The Return of Lance Armstrong

For those missing his presence, look and wonder no more. He's back.

Lance Armstrong, the seven-time winner of the Tour de France, apparently is no longer satisfied with his seven titles. He figured it was time for an eighth.

Though he was at the top of his form when he retired, he still decided to walk away from the sport that used to be nothing more than a niche in the United States. He made cycling mainstream. But going out on the top usually means there is something left.

And whether Armstrong can regain his top form or not, one thing is clear. He has injected excitement into the sport of cycling once again.

Cycling post-Armstrong
Since Armstrong left the sport in 2005, there has been a lot of change. Exceptional riding has been replaced with exceptional turmoil, so much so that some have wondered if cycling should be mothballed altogether.

Plagued by doping allegations among the sport's top riders, road cycling has struggled to find any credibility as a fair competition. The sport's biggest names, especially during the Armstrong era, have admitted to doping, been involved with nefarious doping doctors, attempted doping (whatever that is) or failed doping tests -- Jan Ullrich, Alexandre Vinokourov, Tyler Hamilton, Ivan Basso and Floyd Landis. The list gets quite long.

Landis, of course, the American who had supposedly won the Tour de France in 2006, was stripped of the title after a test during one stage of the race, came back as positive for synthetic testosterone.

Armstrong's Record
The seven-time Tour de France champion notes often he has never failed a doping test. But the speculation has run rampant. After all, how is it possible a clean rider could dominate a dirty sport in what arguably was its dirtiest era?

"Suspicion has followed Lance Armstrong since 1999, everyone knows that," said Tour Director Christian Prudhomme recently.

One French paper, just weeks after Armstrong's retirement in 2005, ran a story about how a backup sample of Armstrong's urine had been tested and revealed EPO, a banned substance. However, the procedures and source has been called into question.

Further, at least in the United States, the sport has struggled to find a fresh face that has gathered a following. Alberto Contador, who won the Tour in 2007, seemed to be able to do so, but his associations with Team Astana meant he did not race the Tour de France in 2008. Astana was not allowed to run in the 2008 Tour because of its past reputation concerning doping. Coincidentally, Team Astana is likely to be Armstrong's choice when he returns.

Armstrong is the 800-pound gorilla the sport needs. A perfectly clean Armstrong, coming back after three years to win the Tour, would be a phenomenal storyline.

The Reasons
So why return? Why would Armstrong wish to punish himself and endure the torture of the Tour yet again?

While there are multiple reasons, the largest one has to do with the fact that Armstrong wants to prove himself as a clean rider. He has promised unprecedented access to his training routine and has a video crew that document every step of his comeback.

Also with more doping controls than ever being placed on riders, it will provide even more confirmation that he is a clean competitor, he says.

Further, as a cancer survivor, Armstrong wishes to place an emphasis on that cause. He has been out of the limelight for a few years and his image has become somewhat tarnished with lingering allegations about doping and his reputation as a serial dater. After all, your level of influence and ability to raise money only goes so far when your most recent claims to fame are dating Ashley Olson and Kate Hudson.

Coming back twice in a career, and winning the Tour de France in each comeback, would certainly put Armstrong's name, and his cause, back into the spotlight.