Lance Armstrong's retirement 2.0

I wrote last week that Lance Armstrong was prolonging his retirement a bit longer, staying on until the Tour of California this May but then the Texan suddenly announced last week that he was retiring for good. He pointed out that a nagging knee injury was one reason for his premature second retirement.

I always view Lance Armstrong's career in thirds- the pre-cancer Lance, when he started out as a 15-year old triathlete and later an amateur Olympic hopeful. Also in this point is the brash and cocky neo-pro with Motorola who came in last in his first professional race, the Classica San Sebastian (he would come back and win it the next year). The middle third would be the 7 Tour de France wins and final third, the Come-backing Lance.

I have to be thankful that the middle third of his remarkable career also coincided with the internet age and because of technology, it was easy for the ordinary cycling fan got to know Lance and the European races better than reading about him in a 6-month old cycling magazine.

There are so many great stories about Lance, but I have to put it in perspective with the Federal investigation regarding doping that is hounding him today. Lance is a very divisive figure. There is no fence sitting when it come to the man. But it has to be accepted that his effect on cycling in general surpasses what all his predecessors have done. Whether the outcome of the investigation will be positive or not for "Le Boss", that is a column for another day.

We all have our best Lance Armstrong story. For me, the best story was his unquestionable loyalty to his friends and especially to his mother, Linda. It's probably this loyalty that kept his close friends from ratting (if assuming, there is something to rat about) him to The Federal authorities.

When Lance won the professional World Cycling Championship road race in 1993 in Oslo, Norway, he was just 21-years old, and one of the youngest to ever win a Worlds. He also did this less than 12-months after he turned professional in Europe, in an environment so harsh even for a seasoned pro like Greg Lemond at his age.

On that day, it was raining hard, making the road slippery. Known then as a strong rider but without the smart tactics, he patiently waited and waited and attacked at the right moment and won.

After his win, the King of Norway wanted to personally greet him. He went to see the King with his mom, who raised him single-handedly after his biological father and then his stepfather left them. But when he was told that the King only wanted to see him, he told them that if he can't take his Mom with him, then he won't see the King. He said something like, 'I'm not going to check my Mom on door'.

We know how competitive Lance was. When he was diagnosed with cancer, doctors believed he had a zero chance of survival but were afraid to say so. So they tell him that he had a 20% chance of survival. In the press conference the next day, Lance told the media that he had a 60% chance!

Finally, somebody asked why Lance came in 2009 back after a 4-year hiatus. A friend replied, "He's a killer. He missed killing". 

MandaueReklaCritCAT C February 19, 2011. 1- Walter Matudan, 2- JV Araneta, 3- LoloyBerdun, 4-Rudy Mendoza, 5- Danny Simbajon