Lance Armstrong Confident After Cycling Comeback
Seven-Time Tour Winner Finishes Strongly in 2009 Tour Down Under
Jan 26, 2009
After a memorable home win for Australian sprinter Allan Davis, which saw him win three out of six stages to take final glory, media attention focussed around Armstrong, competing in his first major event for three-and-a-half years.
Armstrong, now 37, finished with a late attack on yesterday’s final stage of the 802 km/498 mile event, having been content to ride the majority of the race in the main field. Speaking to reporters afterwards, he commented, "It was a good re-entry back to sport, hard racing. The most important thing is it tells me I've been training hard. I've still to fine-tune things, get lighter, fitter, work on certain aspects of conditioning."
Lance Armstrong Cycling Comeback
Cycling legend Armstrong famously battled cancer from 1996-1998 then went on to win the Tour de France seven times in a row, retiring from competitive racing back in 2005. But despite a busy career running the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer awareness supported by his Livestrong brand, he made the surprise announcement of his return to professional cycling back in September 2008.
Much speculation has been made about his true reasons for returning but officially, Armstrong is back to raise global awareness about cancer and also to quench his thirst for competing. His comeback race was certainly symbolic as his bike was adorned with two key numbers. The first, 1,274, marked the number of days since his retirement and the second, 27.5, identified an estimated 27.5 million people who died from cancer during that time.
Armstrong’s Late Attack
On the final stage of this year’s Tour Down Under, Armstrong made a late surge from the back of the peloton during the penultimate lap. It made great television as he joined with a breakaway group of thirteen riders, but the chasing pack soon counter-attacked and Armstrong dropped back into the safety of the main group before the final sprint on the last lap.
"I felt pretty good today so I thought I'd give it a go, I just didn't have the firepower to keep it going," he said. "That's the best I've felt all week - when you feel good and have good legs you go for it."
That Armstrong now feels confident after a hard week of racing is a clear signal that even if he has only made the comeback because he misses the sport, he is still a major force to be reckoned with on the racing circuit.
Armstrong Foundation’s Global Fight Against Cancer
Armstrong’s presence at the Tour Down Under in Adelaide has already proved positive. He has won support from Australian government officials and campaigners following a speech on cancer awareness at the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
Lance Armstrong’s Next Race
Armstrong’s comeback will continue at the Tour of California starting on Feb 14th, which will involve 750 miles of racing from Sacramento to San Diego County. The cycling world waits to see whether his confidence will continue to grow.
Sources:Tourdownunder.com
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