Lance Armstrong Comes Out of Retirement

Lance Armstrong revealed in a September 9^th Vanity Fair interview that he has chosen to end his retirement and return to professional cycling. The article became the solid proof the world was looking for to confirm the rumors that had been circulating during the preceding days. He told Douglas Brinkley in the interview that, not only is he going to return to cycling but that he is "one hundred percent" certain he is going to ride in the Tour de France in 2009.

This shocking news raises many questions to many different people. Even in retirement, Lance Armstrong has been the face of cycling in America. He transcends the sport through his tireless efforts to bring cancer awareness to the forefront in the media and in the government and to raise funds for research and clinical trials. Sports enthusiasts and those affected by cancer alike are curious what effect Armstrong's return to cycling will have. Will he be successful? What is he hoping to prove? What are his goals? Lance has answered some of these questions but others will be determined later this month and even more will be put to rest as the racing season begins again in 2009.

Lance Armstrong's goals appear to be two-fold. According to the press release on his website², his primary aim is to "raise awareness of the global cancer burden." He plans on using the publicity generated by his return to cycling to continue to put cancer awareness on the peoples' minds on a global level. His second goal is to win the Tour de France, the race he dominated for seven consecutive years prior to his retirement at the end of the 2005 season. Armstrong has stated that he is coming back to win and he truly believes he can do so. After a three year layoff, though, both his body and the cycling landscape in general have changed. Whether or not he can win will depend on many factors, including:

1. His age: Nothing contributed to Lance Armstrong's success in the Tour de France more than his natural physical ability. It remains to be seen how much of that ability will remain now that a few more years have crept by (Armstrong will be 37 at the start of the 2009 Tour de France). A particularly interesting issue relates to his pedaling cadence. Lance Armstrong always maintained an extremely high pedaling cadence that was meant to take advantage of his body's unusually low lactate levels and allowed him to put forth intense, fast efforts on the bike day after day without the muscle soreness that other riders experience. Whether he'll be able to maintain the same cadence that he used when he was younger is extremely important.

2. His team: Armstrong's longtime coach, Johan Bruyneel, is no longer with the American Discovery Channel team. He is now the director for the Astana team and this is the team that Armstrong will be joining. This is the same Astana team that was banned from the 2008 Tour de France for doping violations and the same Astana team that already has a clear leader, 2007 Tour de France winner, Alberto Contador. Lance Armstrong isn't going to win the Tour de France without a talented team whose sole aim is to put him on top of the podium. And it remains to be seen whether the Astana team is either willing or able to do so.

3. His training schedule: When it comes to people with busy schedules, Lance Armstrong is near the top of the list. He is constantly traveling around the country to attend different LiveStrong events, make appearances at charities, and speak with members of congress about cancer funding. In addition, he has three young children and other social interests that occupy his time. If he is going to have a realistic chance of winning the 2009 Tour de France, he is going to need to seriously shift his scheduling priorities. His travel, social engagements, and even his diet are going to have to revolve around his training instead of the opposite being true.

Lance Armstrong will answer a lot of questions and make his intentions fully known on September 24^th, at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City. In the interim, though, nobody should be eager to doubt him. A lasting part of his legacy will surely be that he made the impossible seem possible and that he consistently silenced his doubters. He came back from his battle with cancer and won one of the most difficult, grueling sporting events in the world seven times in a row in a fashion that made him a hero to many and a villain to others. When he is motivated, it is hard to find anyone more focused or tenacious than he is. Make no mistake, Lance Armstrong is coming back and he's coming back to win.