Lance

I know I'm a little late, but let's talk TdF for a sec.

1. Lance is clearly the greatest TdF champ in history. I would even say the greatest cyclist in history. Undoubtedly, if he had chosen another race on which to focus, or a series of races, he would have dominated those too. He chose the biggest and toughest race. I doubt we'll see any cyclist as dominating anytime soon - probably ever.

2. Lance has convinced me that he's reached these heights without the help of illegal drugs. I'm not saying that because I trust him or think that he's above such behavior, but because he has been tested so much and never tested positive. If he is doping, then he has spent more time working on how to get past the tests than he has training for races.

3. Lance, his kids, his mom, the Discovery Team, etc. are all living the rock star life right now. I worry what may happen next. If people forget about Lance, he might crash. Oddly, Sheryl Crow might be his saving grace then. She knows fame's harshness. If people don't forget Lance, he might go on into politics. He has mentioned running for governor. I wonder what party he would run with (I'm guessing Dems). But I almost hate to see that because I think the best thing for Lance would not be to have another distraction - another race to win. I know some guys who know some guys who know Lance. They confirm (so I obviously have this on the best authority) that he is a fanatic. He has said so himself. For seven years (more, actually) he has completely immersed himself in cycling, and specifically the Tour. I heard a story about him calling up a young rider from Dallas who had recently been named to his team on Christmas Day and asking him if he wanted to go for a ride. Family time is not as imporant to Lance as saddle time. If it had been, he might not have won 7. With that challenge gone, I suspect he'll look for something else to eat, sleep, and breathe. But I suspect that the thing he needs most is not to have such a distraction so that he can deal with the deeper issues of his life - a father who left, a stepfather who cheated, a divorce, etc. Of course, I'm psychoanalyzing Lance without even having ever met him, and that's not fair. But it's also the price of fame.
So I look for Lance to do one of two things: become a successful politician (he'll run campaigns like he ran USPS team and squash competitors) or crash hard, losing his wealth and family. Whichever happens, I hope he finds some quiet time to reflect and a Christian friend to help out. From what I know of him from his book and other interviews, he wants little to do with Christians (the stepfather who cheated was a Sunday School teacher), says he doesn't believe in God, and (though I don't know all the details) left his wife to date movie mavens and rock stars.

It's hard not to like the guy who cheated death, beat cancer, and then became one of the greatest athletes in history. You've got to admire that. But I also see that his life is not all wine and roses and I wonder if he thinks the price was worth the glory.