you imagine what history would be today had these two superstars got injured in the years they were dominating their own sport? But however I try to trivialize the injury of Armstrong, the fact is that it’s a big loss not only to the sport but to the cancer community in the next few weeks while he is recuperating.

But what about his broken collarbone, how fast can he heal and how fast he be competitive?

Alex Zulle was a favorite going into the 1997 Tour de France. Riding for the Spanish ONCE team, the tall Swiss would be going up against defending champion Bjarne Riis and his precocious lieutenant, a freckled-face kid named Jan Ullrich. But then Zulle crashed 15 days before the TdF and broke his collarbone and his chances of joining the TdF looked dim. Enter a “traumatologist” who inserted 5 pins and a plate in Zulle’s collarbone. The next day, Zulle was riding his trainer at home! Zulle did start the Tour but 5 stages and 3 crashes later (probably affected his injury), he quit.

I’m sure medicine has progressed from what Zulle got 12 years ago. That’s why I’m confident that Armstrong will be at the starting line of the Giro d’ Italia, which will start a good 8 weeks from now and in the TdF on July 4. But how his form will be in both races will for sure be debated in the next weeks.

A lot of observers has suspected Armstrong’s from since he first raced in the Tour Down Under in Australia. Armstrong himself knew that these races, including the Tour of California, are what he calls, “anomalies”, meaning, they are not a true test of preparedness. The Vuelta a Castilla y León would have been an upgrade compared to the races in Australia and California had not the injury occurred. On top of that, Armstrong would have a chance to test his rival and teammate, the 2007 TdF champion Alberto Contador and how they would have bonded prior to the Big Dance this July.

Now, they’ll have to get to know each other for the first time in the Tour.  

2009 Tour of Luzon

The Tour of Luzon 2009 sponsored by Liquigas will be held this coming 2nd week of April, 2009. Along with the pros, an executive category will also be raced. The group organizing this race is related with the group of Mayor Bambol Tolentino, one of the two groups claiming leadership of RP Cycling. The other group, headed by former RP cyclist Rolando Hiso, is also scheduled to have their own tour probably in May. The race director is no other than Jesus Garcia. It is with this second group that those who passed the eliminations last weekend here in Cebu will most likely race as the organizers are affiliated with the Hiso group.

I was very happy for our cyclists who joined and made the cut. Now they have something to look forward to. That is, if their race won’t be postponed. – THE FREEMAN