Lance will race the Tour this year for the last time and it will be his last professional bike race.
Beat you 
.
Thanks, Mike.
Sounds like that’s it. It’s always refreshing to see a great athlete go out on top. This will certainly add a bit more drama to this year’s Tour de France, as if a possible 7th win will not be dramatic enough.
It will allow Lance to go out battleing for the prize in cycling that means the most to him and in the eyes of much of the world, the most important title in cycling.
Fleck
Let the Kona predictions begin…
My guess is that it’s going to a sort of “passing the torch” race this year. I think Lance’s eyes are on retiring, not winning. Just my guess. I suspect he’s not going to have the chutzpah to win it this time around, and will be graciously passing the mantle on to a team mate. But with Landis (my logical choice given how hard he worked last year) no longer on the team, who’s the recipient?
I agree. He should give back to his teammates who served him through the years and helped him win the 6 he has under his belt. It’s time for someone else to win and it would be the righteous thing to do to ride for someone else.
I respectfully disagree. If Lance is on the line, he has one thing in mind for France and that is to win. It is also of more benifit finacially for his team-mates for Lance to win. They will get bigger paychecks if he wins, even if one of them were to win.
Hincapie.
I give Sheryl three-to-six monthes before she says so long skinny boy.
He said in the press conference that he was going to race to win.
Let’s hope it is a real battle for the top of the podium. If he wins hands down he will become god-like in the eyes of the public and when I am moving around the seniors home in my walker I will have to hear my grandchildren say things like:
“I heard there was a guy named Lance Armstrong that could cycle up the Alp D’Huez with 10 men on his back with a blindfold averaging over 80km/h”
“Is it true that he was so strong that he could crush a motorcycle between his thighs”
“Gramps, is it true that Lance Armstrong could ride a tricycle and still win the Tour de France if he wanted to? Gramps, are you listening to me? GRAMPS!!! Damn, the old fucker has fallen asleep!”
What a shame. It would really say alot for him to ride for one of his faithful after years of pulling him around and setting him up for the wins. He’s got enough…why not let someone else go for it?
There are many reasons for him not to do this - not the least of which is there’s no one on the team capable of winning the Tour this year.
Because none of those guys can even podium, let alone win.
I don’t think Lance has ever understated the role of his teammates in any of his big wins, and we all know what role guys like George Hincape have played. But I also don’t think it does anyone any good for the “alpha” to sit back and be the “beta.” The best should be the best. Winning under any other circumstance is like “kissing your sister.” Lance races to wear the malliot jaune in Paris, and the world watches him to see him wear it. Personally, I’d like to see him kick ass a seventh time.
I think you have it right. He seems like the kind of guy that is out there to win if he starts. Yeah, it’s also about the money and passing the torch and all that shit, but it’s first about winning.
People act like he is old - he’s what, 34? That’s a pretty good age for endurance athletes.
As nice as it would be of him, just who on the Discovery team do you think he could assist in winning the tour? I don’t think any other member truly has a chance, even if Lance pulls them around most of the tour. I think the risk of them cracking would be pretty great. Not that his risk of cracking isn’t greater than in previous years but I’d still put my money on him rather than any of his team mates. They probably know this as well.
who else on his team can win it?
aaah, JM3, glad to see someone with common sense…
Lance is the only one in his team capable of winning the tour. There are remarkable TTers, climbers etc. but none who can do it all the way you have to to win the Tour.
So how much longer will Eki hang around??
I hate to bring it up… But some say Ullrich is looking strong this year. I’d love to see him and Lance in a real battle for the podium. I think I’d also like to see Jan take it. Though 7 would be sweet.
I think the best thing Lance can do for his team and for cycling is ride for a Team Discovery win. Period.
I never looked in depth at who else on the team could win it besides Lance. I just thought it would be a cool thing to do.