Go Lance - 7 !!!!

[swebster]

Six laps left to go but he's done it! Go Lance!

[rfield54]

Right on . . .

[j54mark]

In tennis they close with the pronouncement, “Game, set, match”. This is it: its over. The stage, the Tour De France, and the career of the greatest athlete of his generation.

There is nothing a sports fan would rather do than wax nostalgic about the “old days”. I can well remember following (and sometimes seeing) some who have since become legends: Stan Musial, Sandy Koufax, Sam Sneed, Rod Laver, Willie Mays, Wilt Chamberlain, Bart Star, Mohammed Ali - the list could go on and on.

Today is a time to pause and remember, “I was there.” A century from now people will talk about the man who came back from cancer to win the toughest athletic event in the world SEVEN STRAIGHT TIMES! It is a feat which may have no parallel in sport. While four others (each of them cycling legends of the highest standing) have won five each, no one had ever won a sixth, much less a seventh, until Lance Armstrong. Yes, it took luck, but it took the greatest possible skill and dedication to be in a position to be that lucky!

And what a way to retire! Hitting a home run on the last at bat! Completing the pass that wins the Super Bowl as time expires! Take any simile you want and apply it here. Lance won the Tour going away. He never faltered for a single moment in this his last race. And just to make the point in case anyone had a doubt as to who the best might be, he won the final time trial convincingly.

Those of us who follow the sport are to be congratulated. We have lived through one of the greatest epochs in sporting history, and I, for one, am proud and happy to have been a witness.

Mark

[Porky Pig]

Originally Posted by j54mark

... the list could go on and on.

Joe Montana, Ted Williams, Jack Nicklaus, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Lou Gehrig, Jim Thorpe, Wilt Chamberlain, Joe Louis, Ty Cobb, and my favorite ... Roberto Clemente.

Congrats to Lance ... it was a real treat to watch the race every morning on OLN.

I'll be wearing a yellow t-shirt today ... and perhaps a pair of spandex shorts.

[Pschoerrn]

Originally Posted by Porky Pig

... and perhaps a pair of spandex shorts.

Please take a picture of that...

No, honestly!! Congratulations to Lance and the Discovery Channel Team. They did a really terrific job!!

But can you emagine how happy we are that Lance retired today?? Now Jan Ullrich has a better chance to win the Tour de France next year for the second time... Well, if only Ivan Basso would be there...


Also congratulations to all the fans who followed the tour for the three weeks and made this great athmosphere possible.
Hopefully we have time to attend the alps stages or some others next year.

[j54mark]

Originally Posted by j54mark
... the list could go on and on.

Originally Posted by Porky Pig

Joe Montana, Ted Williams, Jack Nicklaus, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Lou Gehrig, Jim Thorpe, Wilt Chamberlain, Joe Louis, Ty Cobb, and my favorite ... Roberto Clemente.

Not in my case. Jim Thorpe, Joe Louis, and Ty Cobb are a bit before my time.

Mark

[3Ms75Argosy]

I can do a century on my bike... even a double century, and I'm dead for the next few days. Lance (and all) do it EVERY day FASTER in the hills than I am on the flats, almost daily for three weeks. Unbelievable!
Good going Lance and the Discovery team!
Marc

[3Ms75Argosy]

Here's me at the end of Reach the Beach in OR.

[pinkflamingoes]

Has anyone seen that scene in "Dodgeball" where he talks to the team's captain in the airport? I fell out laughing. I don't want to ruin it for anyone, but...I'll post here if you want me to, it says it all about Lance and his approach to life.

Woohoooo!

[pinkflamingoes]

I see bugs in your teeth!

Originally Posted by 3Ms75Argosy

Here's me at the end of Reach the Beach in OR.

[SilverRanger]

It was a tremendous accomplishment. Armstrong is a truly amazing person. I bike six days a week, and cannot imagine doing 21 stages at full blast. One stage is 3 weeks worth of cycling for me. I first saw him in the Tour DuPont in Delaware just prior to his cancer diagnosis and have been a pro cycling fan ever since. It's the only sporting event I follow (Okay, I watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and wardrobe malfunctions). I was camping this weekend, and couldn't get OLN, but had my laptop and aircard and was able to be at the finish via the internet.



Porky, if you ever catch me wearing Spandex, go ahead and shoot me.

[rseagle]

Now that Lance is retired, maybe he and Cheryll Crow will buy an Airstream and travel the roads in style!