Armstrong 'uncomfortable' in third place

28 Jul 2009, 11:33 am   -   Source: Linda Robertson, MCT
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It was strange and remarkable to see Lance Armstrong on the Champs Elysees again, framed by the Arc de Triomphe.

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It was strange and remarkable to see Lance Armstrong on the Champs Elysees again, framed by the Arc de Triomphe.

Strange because he was not wearing the yellow jersey. Remarkable because he was on the Tour de France podium.

Armstrong stood a couple steps lower than he did in seven consecutive years at the top. He was uncomfortable with third place. He is uncomfortable losing at anything, which is why he beat cancer in his own personal fight and won't rest until a cure is found.
   
But he proclaimed himself happy to leave Paris with a top-three finish at age 37, after a four-year retirement from the Tour.

"I did my best," Armstrong said. "I came across guys who were clearly better than me. For my age, it's a good performance."

He tried to sound satisfied but wasn't very convincing. The faint smile couldn't disguise that familiar look of consternation and preoccupation. That's why Armstrong will be back at age 38 in 2010, as exclusive commander of his new RadioShack team, burning with desire to beat champion Alberto Contador and win his eighth Tour.
   
Armstrong's comeback was magnificent. In 10 months, after three and a half years away from pro bike racing, he lost 20 pounds, rebuilt his fitness and recovered his motivation. And Armstrong was perhaps only two stages and one mountain shy of winning.

He was more sympathetic in defeat than in his last Tour victory. When Armstrong won his seventh in 2005, he sounded like a bitter man on the podium, lashing out at the "doubters and cynics."

"I'm sorry for you," he said. "I'm sorry you don't believe in miracles."
   
It was the wrong way for him to go riding into the sunset. Even given Armstrong's combative, prickly temperament, his farewell speech was too spiteful.

Inevitably, he got bored with retirement. In this Tour, a wiser, warmer, more relaxed and more gracious Armstrong emerged. A more likeable Lance. He was Everyman rather than Superman. French fans, who regarded him as too arrogant and suspicious a champion, expressed their admiration for him.
   
Among his many goals this year was to dispel all the doping accusations that clung to his rear wheel throughout his career.

There were books packed with circumstantial evidence, accounts from former colleagues, loyalty to an Italian doctor with a dirty reputation. But Armstrong never tested positive which, to be fair, means little in sports, woefully far behind in catching cheats. Only dopes get caught for doping.
   
Still, imagine how frustrating it is for a clean athlete to be unable to prove his or her innocence. Armstrong was naive to think he could wipe the slate clean this year, especially after his plan to post his own test results online fell apart.
   
But he wasn't the polarizing figure he has been in the past. He won over people with his honesty. There was the Nike commercial-inspirational, defensive, candid.

Then, after blowing up on the way to Verbier, Armstrong lost significant time to his Astana teammate Contador, acknowledged he didn't have enough stamina to win, said he was "proud" of Contador and agreed to ride as his domestique.

The strongest man always wins the most grueling event in sports.

There are no shortcuts over three weeks, sky-high mountains and 2,174 miles. Contador confirmed his place as the supreme rider and probably would have won three in a row had his team not been kept out of the race last year.
   
Contador-extending Spain's winning streak to four-never appeared to struggle. He was a magical climber, springy on his pedals as he rose out of the saddle and danced to the summits. In the individual time trial, Contador demonstrated how he has grown as an all-around cyclist with a convincing win. The king looks like Prince (the singer), doesn't he?
   
Armstrong stuck right with Contador in support, but they ceased to be teammates as soon as Armstrong announced his alliance with RadioShack. On Saturday night, Armstrong skipped the traditional team celebration.
   
"Um, to be honest, I went to dinner with the RadioShack guys and had a few more glasses of wine than I normally have," he said.

That's Armstrong, plotting. He's got big plans, for his LiveStrong foundation, for cancer patients and researchers, for his new team, for himself. He's always got something to prove or disprove, and that keeps those legs spinning, in that signature cadence.

No. 3 is wonderful. But he's used to being No. 1.

 

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Your Comments

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- - from vic, 3 years ago

Sore loser... So pathetic. Get over yourself.
'Contador should thank his team?' So should you.
He won, because he was (and is) the BEST.
Get over it..

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