Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Just a Slight Delay for Lance?
By John R. Finger
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CSNPhilly.com
It was during that visit with his doctor that Armstrong learned his “clean” clavicle break wasn’t so clean after all. As of 8:20 p.m. eastern time on Tuesday, the great bike rider was getting a CT scan after learning about the not-so clean break.
“Bummer,” he tweeted on his Twitter feed.
Meanwhile, while the health and pending comeback of Lance Armstrong was all being documented in real time via “new media” (and the death of the “old media” had a bit more dirt shoveled on it with each tweet), somewhere near Paris tired old men waited anxiously for the next update.
Yes, when Armstrong “tweets” folks take notice. And no, it’s not just the fans, either. Take those tired old men in France for instance. When they read that the collarbone might be a little more damaged than expected, those “nefarious Frenchmen” might just have been moved to “twirl their moustaches and laugh heartily at his plight,” as the great Bob Ford once wrote about Lance’s ex-teammate, Floyd Landis, a few years back.
Yes, the cycling bureaucrats are feeling pretty good about themselves lately. When Lance hopped on that plane to go home, it meant there was an entire ocean between him and the nexus of the cycling universe. CT scans and doctor’s visits that elicit tweets that read, “bummer” gets that twirling in full flight. The next one might even be enough to cause a World Series-style victory celebration full of champagne spray and maybe even some high-fives. Why not? They already made him cut his hair for DNA-style drug tests.
Only in this case it might be real champagne instead of the sparkling wine those gauche Americans like.
Sacrebleu!
So yeah, get the feeling we don’t think the powers running the Tour de France don’t want a seven-time champion back in their race? Get the feeling that they would rather see the biggest race in the world be nothing more than an exercise of egos run amok just like during the 2007 race when they helped run out Michael Rasmussen with just four stages to go until he was crowned at the Champs-Élysées.
Even though Rasmussen had never tested positive for a drugs test his forced ouster from the Tour de France came with a two-year ban. Needless to say, all the appeals were denied.
Call it cowboy justice, cycling style. Call up Floyd and ask him about it.
Nevertheless, last year the Tour’s owners (Amaury Sport Organisation) with backing from the governing body of racing, the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI), booted Team Astana from the race. The significance of this is that the defending champ – the guy pushed past Rasmussen in ’07 – Alberto Contador rode for Astana. So too did top American Levi Leipheimer, as well as German Andreas Klöden. All three men were good enough to win the Tour in any year, which kind of made Astana the New York Yankees of cycling.
Imagine if one day Bud Selig woke up and decided to kick out the Yankees or Red Sox from Major League Baseball just because he felt like it. In fact, the circumstances are quite similar. In the past Astana had (ex-) riders who were busted for or were held in suspicion for doping. If Selig had banned the Yankees because A-Rod admitted his cousin got him some steroids in the Dominican Republic, that would have been par for the course in cycling.
A guy doesn’t even have to do the crime to serve the time in cycling. Just thinking about it is bad enough.
Now think how they all must have felt when Lance Armstrong not only announced he was returning to competitive racing, but also signed on with big, bad Astana. Though Armstrong won the Tour more times than anyone, he was the only guy the cycling bureaucrats could not pin anything on. Oh sure, they wanted to, but much to their chagrin the sport needed Lance.
And much to their chagrin now, they still do.
Only they might get their wish after all. His crash in the Vuelta a Castilla y Leon on Monday might have solved some of their problems. Hell, who knows… if Lance can’t go maybe the ASO/UCI will try a last minute end around on Team Astana.
Here’s the wreck:
Oh, but the joy in France might be short-lived. No, Lance might not be healed in time to get after it on July 4 in Monaco. A late Twitter post on Tuesday night read that he is headed for surgery at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. And, yes, he might even serve as a domestique for Contador and/or Leipheimer, but count on a return trip in 2010.
Actually, 2010 could bring a return of Lance, Floyd and Rasmussen to the big race. Quick, someone go find Vinokourov and Ullrich so we can really have a party.
Yes, they just might be getting the gang back together again.
Anyone up for a few bars of “La Marseillaise?”
E-mail John Finger at jfinger@comcastsportsnet.com
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