Lance Armstrong coming back

Lance Armstrong coming back

www.velonews.com

Lance Armstrong will come out of retirement next year to compete in five road races with the Astana team, according to sources familiar with the developing situation.

Armstrong, who turns 37 this month, will compete in the Amgen Tour of California, Paris-Nice, the Tour de Georgia, the Dauphiné Libéré and the Tour de France — and will race for neither salary nor bonuses, the sources, who asked to remain anonymous, told VeloNews

(visit the link for the full news article)



[edit on 9/9/2008 by Badge01]

Though some other sources deny this, Rumors abounded at the Eurobike trade show, and there's reportedly an article to appear in Vanity Fair which will confirm this.

It's breaking everywhere, though some might say it's still in rumor stage, but aren't most stories like this the same until it actually happens.

Like many retirements of sports figures, Armstrong's announcement after the '05 tour seems to have been temporary. In the interim he rode a few mountain bike races, coming in second in the Leadville Trail 100 Race mountain bike competition on Aug 9th.

He also ran in the New York Marathon twice, getting a very good 2:46:43 in the last race enough to qualify for The Boston Marathon which he ran in an impressive time of 2:50:58.

Personally, I don't think he can recover the form and the dedication and willingness to suffer, but it would be interesting, if not cringeworthy, should he have to drop out.

Riding the other races, including AmGen Tour of California will show if he's on form, so that's a good decision.

We'll see what happens. He's only 37 and Carlos Sastre just won the Tour at age 33, and at age 38 Germany's Erik Zabel is still contesting with the top sprinters.

www.velonews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 9/9/2008 by Badge01]

Well, it's no longer a rumor.

Lance has confirmed in an interview on Tuesday that he is coming back and his first race will be the AmGen Tour of California. (ironic that AmGen is the creator of EPO).

Anyway, he's been doing the out-of-competition drug testing regime and he is cleared by ASO to race Feb 1st. (AmGen is in Feb and will be telecast by Versus/OLN).

The story I mentioned being in Vanity Fair is also up, and fully browsable.

Vanity Fair article on Lance's comeback

He said in the interview that the speeds they were riding were 'slow', compared to other years. Of course I don't find that to be true. In the past years here are the average speeds of the winners:

2008
Distance 3,559 km (2,211 mi)
Winning time 87h 52' 52" (40.50 km/h/25.17 mph)

2007
Distance 3,569.9 km (2,218 mi)
Winning time 91h 00' 26" (39.23 km/h/24.38 mph)

2006
Distance 3,639 km (2,261 mi)
Winning time 89h 40' 27" (40.789 km/h/25.345 mph)

2005
Winning time: 86h 15' 02" (41.654 km/h)

2004
Winning time: 83h 36' 02' 40.553km/h

2003
Winning time: 83h 41' 12" 40.940 km/h

2002
Winning time: 82h 05' 12" 39.909 km/h

2001
Winning time: 86h 17'28" 40.070 km/h

2000
Winning time: 92h 33'08" 39.221 km/h

1999
Winning time: 91h 32'16" 40.273 km/h

So I don't think there's any validity to him saying they're riding slow, nor do I think it's a 'clean tour'. They're still riding at speeds comparable to the drugged up years (~1998 for sure)

In the 50s the average speed of the winner was 34.341 km/h (21.33mph)
In the 60s the average speed of the winner was 35.944 km/h (22.33mph)
In the 70s the average speed of the winner was 35.527 km/h (22.07mph)
In the 80s the average speed of the winner was 37.057 km/h (23.02mph)
In the 90s it picked up significantly to 39.151km/h (24.32mph)
In the 2000s it picked up again to 40.324 km/hr (25.06mph)

Though bikes have gotten lighter, the stages have probably gotten harder. Human performance and nutrition have improved, but I don't see this kind of improvement in other sports. The high jump has only improved a tiny amount since Bob Beamon's jump in the 80s, for instance.

Anyway, should be interesting.





[edit on 10/9/2008 by Badge01]

The biggest hint will be, of course, his meticulous preparation.

In the past years he went over to France in the Winter and rode the tough climbs with Johan Bruyneel.

This time, he's reportedly bought a house in Aspen, because of the altitude and mountains. But the main reason he won in the past was because of the prep, which remained the same once he and Johan hit upon the successful formula.

If he tries to make a shortcut he'll surely fail.

Wow something is wrong with the ATS search.

Do a forum thread search for Armstrong and you get this thread, but you click on the link and it says it no longer exsists.

I seen it because someone just replied and bumped it up.

Sorry for the repost bro!