More on Lance...and some tri stuff too!

Hi All,

So Lance is officially back. It is still up in the air which team he will race for. Team Astana - with his old buddy Johan Bruyneel, is by far the favorite (since Lance implied that in his press release). However, Astana is currently denying those reports, and Bruyneel himself claims they are only "rumours". So we'll see what happens. Two other American teams - Garmin-Chipotle and Team Columbia, both have riders that have relationships with Lance, so they can't be completed eliminated yet. Team Astana would thus have Lance, Levi, Alberto Contador, and Andreas Kloden. That team would be a powerhouse in France next July!!

This news has really shaken up the cycling world. Even Lance rivals Joseba Beloki and Michael Boogerd are apparently rethinking their current retirement plans. Unfortunately, despite one blogger's best efforts, http://bringbackjan.blogspot.com/, it appears that Mr Ullrich is happy to stay home in Germany and avoid further drug tests.

Others too have weighed in positively. The UCI president is thrilled (probably mostly since his sport will get more media attention. He adds that Lance's comeback in this brave new world of drug testing (EPO tests, biological passport, etc) will "give him the opportunity to prove he can do it clean".

On the other hand, Christian Prudhomme, the director of the Tour de France noted that Armstrong was "welcome in principle" at next year's race. "If his yet unknown team as well as himself comply with today's much more severe anti-doping rules, then we will accept his participation," Prudhomme told AFP, even though "Armstrong's victories have been tarnished by suspicions since 1999." He sounds like a bitter Frenchman who doesn't like American riders winning Le Tour! And I sure liked his hints that today's tests are much harder to beat...i wonder what he's implying?

For those of you who want the whole story, check out the Vanity Fair article here. And here is a pic of Lance from the article that might appeal to female readers...


This weekend brings the Ironman brand back to Canada. Ironman 70.3 Muskoka will be held for the first time this weekend, with over 1700 athletes to compete. The Pro Men's Race will be Craig Alexander's to lose, as he fine-tunes for Kona. Alexander has raced in Muskoka many times, and it's good to see him back. Triathlon legends (ie. past their prime) Simon Lessing and Luc van Lierde are also both competing. The women's race is highlighted by Lisa Bentley and Joanna Zeiger, although Lisa should be considered the favorite. The race also made national news this week when it was announced that hundreds of tacks had been found on the bike course last weekend. Crazy. I don't understand how people are that perturbed at cyclists traveling on the roads.

Persistence pays off for a couple of Ironman elites last week at Ironman Wisconsin. Just 1 week after finishing second at Ironman Louisville, Chris McDonald from Australia won the race comfortably for his second career IM victory (and a course record!). Who needs recovery? Certainly not the women's winner either! Hilary Biscay, who also raced in Louisville 7 days earlier (she finished 4th) FINALLY won her first IM race. I say finally because she races a ton. She finished 8 IM-distance races in 2007 and already has 8 finishes this year! Crazy. Biscay has always trained and raced hard, with a legendary pre-race 42km treadmill run as part of a 60+km running day! I'm not sure if she does that now, but that speaks to her motivation (and mental status?). Good for her...she will race Kona for her 9th Ironman race this year too!

Running out of time for today, so I'll be back on Monday for another update...see you then...