BroLance (A poor play on Bromance)

So today finally marked the end of the 3500km, 3 week, king of all cycling races--the Tour de France. As some of you, or at least my followers probably know, Lance Armstrong is one of my life's role models, an absolute inspiration, and a real-life superhero. And to see him stand on the lowest rung of the podium on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, with the Arc de Triomphe, and not clad in the yellow jersey was a strange sight to say the least. It had never happened before, Lance not finishing the race on top. But no one, not even the bad-mouthing French who look for any and every way to hate Lance Armstrong, thought badly of Lance today. Three and a half years without cycling competitively and at 37 years old, Lance came back and nearly on top. It's crazy that anyone could leave a sport like cycling and return over three years later and be competitive. But Lance one-upped the odds. Not only was he competitive, but he re-asserted himself right at the top of the sport like he never left. What a remarkable feat. This year's Tour just adds another chapter in the storied life of Lance Armstrong.

So he is human. He can't always win. But that just makes him all the more likeable, which is exactly what he needed. Announcing his return, Lance never said he was coming back to win (although it clearly was a great motivator), but to raise awareness for his Livestrong foundation and campaign for finding a cure to cancer. Lance rode for Astana for no salary. He rode hand-painted bikes which will be auctioned off with proceeds going to Livestrong (on the final stage, his bike was covered in dead butterflies). He promoted Livestrong in the Tour Down Under, the Giro d'Italia, Tour de France, and every other race on his docket. He scheduled meetings with heads of state and cancer researchers worldwide, before, after, and during his races. And he once again proved that even if you're down, you're never out of it. Hats off to Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck for placing 1st and 2nd in the Tour, but Lance and Livestrong were clearly the real winners. And if his work with Livestrong didn't make him enough of a winner, he brought up TV viewership of the Tour almost 60% from 2008. Maybe, as Lance says, it's not all about the bike. This year's tour proved it's all about Lance.

Furthermore, Lance announced his sponsor for the Tour de France in 2010--yes, he will ride again!--is Radio Shack. Thus, after Columbia-HTC and Garmin-Slipstream, Team Radio Shack will be the third major American team in the professional cycling circuit, truly a sign that the sport is gaining in popularity in the US. For lots of Americans including myself, seeing an American (regardless of the fact that it was my role model) standing on the podium at the conclusion of the greatest race in the world is a huge motivator to pursue cycling, whether it be as a hobby or as a career. Though it's a year away, next year's tour promises to be even greater than this year's Tour; Contador will be on a new team, Lance will ride for Radio Shack with a full year under his belt, the Schleck brothers and Bradley Wiggins will be stronger, and maybe well find out if anyone will ever beat Mark Cavendish on a sprint...I can't wait.